Disability Resource Services
Student Newsletter
165 Murphy Library ♦ 608-785-6900 ♦ ability@uwlax.edu
September, 2006
Volume 5, Issue 1
What You’re Looking ForStudent Rights & Responsibilities |
Welcome back to all of the students who use the DRS office. I hope that all of you had a relaxing summer. I have had a busy summer, Karmin helped with freshman registration and also worked on planning activities for Disability Awareness Month in October. Judy was busy preparing alternative texts for students, as well as chairing the search for a new adviser in our office. We also have updated the web page; please visit it when you get back at www.uwlax.edu/drs. There is a student manual on the web page.
Hopefully, you find all of us helpful to you and working with you to obtain accommodations that will give you equal access. As you know, we have been facing severe budget cuts at the state level; we will all be affected by this cut. You should still be expected to receive prompt and quality service from this office, if you feel that you are not, please contact me promptly by e-mail reinert.june@uwlax.edu, by telephone 785-6900, or stop in the office to see me. It is your legal right to receive services that will provide you equal access to university programs and services.
During the 2005-06 school year, DRS served over 380 students with disabilities, providing over 13,000 hours of service. Our largest populations of students are students with Attention Deficit Disorder and Learning Disabilities, which comprises 36% of the students we serve. The DRS staff served on over 17 university committees last year and presented over 19 workshops, with a total of over 950 participants.
The student group, Students Advocating Potential Ability (SAPA), is looking for new members. Their mission is to sensitize the campus and larger community to disability issues. They sponsor the annual Wheelchair Basketball Tournament every October and are responsible for hosting the “Most Accessible Professor Award” each spring. Last year’s winners were Dwayne Webb, Murphy Library; Sara Sullivan, Psychology; and the History Department.
We have a new adviser in the DRS office. His name is Chris Coppess. Chris has an undergraduate degree in Business and a graduate degree from St. Ambrose in Iowa in Postsecondary Disabilities.
Chris had been working at
UW-Madison with persons with sensory and mobility disabilities and has a
great deal of background with assistive technology. He is looking
forward to working with a variety of people with different abilities. I
think that you will enjoy him. Please see more information about Chris
in this newsletter on page 2.
Also, a new and exciting venture is being
developed by Students Activities and the Campus Climate offices. There
will be space in Cartwright in the lower level for the different
diversity student organizations, which support underrepresented groups
on campus to meet informally. Students from any of these under
representative groups are welcome, which includes any and all of you.
A few exciting things are coming this semester for October Disability Awareness Month. Please look for the Disability Awareness Month Activities in this newsletter and posted around the DRS office and campus. Have a great year and remember my door is always open.
♦ June Reinert, Director
I can’t believe this is September (the killer month)! We will be so glad to see your faces again and assist you as you come into our office at the beginning of a new school year. We will work as fast as we can to help you set up your accommodations. If you feel that something needs attention immediately, always, always get the attention of one of the staff members.
DRS will be glad to have Karmin back, who will be our testing coordinator as well as assisting students with temporary disabilities. Remember it takes a while for new members of our staff to get on top of everything at once. I am sure that you will be patient.
I have had a fun summer visiting my grandchildren; it is fun being a grandma. I have a six-year grand-daughter named Nina Rose, a granddaughter named Emma Rose who is five and a grandson (three-years) named Owen, and their little brother , Sean Robert. Some of you already know that I have three daughters. The youngest got married in early summer and she lives in Elgin, Illinois; the other two live in the Twin Cities.
One of my goals this year is to develop a Student Speaking Bureau; you all have so many good things to say. If you would like to volunteer to be a part of this group, give me a call (785-6900), stop by (165 Murphy Library) or e-mail me at reinert.june@uwlax.edu
Fall 2006! How far back in life do you have to go to remember when you first thought about fall 2006? Were you in 6th grade thinking “this will be when I start college!” Were you a college freshman thinking September 2006 would be the month you’d be starting your last year in college?
For me, I remember thinking of September 2006 as far back as March 1989. September 2006 was the date my older son would be starting college and my other son starting his last year in high school.
Whatever the ear mark “September 2006” means for you, it is a very important date in your life - “your college years” – some call it the best years of your life! Make the most of every day! A little extra effort in September 2006 will be the setting stones for your future.
If this is your first year, make it count – if it is your last year, give it all you’ve got! Start out right away with good study skills and taking your college life seriously. Remember too, you don’t have to handle your disability alone. We are here for you. We can’t read your mind or assist you without your communication with us. Please make an appointment with your disability advisor, get in touch with us in September 2006! Good luck to you – may the wind always be at your back.
