Welcome to Working with What You’ve Got: Doing More with Less

1. Welcome toWorking with What You’ve Got: Doing More with Less Please be respectful of your colleagues by silencing your phone. If you need to answer a call, please go to the hallway.

2. Conference Inclusion Statement We ask you to join us in creating a culture that reflects… Access and Inclusion & Civility and Respect …this week and in all aspects of our organization.

3. Why Are We Qualified On This Topic? • Nicole Monsibais, MPA, JD • Current Compliance Officer and 504/Title IX Coordinator at Our Lady of the Lake University (OLLU). • Former Director, and only full-time professional employee of Services to Students with Disabilities (SSD) at OLLU. The SSD Office serves students at the main, two satellite, and online campuses. • Brandy Lerman, MEd, LPC • Current ADA & General Counselor, and only fully-time professional employee of Ability Services at Houston Community College (HCC) – Coleman College for Health Sciences. The Office of Counseling & Ability Services serves students in the Coleman, Coleman Tower, McGovern, and online campuses.

4. Presentation Goals • Identify areas of constraints and develop creative service methods using additional staff, policies, and/or procedures • Understand how to leverage existing resources and create a “small ask” to maximize efficiency

5. Maximize TimeIssues & Solutions

6. Issue: Too Much Demand, Not Enough of You • Requests for assistance via phone and email do not get dedicated time • One appointment that runs long, shifts entire day back

7. Solution: Strategic Scheduling • Add in buffer time to each student appointment • Add twice the buffer time to faculty consults

8. Issue: Repetitive Tasks • Emails require a large amount of time to generate and are often repetitive • LOAs are high volume, leaving little time for individualization

9. Solution: Email Signatures • Craft different email signatures for FAQ-type email responses

10. Solution: LOA Templates • Create letter templates in case management system for LOAs categorized by accommodation types, including associated attachments/data forms

11. Intentional CollaborationIssues & Solutions

12. Issue: Limited Budget • Reduced number & quality of program events

13. Solution: Inter-Departmental Collaboration • Collaborate with another department on student events • “Lunch & Learn” events at HCC Coleman are co-sponsored • Student Life provides lunch • Counseling & Ability Services provides presentation content • Both departments get credit for co-sponsoring event

14. Issue: Programs Fear Losing MOUs/Affiliations • Each ADA student is seen as a “problem child,” and clinical sites will reduce the number of students permitted to be placed until MOU is dissolved

15. Solution: Visit Affiliation / MOU Coordinator(s) • Advise Affiliation Coordinator to set expectations with site supervisors during MOU development • A student is not yet a master—mistakes are part of the learning curve • Discuss student needs without violating confidentiality • Identify viable clinical sites for ADA students before placing remaining cohort

16. Issue: Inaccessible Course Materials • Textbook adaptation requires significant time and resources • Inaccessible faculty-created course reading materials

17. Solution: Training for Textbook Selection • Multi-prong collaborative approach to develop training including: • Academic Affairs • Library • Bookstore • Center for Teaching Excellence

18. Solution I: Academic Affairs • Faculty guidelines require selection of accessible course reading materials • When unavailable, require plan for future adaptation

19. Solution II: Library • Course reading materials require utilizing Library Course Reserves • Eliminates inaccessible photocopied course materials

20. Solution III: Bookstore • Accessible version availability listed on site and in store • Alerts students to turn in alternative textbook requests further in advance • Improves coordination with VA and other agency caseworkers to approve purchase of accessible versions

21. Solution IV: Center for Teaching Excellence • Training for faculty to create accessible course materials while designing their courses • Provides notice of available ongoing training and resources

22. Adapt Processes/ProceduresIssues & Solutions

23. Issue: Too Many Students, Only One of You • Managing walk-in demand while scheduled appointments are in progress

24. Solution: Who’s Next Software • The digital sign-in lobby captures the student ID number of each walk-in request for assistance • Student ID number used to access contact information for later follow-up • Instant message function enables communication with other staff while DS Provider is in session • More effectively manage walk-ins around scheduled appointments

25. Issue: Requiring a Meeting for Meetings’ Sake • Not every student situation requires a meeting to renew LOA, and may be an additional barrier • It remains necessary to maintain the interactive process for LOA renewal

26. Solution: Streamlining • Students use digital case management system to review and request accommodation renewals per course • Saves time by prioritizing meetings with only those students who need changes, or have any other issues that prompt the interactive process • LOA is crafted in real time during student meeting and digitally delivered with student’s consent

27. Crafting A “Smaller Ask”Issues & Solutions

28. Issue: Ideal Resolution = No Resolution At All • Asking for too much can overwhelm administrators’ perspectives of a genuine need, and lead to outright refusals for increased resources • Example: “Big Ask” for more support staff

29. Solution: A “Smaller Ask” Can Still Help • “Smaller Ask” for a tablet to host DS confidential record system • Mobile access to DS records allows out-of-office faculty consults • Replaces back-and-forth email threads with streamlined communication • Supports personal touch that in-person dialogue provides • On-the-spot scheduling when DS Provider approached outside of office • Intake forms completed on tablet while DS Provider continues working

30. Solution Insight: Timing • Finished research on alternative “Smaller Ask” for tablet device, before requesting “Big Ask” • Submitted “Smaller Ask” two days after “Big Ask” was denied––created sense of urgency to meet need • Pick Battles––more likely to gain buy-in by including fewer asks in each round of collaboration

31. Issue: The Many Hats of a DS Provider • No dedicated Assistive Technology (AT) staff support • Example: “Big Ask” for dedicated AT staff position

32. Solution: Reimagined Work Study Role • “Smaller Ask” to hire additional work study • Redeveloped work study position into an “AT Student Aide,” specializing in peer-to-peer user support • Expanded functional role of student support without compromising confidentiality

33. Solution Insight: Retraining • Trained student workers on alternative textbook software and assistive technology • Students with accommodations utilizing this technology were assigned to an AT Aide for direct service

34. Collaborate & DiscussIssues & Solutions

35. Group Discussion • Please use a few minutes to collaborate with session peers • Presenters will bring conversation back to the whole audience • Discuss insight and potential solutions for volunteer scenarios

36. P.S. Parting Gift • Installed a locked “Confidential Dropbox” outside DS office to allow students to drop off documents without requiring a staff person to be available • Eliminated risk of having other University staff nearby be responsible for confidential DS documents

37. Thank you!Questions? Nicole Monsibais, MPA, JD | nlmonsibais@ollusa.edu Brandy Lerman, MEd, LPC | brandwyn.lerman@hccs.edu

38. Session Evaluation Please see session moderator for paper evaluation form or complete the evaluation online.