Policies and Procedures
Course Accommodations
| Course accommodations refer to accommodations that assist in course participation, but are specifically not program accommodations or testing accommodations: use of adaptive equipment, permission to tape lectures, notetaker requests, use of sign language interpreters, use of Computer Assisted Real Time (CART) Reporters, use of assistive listening devices, extended time on assignments, paper copies of overhead transparencies, flexible attendance policies, room change, regular meetings with professor, or other accommodations to be arranged on a case-by-case basis. The final determination for the nature of appropriate and reasonable accommodations rests with the University Of Rhode Island. |
C-PRINT Real Time Captioning System CART (Computer Assisted Real-Time) Reporters Paper Copies of Overhead Transparencies |
Adaptive equipment includes, but is not limited to, use of the following items:
- Specialized computer hardware and software
- Kurzweil Personal Reader (K.P.R.)
- Closed circuit T.V. (e.g., V-Tek)
- Braille typewriter and/or printer
It is understood that Disability Services for Students Office has documentation of disability on file for all users of adaptive equipment, whether consumers are registered students or public citizens.
First time equipment users:
All first-time users of adaptive equipment must participate in training to ensure proper use of the equipment. These students should notify the Disability Services for Students Office no less than two weeks before the equipment is needed. The two week time period is necessary in order to schedule training, allow the student time to become proficient in equipment use and to ensure staff availability for guidance and support during the training period. Adaptive equipment will only be available for use when the student has completed the necessary training and demonstrated competency in using the equipment.
Previous equipment users:
Students who have completed the equipment training and who have demonstrated responsibility and competency in its use, must notify Disability Services for Students Office one week in advance of the need for the equipment. The request must identify the specific equipment being requested and the anticipated time, frequency and place of use. This requirement does not include the use of adaptive computer equipment which is housed in the University Library. After training on this equipment, students may access equipment through the procedures arranged with the University Library (i.e. users check out the room key at the circulation desk with their library ID) or through the procedures established by the Memorial Union Computer Center.
Public citizens' use of adaptive equipment/software in the URI library:
Consumers as public citizens are eligible to use the URI Library which is considered a public library. Consumers who require use of the accessible computers in the library for on-line catalogue systems must demonstrate competence in the use of the adaptive software and equipment, (including JAWS for Windows, Dragon Dictate, and Kurzweil's OMNI 1000, CCTV, etc.) or participate in training for first time users as outlined above.
Disability Services for Students will provide Personal Assistive Listening Systems for classroom use to eligible students; most users will be hard of hearing or deaf students, however, students with auditory processing learning disabilities, and attention disabilities may also benefit from these systems. Students should complete the accommodation request at Disability Services for Students in the Office of Student Life. Students who wish to borrow Personal Assistive Listening Systems will be asked to read and sign a loan contract form. Equipment will be loaned to the student upon formal request and will be returned by the designated date at the end of the semester. Students may borrow equipment on a semester basis.
The student will be responsible for discussing the use of personal listening systems with the instructor; and as a support to student discussion, the procedure is briefly described, as follows, in the Accommodation letter presented to the professor:
The professor is asked to wear a small clip-on lapel microphone with a radio transmitter (belt or pocket) during each lecture. When questions or comments occur from the class that are not picked up by the lapel mic, the professor is asked to repeat the question or comment for the students' benefit. Small seminars may use a pass-around mic or table mic. This equipment allows the student full access to the lecture.
Personal Assistive Listening Systems are primarily for campus use. If a student needs to use portable equipment for an off-campus college event, special permission must be obtained from Disability Services for Students.
If the equipment is not returned as specified in the contract, the University may regard this as misconduct and violation of community standards. Such misconduct may be subject to disciplinary action and would be handled through Student Discipline in the Office of Student Life.
Disability Services for Students will provide hand held tape recorders for classroom use to eligible students. All taperecorders are primarily for campus use. The student is responsible for discussing the accommodation with the professor, however the accommodation is also described by the accommodation letter:
The student should sit in a position that is convenient to the professor and appropriate for adequate recording. The professor may stop recording of confidential discourse and of comments not directly related to course material.
