Disability Services

Lane Home Search Lane

What does the Letter of Accommodation (LOA) mean to me?

The Letter of Accommodations (LOA) is confirmation for the instructor that the student has completed the qualification/registration process with Disability Services. The LOA states the student is qualified to receive the specific accommodations stated in the student’s letter. Disability Services strongly recommends that the student arrange to meet with each instructor outside of class. This meeting should take place during the instructor’s office hours, or at another appointment time. The goal of the meeting is for the student and instructor to have a clear understanding of what accommodations will be used in the class. The student may use any and all stated accommodations. It is the student’s decision which accommodations will be utilized for the specific classes. There are some accommodations which require DS assistance or equipment. The student must contact DS regarding these accommodations requiring DS involvement. In order to ensure that accommodations are implemented smoothly, students, faculty, and DS staff must work collaboratively to provide the student access to the learning environment. For more information or assistance, call Disability Services at 463-5150

What kind of "Accessibility Statement" should be included in my course syllabus?

The statement below (also found at http://www.lanecc.edu/cops/disable.htm) is to appear on every class syllabus, and may be posted in department offices or classrooms.

Font should be 12-point font, or larger, and easy to read. We recommend Arial or Tahoma.

"If you need support or assistance because of a disability, you may be eligible for academic accommodations through Disability Services. For more information, contact Disability Services at (541) 463-5150 (voice) or 463-3079 (TTY), or stop by Building 1, Room 218."

Who do I contact in the department if I need help with a specific student?

There are advisors in Disability Services who are able to provide general information in a number of areas. Faculty is invited to contact any of the following student advisors for information on accommodations and other general information .

• Pamela McGilvray, extension 3255
• Cathie Reschke, extension 5079
• Kathy Torvik, extension 5091

• Questions about a student with low vision or blindness, contact Kathy Torvik at extension 5091.
• Questions about a student with hearing loss, contact Cathie Reschke at extension 5079.
• Questions about alternate format, contact Pat Sweeney at extension 5059.
• Questions about test accommodations, contact Terri Sullivan at extension 5280.

Making materials accessible: Plan Ahead

• On Disk
  • Handouts on disk allow the student to use assistive technology or software to access the document.
• by E-Mail
  • Handouts sent by e-mail give the student an opportunity to use assistive technology to access the document.
• Enlargements
  • Handouts used during class need to be enlarged to the font size or copier percentage specified on the student's LOA, so the student can fully participate in class.
• Videotapes
  • Students with hearing loss can't always hear or understand what's said on a videotape.
  • If you intend to use a videotape in class, plan ahead and check to see if it's captioned (look for the cc icon). If you're not sure, contact DS and we can double-check for you.
  • Contact AudioVisual Services to request a TV with caption capabilities, and ask for instruction on how to use it when needed.
  • If the video you plan to use isn't captioned, DS can suggest resources, or ways that we can make it accessible.
• Overhead Transparencies
  • If overheads are pre-made, print a hard copy before class and present the qualifying student with the copy at the same time the transparency is shown to class.
  • If overheads are created or edited during class, offer to make a copy after class for the qualifying student. Alternatively, the student may ask to borrow the transparency after class,  make a copy at DS, and return the transparency to you.

Furniture & Equipment

• Accessible Workstation
  • Students who use wheelchairs must be able to sit comfortably and reach the keyboard, mouse, and monitor to fully participate in class. Specialized software and hardware are often loaded onto or attached to this accessible computer workstation
• Mouse / Pointer
  • Students unable to use a standard mouse or pointing device may use a trackball or other specialized equipment as their mouse. DS and Instructional Computing share the responsibility for installing any equipment.
• Keyboard
  • Students unable to use a standard QWERTY keyboard may qualify to use other keyboards (MicroSoft Natural or other ergonomic keyboard, on-screen, mini, etc.)
• Monitor
  • Students with visual impairments or other qualifying disabilities may request the use of a large (20"-21") monitor in class or in the computer labs.
• Magnification Light
  • Students with visual impairments often qualify for a magnification light or other magnification device to help them see things otherwise invisible to them unassisted.
• Tables & Chairs
  • It is the student's responsibility to request accessible tables, and padded or ergonomic chairs as needed in their classrooms from DS. Students are encouraged to do this in advance, since General Services only moves furniture 1 day per week.
  • Once placed in the classroom, it becomes the instructor's responsibility to ensure that the furniture is reserved for the qualifying student during the specified class.
  • If other students appear to need similar table / chair accommodations, please refer the student to DS.
• FM (Personal Amplification) System
  • Students with hearing loss may have difficulty hearing the lecture, classroom comments or questions without assistance. The purpose of the FM System is to bring the sound of the speaker closer to the listener.
  • The instructor will need to wear a clip microphone, attached to clothing near the mouth (or ask for a headset mic), and a small transmitter (put it in a pocket, or attach to waistband), and turn it on.
  • The student will use the receiver, and some sort of listening accessory (headphones, etc.) to amplify the lecture to the volume needed.
  • If small group discussion is part of the course work, the student can ask for a "conference" mic, which will amplify the voices of all group participants.