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My name is Chris Coppess and I am a new employee at the Disability Resource Services Office as of August 21st .
For the last two years I worked at the McBurney Disability Resource Center on the UW- Madison campus. At McBurney, I worked with students that had mobility and visual disabilities as an accommodations specialist.
I am excited to work at this university because it is a smaller campus, and it is an opportunity to work with students with all types of disabilities.
I am looking forward to all the outdoor activities that the community and the area provides. I enjoy running, camping, golf, and I am looking forward to adding biking and hiking. I also like to hunt and fish; for me, these are great ways to connect with friends and family.
I feel very privileged to work at this university because I get to work in a career that I love, and I am close to the great outdoors.
October is National Disability Awareness Month!
♦First Day of Classes: Tuesday, September 6
♦Last Day for TALON schedule changes: Monday, September 11
♦Mid semester: Friday, October 20
♦Last Day to withdraw from classes: Friday, October 27
♦Last Day to withdraw from the University: Friday, November 17
♦Thursday classes: Tuesday, November 21
♦Friday classes: Wednesday, November 22
♦Thanksgiving Break: November 23 and 24
♦Last day of classes: Wednesday, December 13
♦Study Day (no class): Thursday, December 14
♦Final Exams: Friday, December 15 through Wednesday, December 12
♦Commencement: Sunday, December 18
Hello from Student Support Services (SSS). For those who don’t know me, I’m Tom Link, one of three advisors in the SSS program. We’re located in 109 Wilder Hall. Our program is called a TRIO program and is funded by a Department of Education grant. We serve up to 375 students each school year. To be eligible for SSS a student must be either a first generation college student, receive a substantial amount of financial assistance or have a disability. First generation means that neither of your parents graduated from a 4 year college. If you are receiving a substantial amount of financial aid, you are considered in a low-income bracket.
The services we provide include advising, tutoring and referral. In our office we have a staff tutor for Math classes and peer tutors for Language Arts. We can also find a peer tutor for other classes upon request. Peer tutors are students who have taken the class they are tutoring and did very well in. Advising can include a variety of issues. If you are interested in our services and think you may qualify, please feel free to stop by 109 Wilder Hall and complete the application form. We’ll let you know if you qualify and discuss our services in more detail.
If you are interested in working for us as a peer tutor you do not have to be eligible for our services. We pay our peer tutors $7.00 per hour for about 1 to 3 hours per week. We require our peer tutors to have earned an A or AB in the class they are tutoring. Interested? Want more info? Contact me at 785-8535 or at link.thom@uwlax.edu. You can also go to our web page at http://www.uwlax.edu/sss/ to get more information about SSS.
2005 ASSEMBLY BILL 1142. What does this mean to you? Collaboration within the UW-System Colleges and Wisconsin Technical Colleges have been working very hard on behalf of students with print disabilities, adding an ACT to require publishers who sell their material, to provide this material (within 15 days of request) in electronic format at no extra cost. The other proposal in the bill is to create a repository of these documents that can be shared throughout the UW System and the Tech Colleges.
Hopefully this fall 2006, Representative Donna Seidel will introduce into the Legislature an act to amend 106.52(1)(e)1.; and to create 106.52(3)(a)6. and 106.57 of the statues: relating to: accessible instructional materials for students with disabilities enrolled in institutions of higher education.
If you would like further information go to the Wisconsin Legislature’s Web site at http://www.legis.state.wi.us/ and type 1142 as the proposal number.
Over the past four years, I have used taped text-books. I started out ordering old four track audio-tapes. Then, I began ordering books on CDs. Today, my textbooks are just a click away, anytime I want.
I owe this “instant access” to my textbooks to Dwayne Webb, who works at Murphy Library. He has put UW-L a step head of other universities and made life a lot easier for UW-L students who receive taped books. I no longer need to wait four weeks or longer to receive a book or haul around a tape player. No matter what computer I am on, I can open up my textbook and begin reading. I don’t need to have a huge amount of free space on my computer in order to save my textbook. Choosing to download your textbook is, however, still an option, thanks to Dwayne.
Thank you Dwayne, for making textbooks accessible to students with a disability.
-A Grateful Student
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for obtaining Services and Accommodations for their Disability
Students have the right to:
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Expect all disability-related information to be treated confidentially.
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Receive appropriate accommodations in a timely manner from faculty or DRS.
