Office of Disability Support Services
Faculty Handbook
Services and Accommodations Provided by Office of Disability and Support Services (ODSS)
The following services and accommodations are available without cost to eligible Lansing Community College students. It is the student's responsibility to contact an ODSS counselor or advisor before the start of each semester to review and schedule services. www.lcc.edu/odss
- Services
- Assistive Listening Device
- Brailed Tests and Materials
- Interpreting for Deaf Students
- Real-time Captioning for Hard of Hearing Students
- Note-taking
- Physical Arrangements
- Readers
- Recording Lectures
- Materials in an Alternative Format
- Test Taking - Alternative Delivery
Services
Licensed Professional Counselors offer personal counseling. Several of the ODSS staff are trained as academic advisors to assist with accommodations. The ODSS employs specialists in the areas of learning disabilities and hearing impairments.
Contact with Instructors
The student will provide his/her instructor with a memo requesting classroom accommodations. It is also the student's responsibility to follow up on this memo with the instructor especially if any of the requested accommodations, such as extended time for tests and readers for tests, require instructor assistance. Occasionally a student may prefer that the instructor not be informed of his/her disability and ODSS will respect that preference. All communications regarding student disabilities are confidential, however, a "right to know" exists within an educational institution between service providers, such as ODSS, and others working with the student.
For an explanation of an Instructor Memo,
Assistive Listening Device
The ALD is a transmitter and receiver which is designed to amplify sound and eliminate background noise. the instructor wears a microphone (transmitter) and the student wears the receiver. Since the other students will not have microphones, it will be important for the instructor to repeat their questions and comments.
Assistive Listening Devices are picked up by the student from ODSS.
For further information on Assistive Listening Device go to
www.wisegeek.com/what-are-assistive-listening-devices.htm
Brailled Tests and Materials
Tests and materials can be put into Braille. Contact the ODSS staff to make these arrangements. Generally the test will need to be provided by the instructor to Reader Services12 days prior to need. The student is responsible for getting course materials to ODSS.
Interpreting for Deaf Students
Interpreters for the classroom are arranged through ODSS by the student requesting the service. If the student will be absent from the class or no longer needs this service, it is his/her responsibility to cancel as soon as possible. Interpreters will wait outside the classroom 10 minutes for a one hour class, 15 minutes for a class that lasts more than one hour.
Real-time Captioning for Hard of Hearing Students
Real-time captioning for the classroom is arranged through ODSS by the student requesting the service. If the student will be absent from the class or no longer needs this service, it is his/her responsibility to cancel as soon as possible. Real-time captioners will wait until there is a break before leaving the classroom so as not to be disruptive packing up equipment.
Note-taking
When the disability affects writing, using a computer or recording device may be appropriate. ODSS can assist with this process.
Many students record lectures for reviewing later; however, listening to lectures over again takes valuable time. Other students use NCR (carbonless paper) paper, or photocopying to obtain copies of another student's notes. These may be enlarged depending on individual student needs.
If the instructor's notes are appropriate for student use, these can be photocopied as an alternative.
Whatever method the student uses for notes, he/she is
responsible for the material covered in class.
No notes will be scribed on the behalf of an absent student.
If a student requires a note taker, it is the student's responsibility to provide the instructor with the carbonless paper. Note taking paper may be obtained from ODSS. The instructor is to ask for a volunteer without disclosing the student's name, thus maintaining confidentiality. Arrangements to pick-up the notes from the instructor are to be made by the student.
Physical Arrangements
Modifications can be provided based on individual needs. Examples of such adaptations include the following: special desks, tables and/or chairs, option to sit or stand, alteration of equipment or work stations as well as special seating arrangements.
ODSS will make arrangements through Building Services. The instructor is asked to ensure that the equipment (chair, table, etc.) is available to the student with the disability.
Readers
The primary duty of a reader is to read tests aloud and/or
scribe tests for students. A reader may also serve as an
in-class reader- scribe for a student.
It is the student's responsibility to arrange for a reader for
tests. The student is required to make this request five
business days before the test date. It is critical that the
student have an accurate syllabus and testing schedule.
Recording Lectures
Students who are unable to take effective written lecture notes due to a disability will often record lectures.
Some faculty members are concerned about having their lectures recorded. The instructor may ask the student recording the lecture to sign a contract agreeing not to release the recording or otherwise hinder the instructor's ability to obtain a copyright on the lecture materials.
Materials in alternative format:
E-text is an electronic version of the textbook that will be saved as a file and then either emailed to the student, or saved to the student's jump drive. The e-text file can then be read aloud by screen reader program which uses the computer's sound card to read the text on the screen.
If you have any questions about eText, please contact an Reader Services Coordinator at 517-483-5263.
Test Taking
Quiet Place for Test Taking
Sometimes an individual's disability requires that he/she take tests in a quiet, disruption free environment. A room for this purpose may be arranged for by the student through the Assessment Center where the test will be taken.
Extended Time for Tests
Usually one and one-half times to twice the normally allotted time may be an appropriate accommodation. It is up to the student to schedule exams through the instructor as not to miss any class lecture.
Disability Support Services
Gannon Bldg, Room 204
Phone: (517) 483-1924
Additional contact information »