From the Director 

Welcome back returning students, and new students to the Office of Disability Services (ODS) and Texas State University-San Marcos (Texas State). The ODS is consistently working to improve services for our students. To assist us in this effort, we will implement a new web-based survey instrument this year which will provide an opportunity for students to provide feedback after each visit to the ODS. Students will be asked to comment about the staff with whom they had contact and the overall quality of the services received that day. This will provide the ODS with an opportunity to respond in a timely manner to any issues or concerns.

In addition, students will also be asked to complete an annual evaluation of the ODS through a web-based survey in April of each year. Both the daily visit and annual surveys allow for anonymous feedback. I hope you will help us better serve students with disabilities at SWT by completing the surveys.

Last year, the ODS served 553 students with documented disabilities, an increase from 485 in 2001-2002. To assist us in meeting your needs, please schedule an appointment with your ODS specialist whenever you have questions or concerns. No appointment is needed to pick up ODS paperwork including Academic Accommodation forms and letters, NCR paper or taped textbooks.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns. Have a great semester!

RECOGNITION OF TEXAS STATE FACULTY AND STAFF

Last April, the ODS recognized Mr. Glen Hermsmeier, Mathematics, and Dr. Verna Henson, TASP Office, for their efforts in assisting students with disabilities at the university.

Please provide the ODS with the names of any faculty or staff that you feel have provided exceptional service and deserve recognition this year.

The ODS Advance Registration sign up for the 2004 Spring Semester is Monday, August 11 through Friday, October 3. To sign up, stop by the ODS office Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. and complete an “Information Update and Advance Registration Sign Up” form. There will be no names accepted over the phone or any names accepted after the deadline. We anticipate that web registration of classes will be available to all students for registration in October.

504/ADA COMPLIANCE AND STEERING COMMITTEE 

The university 504/ADA Compliance and Steering Committee meets bi-annually in October and April. The purpose of the committee is to make recommendations on improving access and services for persons with disabilities at Texas State. Two ODS students serve as members of the committee. If you would like to provide any feedback or recommendations, please feel free to e-mail either student, sb1158@txstate.edu or cw1045@txstate.edu. All meetings are publicized via e-mail and are open to the public.

The academic pursuits of university students and the day to day job responsibilities of professionals, show the wide scope of career options open to people with disabilities. The top ten academic fields cited were:

1. Business
2. Computer Science
3. Counseling/Psychology
4. Health Care
5. Accounting
6. Administrative
7. Sales/Marketing
8. Rehabilitation
9. Teaching
10. Human Resources

Other Career disciplines mentioned included communications, engineering, law, customer service, carpentry, cartoonists, culinary arts, security, retail, public administration, and advocacy.

Examples of reasonable accommodations made by employers to help people with disabilities perform their jobs, include:

*Flex-time
*Screen magnifier
*Computer assistive equipment
*TTY and pager
*Light signals in office for emergencies|
*Ergonomic chairs
*"Handicapped" parking space
*Limited walking
*Part-time hours
*Sign language interpreter
*Anti-glare monitor for computer
*Adjustable desk height
*Extended lunch break
*Widened doorways

Beginning with the Fall semester, the ODS is now an institutional member of Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic (RFB&D), the primary provider of college textbooks on tape and/or CD in the nation. This means that students who are approved for textbooks on tape will be able to benefit from RFB&D's large collection of recorded texts even though they may not have purchased an RFB&D individual membership. Our institutional membership will assist us in providing books on tape to students in a timely manner. If the book is available through RFB&D, we will normally receive the book within two weeks. Students who are approved for books on tape should come to the ODS with their syllabi and fill out the book requests as they have done previously. We will check to see if the book is available through RFB&D. If it is not available, we will begin taping the book here in the office. As always, it is best to notify us at the beginning of the semester of reading assignments needed, if possible.

Because the ODS will be responsible for returning tapes to RFB&D at the end of the semester, we will require students to check out the tapes and return them to us when finished. If you have questions, please contact Bruce Coonce in the ODS.

Student Support Services 

Student Support Services (SSS) provides FREE one-on-one tutoring, personal counseling, and academic and financial aid advising. A student must meet one or more of three criteria; first generation student (neither parent graduated from a 4-year college or university), income guidelines, or be a student with a disability. Focus is on freshman and sophomore level students.

To find out more, contact SSS at 245-2275 or visit them in 5-6.1, LBJ Student Center. Students who have disability documentation on file in the ODS should inform SSS. Space in SSS is limited, so it is important to sign up early!!

Student with Lupus Complains that Attendance Policy is Discriminatory 

Case name: Letter to Mississippi Delta Community College, No. 06-02-2037 (OCRVI, Dallas (MS) 2002).

Ruling: Mississippi Delta Community College’s attendance policies were applied equally to disabled and non disabled students, so it did not discriminate.

What it means: As long as the college applies its attendance policy in a nondiscriminatory manner, it has no obligation to make concessions for students with disabilities if they do not object to the policy via procedures.

Summary: A student with lupus complained to the Office for Civil Rights that Mississippi Delta Community College discriminated against her on the basis of her disability. She claimed the college applied a more stringent attendance requirement on her than on other medical radiological technology program students and also deducted points from her grade as a result of the attendance policy. The student said the college’s attendance policy had a general discriminatory impact on disabled students. OCR contacted the college and learned the 2000-01 student handbook catalog outlines the college’s attendance policy and special requirements of the program. The handbook is given to students when they register. All program courses taken by the student specified the number of excused absences allowed.

