Exam Administration Form
Sample Accommodation Syllabus Statements
General Course Recommendations
Web Courses Accessibility
Working with Disability Support Services
Case Managers
Nicolet Faculty Guide to Reasonable Accommodations
Disability Etiquette
I wish to fully include persons with disabilities in this course. If you have a documented disability requiring accommodations for this class, please contact Disability Support Services at 365-4426, or make an appointment to see one of the case managers by visiting their office in the Art Tech Building, Room 203. Disability Support Services will review your documentation with you and help determine appropriate and reasonable accommodations. Following your meeting with Disability Support Services, it is very helpful if you are willing to make an appointment with me to discuss your accommodation request in light of the course requirements. You may request accommodations at any time during the term; however, I strongly recommend that you do so as soon as possible because accommodations can not be provided retroactively and adequate lead-time to provide the accommodations is often required. I will maintain the confidentiality of the information you share with me.
It is very helpful to students with disabilities if you are able to
provide a course syllabus well before the first day of class. Students
often need to make arrangements for support services, and it is best if
they are given enough time to get "on line" prior to the first day of
class.
A clear explanation of grading procedures and a complete test and
assignment schedule is extremely helpful. Arrangements for needed
accommodations can then be made well in advance. Accommodation
procedures should be discussed with all students the first day of
class, as well as included in writing in the course syllabus. See the
"Sample Statement for Accommodations in Your Syllabus."
Web courses should meet accessibility guidelines. If you'd like to
understand how a student with a vision impairment might experience your
Web site, simply turn off your screen monitor and try to navigate your
way around the site. Web accessibility guidelines exist, as do programs
that will evaluate how well you have designed your site to be
accessible.
See the following Web site: www.cast.org/bobby
Or speak with the webmaster for Nicolet's Web site, at 715-365-4437.
Students with disabilities are not required to register with Disability
Support Services on campus. However, if they are requesting
accommodations, they must register with Disability Support Services. At
the point of any initial request for accommodations from a student to a
faculty member, the student should be referred to Disability Support
Services. Once the disability is documented and reviewed, a plan will
be put into effect that will be communicated, if requested by the
student, in writing to the appropriate faculty. A letter will be sent
to the instructor that requests specific accommodations that should be
made for a student. The letter may or may not describe the student's
disability, since this is a matter of confidentiality for the student.
Once a letter of accommodation request is made, the accommodations must
be put into effect. Questions and concerns may arise as to the
implementation and appropriateness of such accommodations. Please feel
free to contact Disability Support Services and set up a meeting to
discuss how to make the accommodation plan most workable for the
student and for you. Disability Support Services is available to assist
faculty in any manner necessary to implement the needed accommodations.
Plans may be changed as a term progresses and more is learned about the
student's needs and the classroom requirements. The object is to fairly
level the playing field to help facilitate student success - the
faculty's commitment and cooperation are essential if the student with
a disability is to be given his or her best shot at success.
A printed guide to teaching students with disabilities t Nicolet is
available at Disability Support Services. Contact us if you don't have
one, and we ill send it to you immediately.
Fall and Spring Semester Hours:
Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-4 p.m.
Art Tech Building Room 203
PO Box 518
Rhinelander, WI 54501
1-800-544-3039 or 715-365-4426
As greater numbers of persons with disabilities take advantage of the
opportunities open to them in higher education, it becomes increasingly
important that colleges and universities promote an environment that is
positive for persons with disabilities. One of the strongest and
easiest ways is appropriate language usage.
The recommended manner is known as "person first" language. This means
that the person is emphasized first, the disability second. For example:
Use: person with a disability
Not: disabled or handicapped person
Use: individual without speech
Not: mute, dumb
Use: woman who is blind or visually impaired
Not: blind woman or "the blind"
Use: student who is deaf or hard of hearing
Not: deaf student or "the deaf"
Use: man with paraplegia
Not: paraplegic
Use: woman who is paralyzed
Not: paralyzed woman
Use: individual with epilepsy
Not: epileptic
Use: student who has a learning disability or specific learning disability
Not: slow learner, retarded, learning disabled
Use: person with a mental disability, cognitive impairment
Not: crazy, demented, insane
Use: person with a developmental disability
Not: mentally retarded
Use: congenital disability
Not: birth defect
It is important to describe the person, not the disability. Persons
without disabilities should be referred to as "non-disabled," not
"normal" or "able-bodied."
Rather than using words such as "confined," "bound," "restricted," or
"dependent," the most appropriate phrasing is "a person who uses a
wheelchair" or "a person who walks with crutches." Again, the emphasis
is on the person.
The word "handicap" should only be used in reference to a condition or
a physical barrier. Reference should not be made to the person as being
handicapped. Examples include: "The stairs are a handicap for her," or
"He is handicapped by the inaccessible bus."
It is important to avoid labeling or group categorizations that begin
with "the," i.e. "the disabled," "the deaf," "the blind." Also to be
avoided are euphemisms such as "the physically challenged," "partially
sighted," "handicapable," and "special." The use of the word "disabled"
is discouraged without referring to the person first.
*Prepared by the American Association of State Colleges and Universities. 8/92