Students who wish to borrow tape recorders will be asked to sign for the use of this equipment. Equipment will be loaned to the student upon request and will be returned at the end of the semester. If the equipment is not returned as specified, the University may turn the matter over to Student Discipline, in the Office of Student Life.
Notetaker Requests
Students requesting notes assume the following responsibilities:
- Current documentation which substantiates the need for a notetaker must be on file in the Disability Services for Students office
- Students sign a note-needer agreement form which outlines the requirement for regular notes retrieval and the need to notify DSS when notes are not needed; the form also provides instructions on how to retrive notes using WEB-CT.
- Professors are notified by the accommodation letter (delivered by the student) that a notetaker is needed. Instructions are suggested about making an appropriate confidential announcement to the class requesting students to provide their name if they wish to be considered for employment by Disability Services for Students.
- Students must attend all classes for which notes are needed. Peer notes are intended to be a supplement to the students own notes, and are not to be a substitute for class attendance. Students who do not attend class will be counseled about the need for class attendance. Further non-compliance with the class attendance policy will risk loss of peer notes as an accommodation. However, in such cases, a tape recorder will be provided to ensure that the student has access to course material.
- Students must be faithful in retrieving notes on a regular basis, generally defined as at least weekly, or otherwise risk termination of the service. If after two (2) weeks, a student does not retrieve notes, DSS will counsel the student in order to encourage cooperation with the policy of weekly retrieval. A third week of failure to retrieve notes will result in termination of notetaker services for that class.
- DSS should be notified immediately if the class is dropped or if the nature of the class does not require significant notetaking.
- If notetaker services are terminated due to student non-compliance, alternative measures (tape-recording) will continue to ensure accessibility to the course material.
- Notetakers must take clear, detailed , complete and legible notes for every class session (Notetaking quality may be monitored with assistance of the instructor). Each set of notes must show the course name, instructor and date as follows:
- RSD 100, Jones, Monday, September 14, 1998
- Notetakers will be required to attend a one hour notetaking workshop at times posted early in the semester.
- If notetaker cannot or does not attend class, it remains the notetaker's responsibility to provide notes for missed sessions through another student in the class or by another means such as transcription of a tape-recording of the lecture. If these or other methods fail, the notetaker must contact Disability Services for Students as soon as possible (x 2098). Additionally, if notetaker intends to drop the course, notification of DSS should be immediate.
- Notes must be brought to the DSS office (Rm. 330 Memorial Union) within 24 hours of each meeting day of the class.
- DSS will provide access to a copy machine for notetaker to make one set of notes. All copies will be made in the Memorial Union.
- Notes will be purchased according to the following rates:For 3 and 4 credit courses: first course - approximately $103/full semester; additional courses – approximately $60 per semester.
Payment will be made during the last pay-period of the semester. - If it is necessary for DSS to nullify the Agreement at the outset of classes or before any submission of notes is made, DSS holds no financial obligation to the notetaker.
- If at any point within the semester the Agreement is canceled by DSS, notetaker will be reimbursed for the notes already provided and will be provided a minimum of two (2) hours or will receive the stipend for the half semester, at the discretion of DSS. If the notetaker withdraws services at any time during the semester, payment will be on a pro-rated basis for notes actually provided.
- Notetakers will be notified immediately of any change or addition to these policies and procedures.
- Proof of Community Service is available in lieu of payment if the notetaker is amenable to volunteering his/her time. A formal letter verifying 45 hours of community services will be provided.
- enrollment in a University course or
- participation in an academically related activity, or
- participation in a college-related student event.
- enrollment in University course or
- participation in an academically related activity, or
- participation in a college-related student event.
- enrollment in University course or
- participation in an academically related activity, or
- participation in a college-related student event.
