The role of the Office of Disabled Student Development is to ensure the civil rights of our students with disabilities while at the same time protecting institutional standards. BALL STATE POLICY AND PROCESS:

Please include the following statement on each course syllabus and read it aloud during the first week of each term:

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If you need adaptations or accommodations because of a disability, if you have emergency medical information to share with me, or if you need special arrangements in case the building must be evacuated, please make an appointment with me as soon as possible. My office hours are...

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(Note: While it is always best for students to communicate early in the term, we may not put dates or deadlines on legal rights.)

Should a student request an accommodation, indicate that you will be able to discuss that when he/she has presented you with a letter from Richard Harris.

The DSD office is charged with reviewing relevant medical and psychometric materials in order to verify a disability that qualifies for accommodation under the ADA. We are very aware that the issue of providing academic accommodations for students with "non-apparent" disabilities (i.e. LD, ADD, TBI, psychiatric, and chronic health problems) is not universally understood. This office does all that it can to keep up with relevant research and legal decisions to guide us in accepting/rejecting documentation as well as recommending reasonable and appropriate accommodations.

ACCOMMODATION LETTERS:

They will be on DSD office stationary and contain three elements:

1. Verify (but not describe) the student's disability
2. List appropriate accomodations
3. Describe options for the administration of accommodated tests.

ACCOMMODATED TESTING: (extended time, scribes, etc.) -- Instructions for Faculty DSD is pleased to collaborate with The Learning Center (NQ 323) to provide services to students with a disability that need test accomodations. Students with disabilities and faculty can plan test accommodations that are fair to both the student and the institution. As a reminder, Learning Center test administration is an option.

In order to facilitate the staff at the Learning Center, we would like to request that you have the test in the Learning Center the day before the test is to be given. Please send it to the attention of Jackie Harris. Instructions regarding the test should be attached (open book, open note, calculator, etc.). Also remember to include your name, phone, campus address, and the student's name. A Learning Center employee will return the test to your department office in a sealed envelope after the test has been completed. If you have questions concerning the procedures, please call Dr. Harris or the Study Strategies desk at 285-3779.

Time and a half to double the class' testing period will be allotted for the test unless otherwise determined by the DSD office. It is expected that the student will take the test as near to the class' testing time period as possible. For your information, below is a copy of the memo specifying the regulations by which we expect the students to abide.

-- Instructions for Students

If you would like to have a test for a class administered in the Learning Center, please comply with the following guidelines:

- Schedule your appointment as soon as the test is announced, or at least two days in advance, either in person in NQ 323 or by calling 5-3779.
- Remind your professor once before each test to send the test to the Learning Center.
- Take your test when the rest of the class is scheduled to take it.
- If an exception to this rule needs to be made, please have your instructor call Dr. Harris to reset the arrangements. Otherwise, your test will be returned to your instructor.
- It is your responsibility to clarify what services you will need so that we can make the appropriate accommodations.
- Be on time. If you are late for the exam, the amount of time that you missed will be subtracted from your allotted test taking session.
- Place bookbags, coats, etc. behind the Study Strategies desk prior to receiving your test.
- Unauthorized aids, notes, etc. will be reported to the professor, and cheating of any kind will result in the termination of the test.
- Time and a half to double the class' testing period will be allotted time for the test.
- Test proctors may not explain or express opinions concerning material on the test; however, clarifications for specific purposes (directions, procedures, etc) may be given.
- Testing will be discontinued if the client becomes ill or engages in inappropriate behavior such as verbal/physical abuse or any form of sexual harrassment.
- All other university guidelines for test taking apply to the Learning Center.

REFERRING STUDENTS TO DSD

Concerned faculty members regularly contact Disabled Student Development (DSD) with questions about a student that they feel may have a disability. While DSD obviously desires that all students with disabilities receive the necessary accommodations, it is the responsibility of the student to initiate contact with DSD. All students admitted to Ball State are sent a disability "self-disclosure" form. If this form is returned, the student will be made aware of services that Ball State offers pertaining to the disability that the student lists on the self-disclosure form. A student may also disclose a disability to DSD at any time during that student's time at Ball State.

Unlike high school, where teachers actively refer students to special education services, we must remember that college students are adults and privacy is a major consideration. As a result, if you have a student that you feel qualifies for services from DSD, your referral to the DSD office needs to be informational and supportive as opposed to directive or authoritarian. DSD recommends questions such as "Did you know that Ball State has a disability services office?" or comments such as "That is a concern that the folks in the disability office would be happy to discuss with you. Do you know where that office is located?" Since the student's privacy is a concern, it is recommended that this type of discussion take place in your office or discretely before or after class. Some students have a disability (particularly a learning disability or a psychiatric disorder) of which they are not aware. Others are aware, but choose not to disclose. Informing a student of the DSD office is not a violation of privacy, as the individual will make the decision as to whether to follow-up. Of course, if a student has asked for a disability related accommodation, the referral is appropriate and necessary.

OTHER CLASSROOM CONSIDERATIONS:

* Auxiliary aids: The DSD office coordinates such services as notetakers, readers, sign language interpreters, etc. We may call upon you for assistance in finding a notetaker.

* Access to computer technology: BSU has a program with excellent resources to ensure computer access. Contact the ACT Lab (RB 134G, 5-8275) to learn of Braille, enlarged script options, voice-activated computing, specialized keyboards, and much more. If you are creating a website for use in any of your classes, it is necessary that the site be accessible to students with disabilities. Ball State's Web Accessiblity Initiative has a website that gives tips on how to do this.

* Showing films: To ensure access to videos for students who are deaf or hearing-impaired, plan ahead and first contact Educational Resources (5-5333) to see if there is a captioned version available. If this is not available, contact Jeff Bowers (5-2766) at the Teleplex to get assistance with captioning or a script.

*Field Trips: When planning a field trip and providing university transportation for the class, please plan ahead if there are access needs. Contact Brenda Kearns from Transportation (5-1022) for assistance in arranging for an accessible vehicle. Extra costs (if any) for the accessible vehicle will be paid for by the university.

GENERAL INFORMATION:

* A good resource is the person with the disability. Don't ignore him/her, as good, open communication can lead to good solutions.

* Some reminders: The two pieces of legislation (American with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the 504 regulations) are civil rights pieces. Both are similar to the 1964 Civil Rights Act (race) and the 1972 Title IX Act (gender). Violations of any of these can lead to a federal investigation as well as punitive sanctions. These laws are equal opportunity laws, since they ban discrimination on the basis of disability; there are no quotas, no guarantee of jobs, diplomas, grades, etc. One short summary of the ADA: "To go boldly where everybody else has gone before."

* For post-secondary institutions, the guiding principle is: "what you make available to any of your students must be made available to all of your students."

*Collaboration. You are encouraged to communicate and collaborate with the DSD office if you have questions. Both failure to accommodate and over-accommodating are to be avoided. There are several of us on campus who will be most willing to discuss positive approaches with you so students with disabilities may have fair access to instruction.

* Several key terms:

"Otherwise qualified": A disability is not a qualification. We may maintain resonable and defensible qualifications for admission, courses, degrees, etc.

"Reasonable accommodations": These are decided on a case-by case basis. Ideally such accommodations will be in concert with the civil rights of the person with a disability and protect the standards and expectations of the university.

"Essential components": That which is vital to a course, major, degree and for which modification or accomodation would change its nature. We must be able to describe and defend these elements.