A maximum of 3 excused absences were allowed for clinical courses. Three lates counted as one absence. More than 3 absences resulted in a 10-point reduction. If a student received 4 tardies, the student was put on probation and would receive a 10- point grade reduction. More than 4 tardies in one semester would result in dismissal. The student had confirmed her receipt of the handbook by her signature on a handbook test.

OCR found the student had been absent more than the allotted number of permissible times for most of her courses throughout her enrollment. A meeting was held in which she indicated she understood the policy and must adhere to it or face dismissal. Three days later she withdrew. Although the policy establishes that the director of allied health or faculty, as a result of a hearing, may allow students to make up time, and that an appeal process is in place for students who are dismissed as a result of absences, the student did not take advantage of these processes. In addition, two other students without disabilities who had a comparable number of absences, received the same disciplinary measures, continued the program and graduated successfully. OCR did not find the student’s rights were violated and closed the complaint.

Every spring, Texas State awards several scholarships to students with disabilities with amounts ranging from $250.00 to $1,000.00. To be considered for a scholarship, students must complete a General Scholarship application available from the Office of Financial Aid (deadline is October 1), and an ODS Scholarship Application (available upon request from ODS). Watch for more information on scholarships in the spring issue of The Access Digest. Also feel free to come by and check out the ODS scholarship notebook!

Math, Science Internships

The American Association for the Advancement of Science is offering internship opportunities for students with disabilities in the areas of science, engineering, mathematics and computer science. All qualified students are encouraged to apply. Applications will be accepted beginning in October. Internships are open to full-time graduate or undergraduate students majoring in a science or engineering field with a B grade point average or better. To begin the application process online, students can go to www.entrypoint.org. Completed application packages should be sent to Lauren Summers, AAAS Project on Science, Technology and Disability, 1200 New York Ave., NW Washington, D.C. 20005. For additional information on the internships call 202-326-6649 (Voice/TTY) or e-mail Lauren Summers at lsummers@aaas.org.

A Texas Rehabilitation Commission (TRC) courtesy counselor is available to meet with clients on campus in the ODS office. If you need to schedule an appointment, call the TRC San Marcos Office at 512-353-8627 or toll free 1-800-687-8442. All appointments must be scheduled through the San Marcos Office.

TRC’s tuition reimbursement is $750.00 per semester! To find out if TRC can help you with tuition, books, or assitive devices, pick up a TRC brochure at the ODS.

Debbie Cole              Interpreter Coordinator

Bruce Coonce           General Disability Specialist

Tamara Dowda        Liaison Interpreter

Scott Janke                Psychologist

Richard Poe              Learning Disability Specialist

Gloria Rodriguez     Administrative Assistant

Tina Schultz             Director

Recommended Professors

Last year, the ODS asked students with disabilities to help identify Texas State faculty whose teaching style accommodates the unique needs of students with disabilities. The response from students was excellent, and based on the feedback received, the ODS has compiled a list of faculty who represent a range of academic departments. This list is not comprehensive, and we need your help in adding to the list of names. The list will be update annually and is available for review in the ODS office

If you are planning to take an academic exam at the ODS remember to return the completed “Testing Accommodation Form” to the ODS a minimum of 48 hours (2 business days) before the time the test is scheduled to begin. The form is available on the web at :

In addition, the ODS will not provide students with writing implements, blue books or other supplies for exams. No food or drink (except water) is allowed in the ODS testing rooms. In addition, while testing in the ODS, all cell phones and pagers must be turned off and left outside the testing room.

Financial Aid can be Suspended

ATLANTA, APRIL 17, 2003 - In the latest of their ongoing disability-inclusive diversity policy that values all customers, Cingular Wireless announced today's launch of the Voice Connect exemption program for customer with significant physical, cognitive and visual disabilities.

Voice Connect is the carrier's new voice portal, allowing customers to access voice and information services via simple voice commands. Voice Connect is available to Cingular customers whose disabilities restrict independent use of the telephone. For disability certified customers, the company is waiving the $4.99 monthly charge of this new national service (usual airtime charges apply).

For customers with physical disabilities (such as quadriplegia) that limit dialing ability, cognitive disabilities (such as traumatic brain injury) that restrict the ability to sequence numbers, and for blind and low vision customers, the Voice Connect exemption program gives reasonable accommodation a whole new meaning.

Upon completion of certification and brief activation processes, Voice Connect lets customers place calls by speaking the name or phone number of the person they want to call, thus facilitating hands-free dialing. Subscribers can set up their address books by entering names in several convenient ways: by voice, via the Internet at www.cingular.com/voiceconnect, or by synchronizing the ser-vice with their Microsoft Outlook or Palm Desktop address book. In addition to voice dialing, Voice Connect allows customers to receive a wide range of business and recreational information including stock quotes, weather reports, news, sports, horoscopes, lottery results, TV dramas and movie information.

To apply for the exemption, customers with disabilities should call Cingular's National Call Center for Disabilities at 866-241-6568 or contact clay.owen@cingular.com. In addition to Cingular Wireless Accessibility Task Force and their award-winning "Dan" commercial featuring Dan Keplinger, critically acclaimed artist with a disability, the company was among the first to offer bills in Braille and large print alternate formats, sponsor National Disability Mentoring Day, participate in the FCC's Disability and Consumer Advisory Committee, and establish a policy of partnering with only TTY-compatible phones to best serve their Deaf and hard of hearing customers. Details of the company are available at www.cingular.com.