Notetaker Personnel: Students hired to take notes are subject to the following Notetaking policies and procedures:
Deaf and hard of hearing students may qualify for the services of a sign language interpreter by virtue of:
Hiring and Payment: Disability Services for Students is responsible for hiring and payment for interpreters in all University courses or course-related activities. When other college related activities are scheduled (student entertainment, administrative interviews/appointments, theater productions, invited lectures, etc.), the coordinating department or organization will be the responsible party for hiring and payment of interpreters.
Documentation: Students may be asked to demonstrate with documentation (including but not limited to, an audiogram including air/bone pure tone thresholds, speech thresholds, speech discrimination scores, and hearing aid testing, educational & behavioral evidence) that personal assistive listening systems, in combination with classroom notes, are not adequate to provide full or equal participation in the classroom environment or activity. The final determination for the nature of appropriate and reasonable accommodations rests with the University Of Rhode Island.
For semester-long course requests, students will be asked to verify client status with the Office of Rehabilitative Service (Rhode Island) or the Vocational Rehabilitation Office of the home state for the purpose of reimbursement to Disability Services for Students.
Advance requests: Requests for interpreter services must be made in advance by completing a request form with the appropriate office. A minimum of two weeks notice is required for a University course and 72 hour notice is required for all other activities. University personnel will make a good faith effort to fill interpreter requests while working within the constraints of available personnel. Practically speaking, because of limited interpreter pool, 3 months advance notice is generally needed. Priority registration allows students to register for courses 3-5 months in advance.
Cancellation: Except in cases of sudden illness or accident, students must give 36 hours advance notice to Disability Services for Students (or to the responsible organization) when they are unable to attend a class or activity for which interpreter services have been requested. This will allow services (and payment for services) to be canceled in a timely manner.
At the student's second unexcused (non-medical) absence from class during a semester, the University will counsel the student in order to encourage cooperation with the above policy.
A third unexcused absence will result in termination of interpreter services for that class. However, if interpreter services are terminated due to student non-compliance, alternative measures (peer notetakers) will continue to ensure accessibility to the course material.
Interpreter Personnel: The University reserves the right to hire qualified sign language interpreters. A qualified interpreter will be able to produce a valid Rhode Island license from the Department of Health, Professional Regulation.
The University establishes interpreter fees according to guidelines set by Office of Rehabilitation Services and/or the Governor's Commission on the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. All interpreters will be paid a fee based on a minimum of two (2) hours pay.
The interpreter will be paid for any cancellation of less than twenty-four (24) hours notice. In the event of a class cancellation or class absence by a student the interpreter is asked to notify Disability Services for Students.
If an interpreter has been contracted to provide services for a semester-long course and that contract is permanently canceled, by the institution, the department or the student, the interpreter will be provided a minimum of two (2) weeks of pay, starting at the point of notification.
In situations where classes are canceled without notice or a professor is not present for a class, interpreters will be paid for the class.
If an interpreter is unable to fulfill a contracted commitment for interpreting services, he or she must attempt to find a qualified substitute (see above for definition of qualified). The responsible office at the University of Rhode Island must be notified of the absence and informed of the identity of the substitute. (No payment will be made unless a substitute can be found.)
C-PRINT Real Time Captioning System
This real time captioning and note-taking system was developed by the National Technical Institute for the Deaf, Rochester Institute of Technology specifically as an efficient usable system to translate course lectures for college students who are deaf or hard of hearing. C-PRINT will be the translation method of choice, when the service is available in the Rhode Island region. If C-PRINT translation is not available, an alternative service will be provided to ensure equal opportunity in the classroom.
Deaf and Hard of Hearing students may qualify for the services of a C-PRINT captionist by virtue of:
Hiring and Payment: Disability Services for Students is responsible for hiring and payment for CART reporters in all University courses or course-related activities. When other college related activities are scheduled (student entertainment, administrative interviews/appointments, theater productions, invited lectures, etc.), the coordinating department or organization will be the responsible party for hiring and payment of C-PRINT captionists. Only licensed and/or professionally trained technicians will be hired, generally through a reputable agency.
