From the Director
Welcome returning and new students to the Office of Disability Services (ODS). I hope your fall semester was academically successful and that success continues into spring. I would like to welcome Linda Lovelace as the newest member of the ODS staff. Linda joined our staff last October as the liaison interpreter and comes to Texas State from Fort Worth. Please join me in welcoming Linda to the ODS. Your feedback on the processes we use to provide ODS services is important and helps us make necessary changes. In April, you will receive an end of the year evaluation that will provide you with an opportunity to evaluate all ODS services. Please contact me anytime if you have any questions, concerns or suggestions. Good luck and have a great spring semester!
Tina Schultz, Director

EDP 1350 for ODS
Effective Learning (EDP 1350) is a 3-hour elective course designed to increase students’ potential for academic success. Students learn research-proven methods and the most effective study strategies necessary to earn high grades in a university setting. EDP 1350 has served as a  “model course” adopted by many universities and community colleges throughout the country. Dr. Russ Hodges has developed a special section of this class for students registered with ODS which will begin in fall 2009. Students will learn effectively from texts and lectures, prepare for and take tests successfully; manage motivation; and set realistic goals. The main purpose is to help students transfer successful strategies of learning across academic programs. If you are interested in taking this class in fall 2009, the class will meet Tuesdays and Thursdays at 2 p.m. Space is limited and registration approval needs to go through your ODS specialist.

 
Job Opportunities!
A representative from the Workforce Recruitment Program (WRP) will visit Texas State on February 11 to interview eight students with disabilities for summer internships and permanent positions with the federal government. Students must be juniors, seniors or recent graduates. If you interviewed last year, you are eligible to interview again this year. Application materials will be available on the ODS TRACS site. To be eligible, you must enter your contact information and schedule an appointment through the ODS to meet with a Career Services staff member prior to the WRP interview. The WRP strongly recommends that students provide a resume. Career Services will review your resume and go over the interview process. Contact Jenni if you have questions or are ready to schedule the appointment with a Career Services staff member.

Special Groups Registration of Classes
The 2009 summr and fall semester sign up for students registered with the ODS is from: 8 a.m. Monday, January 12 to 11:59 p.m. Friday, February 27. To sign up, visit the ODS web site and follow the links to ODS System for Students and Special Groups Registration. NO names will be added after the September 30 deadline.  

Believe to Succeed - Study Habits to Practice
To study or not to study? That is a question many college students ask themselves – especially when there are so many other, and let’s face it, more entertaining things to do. When you do decide to study, do you know how to be successful in learning what you need to know? Research shows that most high school and college students are not sure how to really study for classes because the process to be successful has never been explained. The web site www.studygs.net/index.htm provides some insight on effective study habits. Here are just a few: Take responsibility for yourself – Keep in mind that in order for you to succeed you need to make decisions about your priorities, your time and your resources. This is important because if you make the choice to be successful in school, you will be.`Discover the best times and places to study – Morning, afternoon or evening? Figure out when you are most alert and plan to study your hard subjects at that time. Also, find a place where you feel at ease and can concentrate on what you are studying; then go there every time you study. Being in a familiar place every time you study will help prepare your mind to learn. Consider yourself in a win-win situation – Contributing in class will not only help you, but also your classmates and the professor when learning new material. Don’t be afraid to speak up and ask questions. Your grade will begin to reflect that you know the material.`Look for better solutions to problems – For example, if you don’t understand the material in the lecture or the textbook, don’t just re-read it. Try something else! Consult with the professor, a tutor, an academic advisor, a study group or SLAC. Searching for a better understanding will help you learn the material and remember the information the next time you need it.`Look continually to challenge yourself – Don’t just do the minimum to get by. Put in the extra effort and your grade will begin to reflect your hard work. Creating good study habits takes time and patience, but the rewards of learning the material in each class are big. Stick to these habits and you might start to see your grades rise as well as your knowledge.

Welcome, Linda!
I want to say thank you for the warm welcome that the Texas State has extended to me. I am excited to be joining the ODS staff in the role of liaison interpreter. My husband and I have called Fort Worth home for a number of years and we look forward to calling San Marcos home. I received an associates of applied science in interpreting from Tarrant County College while working in public education. I am thrilled to be making the transition to post-secondary education with the added bonus of working on such a beautiful campus. I look forward to the opportunity of working with faculty, staff and the students on campus. If you have any questions please feel free to stop by and see me!
Linda Lovelace, Liaison Interpreter
 

Student Support Services
Student Support Services (SSS) offers a variety of FREE services to a limited number of Texas State undergraduate students who meet federal guidelines and have a need for academic and other support services. SSS accomplishes these objectives by providing services such as one-on-one tutoring, advising, financial aid assistance, scholarships, study skills, cultural enrichment activities and campus referrals. For more information, contact SSS at 245.2275 or stop by the SSS office located in the LBJ Student Center, Suite 5-6.1. Space in SSS is limited, so it is important to apply early!
 