Academic Adjustments

• Extra time for lengthy in-class writing assignments
  • Some students have disabilities that make completion of lengthy in-class writing assignments during class more time consuming than for the average student. At the student's request, instructors should allow an appropriate amount of extra time for the student to complete the assignment, but how much extra time can be negotiated by both instructor and student.
• Early notification or extra time to complete large assignments
  • Some students have disabilities that make completion of large assignments or projects more time consuming than for the average student.
  • If details of the large assignment or project are included in the class syllabus, and distributed during the first week of the term, no additional accommodation (extra time) is required to accommodate the student.
  • Instructors have two options: 1) Share details of the project with the student with a disability before assigning it to the rest of the class, or 2) Allow the student to negotiate for additional time to complete the project.
• Arriving late & taking breaks
  • Some students' disabilities affect mobility, making it difficult to get from one end of campus to another in the 10 minutes allowed. Permit qualifying students an extra 5 minutes to arrive, before taking roll or penalizing for tardiness.
  • Some students' disabilities necessitate a change in position frequently, to stand-up, stretch, walk around, or even to leave the room. Students remain responsible for lecture material, and should be considerate of others, causing as little disruption to the educational environment as possible, when standing, stretching, leaving or re-entering the classroom.
• Student initiated participation
  • Call on the student ONLY if the student initiates the interaction. If participation is graded, it is the student's responsibility to volunteer to participate whenever possible. This accommodation should NOT alter the grading process.

Lectures

• Volunteer Notetakers
  • Students are asked to identify classmates who are willing to function as volunteer notetakers. DS provides NCR paper (carbonless carbon paper) to qualifying students with disabilities; this paper should be shared with the volunteer notetaker, and notes given at the end of class. If the notetaker prefers not to use the NCR paper, copies of notes can be made in DS upon request.
  • The student may ask the instructor for help to find a competent classmate who will share notes. The instructor may approach a specific student for this task or make a general statement to the class. Suggested Statement: "We have a need for a volunteer notetaker who will share notes with another student. Please notify me at the break if you are available for this."
  • The student and notetaker should be in contact with each other. The student should be present to receive notes unless other arrangements have been made with DS.
  • If no volunteer notetaker can be identified, it is the student's responsibility to return to DS and ask for further assistance.
• Tape Record Lectures
  • Students with a range of disabilities are tape recording lectures for a variety of reasons.
  • Students may tape record any lecture or lab material that may appear on an exam.
  • Students may only be denied permission to tape record personal stories or examples given by their classmates which are personal, private, or sensitive in nature.
• Service Providers
  • Students may be accommodated by a variety of Service Providers, including sign language interpreters, notetakers (providing communication access, or notes in alternative format), lab aides, scribes (writers), or readers. Seating will need to be available for these Service Providers.
  • Service Providers are not registered for the class, and should not participate except to ask for clarification. Service Providers are not tutors, and do not have contact with students outside of class.
  • Service Providers may contact the instructor directly for the textbook or other materials used in the class.

Testing

• Instructor facilitated
  • Instructors are responsible for providing most test accommodations. However, certain accommodations (those requiring a Service Provider) may require DS assistance.

• DS facilitated
  • If DS assistance is needed, the instructor, the student, and the appropriate DS staff member will work together to ensure that test accommodations are arranged in a timely way.
  • The student is responsible for making the initial contact with DS a minimum of 3 working days in advance, in order for DS to complete the test accommodation arrangements.
  • All tests administered by DS will be proctored.

Absences

• Students may have "disability related absences" for a variety of reasons (hospitalization, severe pain requiring medication, etc.).
• "Disability Related Absences" may require an exam to be rescheduled.
• Attendance requirements, outlined on course syllabi, do not have to be modified to accommodate a student qualifying for "disability related absences"; although flexibility is always appreciated.