Documentation: In order to substantiate the need for C-PRINT captioning services, students may be asked to demonstrate with documentation (including but not limited to, an audiogram including air/bone pure tone thresholds, speech thresholds, speech discrimination scores, hearing aid testing, educational & behavioral evidence) that personal assistive listening systems, in combination with classroom notes, are not adequate to provide full or equal participation in the classroom environment or activity. The final determination for the nature of appropriate and reasonable accommodations rests with the University Of Rhode Island.
For semester-long course requests, students will be asked to verify client status with the Office of Rehabilitative Services (Rhode Island) or the Vocational Rehabilitation Office of the home state for the purpose of obtaining reimbursement to the University of Rhode Island.
Advance requests: Requests for C-PRINT captioning services must be made in advance by completing a request form with the appropriate office. A minimum of two weeks notice is required for a University course and 72 hours notice is required for all other activities. University personnel will make a good faith effort to fill C-PRINT captioning requests while working within the constraints of available personnel.
Cancellation: Except in cases of sudden illness or accident, students must give 36 hours advance notice to Disability Services for Students (or to the responsible organization) when they are unable to attend a class or activity for which C-PRINT captioning services have been requested. This will allow services (and payment for services) to be canceled in a timely manner.
In case of student absence, the C-PRINT captionist will contact Disability Services for Students for directions. In most cases the captionist will be asked to leave; and the student will be responsible to retrieve course material (as for any other student missing class) from peers or the professor. However, URI will honor payment for services that are not cancelled 24 hours in advance.
At the student’s second unexcused (non-medical) absence from class during a semester, the University will counsel the student in order to encourage cooperation with the above policy.
A third unexcused absence will result in termination of C-PRINT captioning services for that class. However, if C-PRINT captioning services are terminated due to student non-compliance, alternative measures (peer notetakers) will continue to ensure accessibility to the course material.
CART (Computer Assisted Real-Time) Reporters
Deaf and Hard of Hearing students may qualify for the services of a CART reporter by virtue of:
Hiring and Payment: Disability Services for Students is responsible for hiring and payment for CART reporters in all University courses or course-related activities. When other college related activities are scheduled (student entertainment, administrative interviews/appointments, theater productions, invited lectures, etc.), the coordinating department or organization will be the responsible party for hiring and payment of CART reporters. Only licensed and/or professionally trained technicians will be hired, generally through a reputable local agency.
Documentation: Students may be asked to demonstrate with documentation (including but not limited to, an audiogram including air/bone pure tone thresholds, speech thresholds, speech discrimination scores, and hearing aid testing, educational & behavioral evidence) that personal assistive listening systems, in combination with classroom notes, are not adequate to provide full or equal participation in the classroom environment or activity. In addition, students who request CART reporters may be asked to provide evidence (as above) that no other system of accommodation will be adequate to ensure equal opportunity. The final determination for the nature of appropriate and reasonable accommodations rests with the University Of Rhode Island.
For semester-long course requests, students will be asked to verify client status with the Office of Rehabilitative Services (Rhode Island) or the Vocational Rehabilitation Office of the home state for the purpose of obtaining reimbursement to Disability Services for Students.
Advance requests: Requests for CART reporter services must be made in advance by completing a request form with the appropriate office. A minimum of two weeks notice is required for a University course and 72 hours notice is required for all other activities. University personnel will make a good faith effort to fill CART reporter requests while working within the constraints of available personnel.
Cancellation: Except in cases of sudden illness or accident, students must give 36 hours advance notice to Disability Services for Students (or to the responsible organization) when they are unable to attend a class or activity for which CART reporter services have been requested. This will allow services (and payment for services) to be canceled in a timely manner.
In case of student absence, the CART reporter will contact Disability Services for Students for directions. In most cases the technician will be asked to leave; and the student will be responsible to retrieve course material (as for any other student missing class) from peers or the professor. However, URI will honor payment for services that are not cancelled 24 hours in advance.