100 Web Tools
The internet and the computers we use to access it are full of educational possibilities that can help to speed up, complement or provide endless opportunities to expand our knowledge. Unfortunately, sometimes individuals with disabilities may find these resources more difficult or sometimes impossible to access. Whether you need to use the computer for research, to write a paper or just to learn a new skill, those with disabilities of all kinds can check out these resources to help them improve their learning potential while surfing the Web.
The 100 Web Tools web site has categories for screen readers and text to speech programs, sources for audio books, software for people with learning disabilities, etc. Some lesser known but helpful sites include “Do-it Internet Lessons in Math,” “Audio Books On-line,” “BooksOnMP3,” and “Click N Type.” There is a charge to purchase or download some of the resources, others are free.

ADA Committee
The university ADA/504 Compliance and Steering Committee on Disabilities will hold its spring meeting in April. The committee, composed of Texas State faculty, staff and students, provides guidance on access and services for persons with disabilities at Texas State. Two ODS students also serve as members of the committee. If you would like to propose an agenda item, contact Tina at the ODS or the ADA coordinator, Dr. Sherri Benn, at 245.2278. Meetings are open, and notices are sent in advance to all members of the Texas State community.

ODS Book Club
Self-Advocacy Skills for Students With Learning Disabilities: Making It Happen in College and Beyond by Henry B. Reiff, Ph.D. is filled with strategies, and resources. This book uses the author's groundbreaking research about successful adults with learning disabilities, to promote self-advocacy. The work is brimming with useful and practical information and is easily understood and embraced by students with learning disabilities. The author has co-authored three previous books on adolescents and adults with learning disabilities including, Exceeding Expectations: Successful Adults with Learning Disabilities, which was selected by the American Library Association as a Top 20 LD resource.

In Memoriam
In the early morning hours of November 30, 23-year-old ODS and Texas State student Blake Jaksa was helping to clear cattle off U.S. 90. He was standing on the side of HWY 90 waiting for cars to pass when he was hit and killed instantly by a drunk driver. Blake began his academic career at Texas State in fall 2007. He was majoring in business, following in his father’s footsteps, who is an alum. In addition to his studies, Blake volunteered in the athletic department helping out wherever he was needed. The Jaksa Scholarship administered by the ODS was established in 1997 by Blake’s parents to help deaf/hard of hearing students with the finances associated with earning a college degree. Thanks to the generosity of Blake’s family, this scholarship will continue to be awarded in his honor and memory.

Chartwells Dining Access
Thanks to the support of Leslie Bulkley of Chartwells, the Texas State retail dining establishments including Mr. B’s Grinders, Coyote Jack’s Route 90 Grille, Ortega Tex-Mex, Main Street Grille, Marco Polo’s and Mama Yeh’s now have large print menus. Upon request, customers can review a large print menu at each dining location. Braille menus will soon be available.
 

Texas State Scholarships
This spring, Texas State will award 2009-2010 scholarships for students with disabilities. These include the Access, Cooper, Middleton, Jaksa and Nesenholtz scholarships that give preference to students with physical disabilities. Scholarship amounts range from $250 to $1,000 based on the number of qualified scholarship applicants. To be considered for any of these scholarships, a student should have completed the ODS scholarship application by April 1. For the application and more information, visit the ODS TRACS site.

Are You on TRACS?
If you are registered with the ODS but are not receiving e-mail notices for the ODS TRACS site, please e-mail Heidi to sign up. Through TRACS you will receive important information including scholarships, updates regarding ODS deadlines and service changes, and university information.

DARS
Clients of the Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services (DARS) have access to a full-time counselor at Texas State, John Grayson. Contact DARS in 308 ASB North or call 512.245.3625 to find out if they can help you with testing, obtaining accommodations and other supportive services, assistance with tuition, books, assistive devices, and some medical treatments. Financial assistance is on a needs basis. DARS tuition assistance is calculated according to the number of credit hours you are taking.

ODS Rising Star Geoffrey Miller
Geoffrey (below with President Denise Trauth and Dr. Augustine at the Terry Foundation Fall Banquet, October 2008) wheeled into his first class at Texas State in fall 2006, already having completed almost two years of college courses through the International Baccalaureate Programme at Anderson High School in Austin. Geoffrey has made the Dean’s List every semester and maintained a cumulative 4.0 GPA. He has been awarded the Scottish Rite Legacy Scholarship, Discover Card Tribute Award Scholarship, Department of Mathematics Award for Academic Excellence, and the Robert and Brita Northcutt Award. He is a member of the Alpha Lambda Delta Honor Society, Golden Key International Honour Society, University Honors Association, and the Lambda Omega Alpha Catholic Fraternity. He has also served as a tutor for the H-LSAMP Initiative at the university, regularly volunteers in the special care unit at a nursing facility near his home, sings in the choir and teaches religious education classes at his church. These accomplishments would sound impressive even if Geoffrey were not in a wheelchair. But the extraordinary truth is that Geoffrey managed to achieve all this with a disability that significantly restricts his physical mobility. After he graduates in May with a bachelor of science in math, Geoffrey will face jaw surgery and then begin his master’s degree in mathematics at Texas State next fall. Someday, he hopes to be a college professor.