AccessCollege

Providing Braille materials for students, faculty, and staff who request them and for whom this accommodation is considered reasonable is typically considered the responsibility of the postsecondary institution. Schools differ in processes established for creating Braille materials. In many schools, students who wish to request academic accommodations must register with a campus disability services office and provide proper documentation of their disabilities.

The content of library materials should be accessible to all patrons, including those with disabilities. It is best if printed research resources are available in a variety of formats (e.g., Braille, audio, tactile graphics, large print, electronic text). A system for enlarging print, such as a closed-circuit TV or other camera system or a large magnifying glass, can be of use to someone with low vision.

There are many benefits to being a mentor to a student with a disability. Mentors' personal communication about their hard-earned experiences contributes to the personal, academic, and professional growth of students with disabilities, many of whom may not have seen themselves as professionals. In this way, mentors contribute to the participation of students with disabilities in fields in which they are traditionally underrepresented - science, mathematics, and technology.

The term modification is defined as an adjustment to an assignment or a test that changes the standard of measurement for the task. A modification is not the same as an accommodation. An accommodation is the practice of making the assignment or assessment more accessible to the student with a disability through changes in formatting, timing, setting, scheduling, and/or presentation. An accommodation does not change the standard of measurement for the task, only the accessibility of the task.

Although each situation is different and the student is the best source of information regarding useful accommodations, the following are some accommodations that should help to make the laboratory safer for students with mobility impairments and the other students in the class as well:

Developing a support network is a key element to successful transition for individuals with disabilities. A support network refers to the people in your life that help you achieve your personal and professional goals. These people can help you transition to college and learn about careers, disability issues, and self-advocacy. In high school, this group may include family members, friends, and teachers.

The term "accommodation" may be used to describe an alteration of environment, curriculum format, or equipment that allows an individual with a disability to gain access to content and/or complete assigned tasks. They allow students with disabilities to pursue a regular course of study. Since accommodations do not alter what is being taught, instructors should be able to implement the same grading scale for students with disabilities as they do for students without disabilities. Examples of accommodations include:

Principles of universal design should be employed in making library databases more accessible to patrons with disabilities. "Universal design" means that rather than designing your services and facility for the average user, you design them for people with a broad range of abilities and disabilities. The following questions can help guide database developers to design library databases that are universally accessible to and usable by people with disabilities.

It is often reported that mentor support can help students with disabilities reach their social, academic, and career potential. Mentors provide direction and motivation, instill values, promote professionalism, help students develop leadership skills, and share relevant experiences. Students with disabilities can benefit from relationships with peer and adult mentors who have similar disabilities. DO-IT has supported an e-mentoring community for students with disabilities since 1992.

In the process of teaching a course, instructors may find that the format of some tests is not fully accessible to students with particular types of disabilities. For example, a student with a fine motor impairment may not be able to fill in the bubbles on a Scantron sheet. A student with Dyslexia may have difficulty demonstrating mastery by writing an essay but may have more success with a fill-in or multiple-choice test. If an alternate form of a test is called for, instructors should ensure that the alternate form is equivalent to the test given to other students.