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Provide DRS with appropriate documentation of the disability.
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Go to the instructor’s office hours early in the semester to facilitate privacy when requesting accommodations in a timely manner.
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Inform DRS of the materials, as you need in alternate format as soon as possible.
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Follow procedures with faculty and DRS in order to get the appropriate accommodations.
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Notify faculty/DRS immediately when an accommodation is not being provided completely or correctly.
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Notify faculty/DRS immediately when a decision has been made to not use an accommodation.
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Act as your own advocate. Work with counselors on developing advocacy skills and communicate your specific needs and accommodations to the faculty.
♦ Schedule the test or exam with the Program Assistant in 165 Murphy at least 5 days in advance of the test date. No tests will be given without a 5-day notice.
♦ Tests can be scheduled between 8:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Please note that the office closes at 4:30 p.m. and all tests must be completed by that time. To protect confidentiality, we ask that the student schedule the test at the same the test is being given in the classroom unless special arrangements have been made with the instructor.
♦ Students can make arrangements with their instructors to take tests in the DRS office by providing him/her with an Accommodation Request Form. This form is completed by a DRS advisor in cooperation with the student. It is then hand carried to the instructor and it initiates the testing accommodation agreement.
♦ At least 5 days before the test date the student is required to deliver an Exam Checklist form to the instructor. This checklist serves as a reminder for the instructor and must accompany every test that is delivered to the DRS office. This form is available in the DRS office during regular office hours.
♦ Scheduled tests will begin at the scheduled time. Do not be late. If your test is scheduled at 1:00 pm that is what time we start counting the time and a half. It is to your advantage to be on time.
Students Advocating Potential Ability
Are you Interested in:
· learning more about disability issues?
· teaching others and raising awareness about disability issues?
· joining a recognized student organization and learning leadership skills?
· having fun?
Why should you become involved with disability rights?
• One in four people will become physically disabled, temporarily or permanently in their lifetime
• You will be able to cope with a physical disability of your own, a friend or relative
• You will be able to be sensitive and understanding of what they are going through
What has SAPA done and planning to do?
• SAPA annually sponsors its Conference on Disabilities.
• Present the Most Accessible Instructor Award annually to an instructor in the UW-L System
Who can join SAPA?
• All individuals interested in the needs of persons with disabilities
• For more information, contact the contact Bill Schultz, SAPA President at schultz.will@students.uwlax.edu, (608) 606-1426 or Tom Link, SAPA Advisor at link.thom@uwlax.edu, 785-8535
Now would be the time to take advantage of
weekly walk-in study skills sessions at the Counseling and Testing
Center, 112 Wilder Hall. Called "Tips on Tuesday", this is an
opportunity to get any study related concern addressed. Often the
questions relate to textbook study, time management, note taking, and
test preparation strategies. Hopefully you will come away with a
different approach or technique that will bolster your grades, while
maximizing your valuable study time.
If you are unable to meet during this designated hour stop in or call
the Counseling and Testing Center, 785-8073, for an individual
appointment.
This fall, a handful of new faces will be greeting the students in Disability Resource Services. Spring 2006 marked the graduation of two front office students in DRS. Tia Berget and Lorraine Hobbs graduated and have since moved. Tia graduated with a degree in Sociology and Criminal Justice. Lorraine graduated with a degree in Therapeutic Recreation and Psychology.
Tia Berget
Lorraine Hobbs
Currently, Tia is working for Green County as a juvenile intake worker. She is also working at the Orion Group Home in Monroe, working with girls with behavioral problems. She has applied for a position as a Case Worker and is hoping for the best.
Lorraine is completing an internship at Hillview Nursing Home here in La Crosse for Therapeutic Recreation. She is currently job hunting for a TR job in the La Crosse area. Lorraine also has very exciting news; in early July she got engaged! She and her fiancé are planning a summer 2007 wedding.
Rachel Rydel
Another familiar face won’t be around come this fall. Rachel Rydel is planning to study abroad for the fall 2006 semester. She will be exploring Scotland for three months. Rachel is excited to return to La Crosse and DRS for the Spring 2007 semester.
Some summer DRS students will also miss a friendly front office student. Danielle Lathrop was working for DRS from May- August, but will not be returning to work in the fall. She was a great addition and a great help for the summer staff.
The summer students will also continue to recognize Melissa Hill, who started with DRS this summer. Faces that you know from the 2005-2006 school year and will continue to see this coming year are Lindsay Menard, Ashley Balts, and Dana Hoffmann.
