Lincoln College O ffice for D isability S ervices

1. Lincoln College Office for Disability Services

2. Laws Lincoln College is required by law to provide reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities. Rehabilitation Act of 1973 Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act of 2008 These laws are civil rights statutes designed to protect the rights of individuals with disabilities.

3. Laws • Students otherwise qualified for admission have a right to be here. • Once admitted, students have a right to access all LC programs. • Qualified students are eligible to receive reasonable accommodations that relate to their disability. • Students have a right to confidentiality of all disability-related information.

4. Laws Reasonable accommodations are adaptations aimed at lessening the impact of a disability. Accommodations focus on mitigating the limitations caused by the disability and are individualized for each person and each course.

5. Steps in the Accommodation Process Student contacts ODS. Student must meet eligibility requirements. ODS identifies appropriate accommodations. The accommodation plan is implemented. The accommodation plan is reviewed and revised as necessary.

6. Step 1. Students are responsible for making the first contact with ODS. However LC is responsible for letting students know that option exists. All syllabi should include a statement about disability services. Students who wish to request accommodations based on a documented disability should contact the Office for Disability Services (ODS) in: Lincoln ABE Lower Level Harts Science Room 106B 217.735.7335 309.268.4321 lcods@lincolncollege.edu ncods@lincolncollege.edu Faculty should not directly question students about a disability.

7. Step 2. Students provide appropriate documentation from the diagnosing professional on the current impact of the disability. That diagnosis is the basis for determining eligibility for accommodations. Documentation is considered confidential. Students may elect to share information about the disability with instructors, but they are not obligated to do so.

8. Step 3. The student and ODS discuss limitations caused by the disability in relation to course requirements and explore ways to address those limitations. Sometimes ODS may ask faculty for input about course requirements. ODS identifies specific accommodations appropriate for each course.

9. Step 4. ODS issues a letter identifying approved accommodations which the student gives to each faculty member. The faculty member and student discuss the best way to implement the accommodations. The faculty member signs and returns a copy of the accommodation letter to ODS, keeping one copy on file. To maintain confidentiality, the filed ODS letter should be shredded at the end of the semester.

10. Step 5. If the accommodation plan needs to be modified: Students may meet with ODS to discuss revision of the accommodation plan. If revisions are made, a new letter will be provided for faculty members. Faculty may notify ODS of any concerns about the accommodation plan by completing an Accommodation Appeal Form (available online or in the ODS Office) Faculty should continue to provide accommodations as outlined in the original ODS letter while any issues are evaluated.

11. Timeline Students have the right to request disability-related accommodations at any time throughout the semester. The responsibility for providing accommodations begins as soon as the individual faculty member is notified of the accommodation plan. Faculty are not required to grant accommodations retroactively.

12. Why go through ODS? Faculty who bypass ODS expose themselves and the institution to legal risk. ODS provides students with appropriate support and ensures that confidentiality rights are protected and legal requirements met. ODS is designated by Lincoln College as the office which determines and authorizes accommodations. Accommodations are intended to level the playing field – not reduce rigor. Lowering course standards can compromise the student’s future; compromise the integrity of the curriculum; violate the intent of the law.

13. Universal Design Universal design involves using multiple methods of presenting material, assessing learning, and engaging students. Using universal design can help all students, regardless of disability status. The following slides suggest some techniques which may be useful in helping provide all students equal access to educational materials.

14. Universal Design Be aware of the font you use in handouts and on tests. Serif style fonts can exacerbate students’ difficulty tracking through text. Visually friendly Calibri Verdana Tahoma Not so much Times New Roman Arial Narrow Script style fonts

15. Universal Design Be aware of page formatting choices. Visually friendly Left aligned formatting Generous use of white/empty space Bulleted lists Not so much Full justified formatting Narrow margins Single line spacing

16. Universal Design Be aware of background and color choice in PowerPoint presentations. The easiest format for most readers is light print on a solid dark background. Ten percent of American males are color blind, so avoid red/green combinations. Choose color carefully Choose color carefully Choose color carefully

17. Universal Design Be aware of the amount of text on each PowerPoint slide. It’s recommended to use 28 to 32 size font 6 lines of text 6 words per line

18. Universal Design As a general rule, a black marker is easiest for most people to read on the whiteboard. Notes on Whiteboard Notes on Whiteboard Notes on Whiteboard Notes on Whiteboard Notes on Whiteboard

19. Universal Design When writing test questions, be sure you are really testing what you mean to test. Using Universal Design when creating tests helps ensure that students’ scores reflect what they know – not how they perceive what appears on the page.

20. Universal Design As you design exams, consider using Universal Design techniques. Bold key words. Avoid negative wording. Avoid passive voice. Align left, with an uneven right border. Break long amounts of text into smaller chunks.

21. Universal Design When writing multiple choice exams… List responses in a single column. Use a complete sentence for the stem rather than a fragment. Keep the response options shorter than the stem. Use a capital letter to identify response options; avoid parentheses. Leave adequate white space on all pages. A.B.C.D A. B. C. D.

22. Don’t assume that because a student needs academic accommodations that s/he will have problems in the workplace. Our responsibility is not to screen for future employability. Our job is to ensure that all LC students have equal access to all College programs. Employers are required to provide reasonable accommodations for eligible employees. Also, accommodations needed for classroom learning may not be needed for employment.

23. Questions? Contact ODS… Lincoln: Allyssa Schweisthal Lower Level Harts Science 217.735.7335 lcods@lincolncollege.edu ABE: Sue Merrick Room 106B 309.268.4321 ncods@lincolncollege.edu