At the student's second unexcused (non-medical) absence from class during a semester, the University will counsel the student in order to encourage cooperation with the above policy.
A third unexcused absence will result in termination of CART reporter services for that class. However, if CART reporter services are terminated due to student non-compliance, alternative measures (peer notetakers) will continue to ensure accessibility to the course material.
Reasonable accommodations in taped texts are available to eligible students whose documented disability requires auditory presentation of text material. These services are provided as a supplement to existing adaptive equipment such as the Omni 1000 Scanner Software, Kurzweil Personal Reader and/or external resources such as Recordings for the Blind and Dyslexic. Students requesting books on tape will also be trained on this adaptive equipment so as to be as autonomous as possible during their studies (see section on Adaptive Equipment)
Disability Services for Students asks that students requesting taped texts first be registered with Recordings for the Blind and Dyslexic(RFB&D) so that RFB&D's extensive library of taped texts can be utilized. Although there is a fee for becoming a member, students receive significant personal benefit from their membership. Since the membership also assists the University in providing academic accommodations, Disability Services for Students, in cases of demonstrated financial need, will pay for the student's registration fee. Any student for whom the cost of registration is a concern should contact Disability Services for Students to discuss the situation. DSS can also assist students with the RFB&D application process.
Students who are members of RFB&D are responsible for contacting the agency directly as soon as the text is known. Students may also contact Disability Services for Students for help in ordering their text from RFB&D. A minimum of 3 months advance notice is generally required by RFB&D to put a book on tape. When RFB&D does not have the needed text, Disability Services for Students will hire readers to tape the required text book. Because of staffing requirements, a minimum of three weeks advance notice for taped text is required before taped texts can be delivered. Students are reminded that text reader software is available at several locations throughout campus.
Priority registration allows students to arrange courses a minimum of three months in advance. When such advance is not available to the students, DSS will make every reasonable effort to accommodate the student's needs.
For perusing class handouts students are asked to use adaptive equipment in the Library or Memorial Union.
In rare cases, a student's documentation may warrant extended time to complete course assignments. The professor and the student are asked to agree on a mutually acceptable arrangement. Generally a 50% extension of time is recommended, although for assignments that are largely independent and completed out of class, such an extension may be harder to determine. It is also understood that essential or central elements of the assignment will not be affected by the time extension. The student and professor may agree on a grade of Incomplete where appropriate.
Paper Copies of Overhead Transparencies
When, due to disability, a student will not have equal access to slides, transparencies, or other information projected on large-screen during the lecture, the professor is asked to provide paper copies of these materials at the beginning of each lecture.
In rare cases, because of a student's disability, he/she may not be able to attend all classes, or he/she may need to leave class from time to time. In such cases, professors are asked not to penalize students due to flexible attendance. The student remains responsible for all material presented during his/her absence, and the student must comply with all course requirements. The student must not disrupt the class activity if it becomes necessary to leave. Flexibile Attendance does not imply “non-attendance”, and in cases where the student misses an excessive number of classes, the professor and the student may need to agree on an alternate arrangement, such as course drop, course incomplete, etc. The final decision will rest with the professor and the student's Dean, with information provided by Disability Services for Students.
Regular Meetings with Professor
In rare cases, a student's documentation will demonstrate his/her need to regularly review progress with the professor. The student and professor are asked to arrange a mutually acceptable meeting schedule; weekly or biweekly meetings during professor's scheduled office hours are recommended. The student is responsible for attending all previously scheduled meetings and for notifying the professor in advance when a conflict arises.
Other Accommodations to be Arranged on a Case-by-Case Basis
Disability Services for Students will make recommendations for accommodations on a case-by-case basis. No recommendation for accommodation will be made unless it can be fully substantiated by the student's documentation. No accommodation will be recommended that is known to interfere with the central function of the course or college curriculum.