Things Every College Student Ought to Know
¨ That all accommodations are determined on an individual basis. There is no general rule applied to everyone with the same disability; all students’ accommodations are based on their documentation, their unique strengths and limitations, and the nature of the course or activity.
¨ That you must disclose your disability to the DRS office to receive accommodations. Disclosing a non-visible disability such as psychological, learning, or medical is a personal decision. When and how to disclose must be weighed carefully, but you should consider the benefits.
¨ That examples of academic accommodations may include in-class note takers, alternative format text materials, preferred seating, tape-recorded lectures, sign language interpreters, extended testing time, tests in a distraction-reduced location, readers or scribes for tests, assistive listening devices, and use of assistive devices or technology, among others. Accommodations provided for you are based on your unique needs.
-from 100 Things Every College Student with a Disability Ought to Know by Kendra D. Johnson, Ed.D. and Trudie N. Hines
July 26, 2006 marked the 16th anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act. On this day, George H.W. Bush signed the act, guaranteeing equal opportunity for people with disabilities in public accommodations, commercial facilities, employment, transportation, state and local government services and telecommunications.
The ADA may impact more Americans than one may think. 51.2 million Americans have some level of disability. They represent 18% the population. Many Americans with a disability are just as successful as those without.
33% of Americans aged 25 to 64 have a non-severe disability and were college graduates. This compares with 43 percent with no disability and 22 percent with a severe disability.
18% of Americans that have a non-severe disability earn household incomes of $80,000 or more. By comparison, 26% of people without a disability had household incomes of $80,000 or more, with the same being true of 9% of those with a severe one.
If you have questions about the Americans with Disabilities Act or are looking for information about your rights, what the ADA means, or want to read up on the ADA, listed below are three great internet resources.
U.S. Department of Justice ADA Homepage: http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/ada/adahom1.htm
Job Accommodation Network’s ADA Hotlinks http://www.jan.wvu.edu/links/adalinks.htm
U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission: http://www.eeoc.gov/
What's In The Works
October is Disability Awareness Month and tons of interesting and fun activities are planned for the students of UW-L and the La Crosse community.
This year’s theme is “Diversity through the Images of Disability” and the events are going to focus around the arts.
There will be an Art Contest for UW-L students who wish to submit art that reflects disability awareness on campus. Submission deadline is Saturday, September 30th. Artwork exhibition will be from October 1-28th in Port-o-Call in Cartwright Center.
The art festival will be in- and outside of Port-o-Call from 11am to 2 pm on Wednesday, October 4th. The festival will feature the painting of two small murals, musicians, vocalists, artists at work, and the viewing of the art submitted for the contest.
On Wednesday, October 18th, there will be a Disability Mentoring Day, held in the Cleary Alumni Center.
A Health Fair will be held on Wednesday, October 25th, in Valhalla, Cartwright Center. It will be from 10 am– 4 pm. The judging of the art submitted for the art contest will also be held on the 25th.
Saturday, October 28th will be the annual Wheelchair Basketball game, held at the Eagle Recreational Center. It is sponsored by SAPA and will be from 10 am- 4 pm.
Many other activities are planned for the month of October. If you have questions about Disability Awareness Month, contact Karmin in DRS at 785-6900, ability@uwlax.edu, or stop in at 165 Murphy Library. For the whole month activities contact Beth Hartung, Campus Climate office.
During the month of October, 2006 many events and activities are being planned as part of Disability Awareness Month. Through these events we hope to raise awareness of many issues related to disability. Please watch for calendars, brochures, posters, etc announcing the many events and activities.
One of the activities is the 4th annual Wheelchair Basketball Tournament sponsored by Students Advocating Potential Ability (SAPA). It will be held on Saturday, October 28, 2006 starting at 10:00 am in the Eagle Rec Center.
This is a double elimination tournament with teams of 4-6 players. 4 players will play at one time. Entry fee is $5.00 per team. For more information or to enter your team contact Bill Schultz at (608) 606-1426, schultz.will@students.uwlax.edu or contact Tom Link at 785-8535, link.thom@uwlax.edu.
If you don’t have enough players for a team, call or email Bill and he will assign you to a team. If you don’t want to play, you can volunteer to be a time/score keeper or referee or you can just watch and enjoy. Everyone is welcome.
The
Disability Resource Services' mission
is
to collaborate with students with
disabilities to identify, reduce, or eliminate barriers
in obtaining an
education within the most integrated settings possible.