165 Murphy Library • 608-785-6900 • ability@uwlax.edu

Program/Services

Student Manual                        Faculty Manual

Wheel Chair Accessibility:

Academic Buildings

Residence Halls

Grievance/Appeal Procedures:  
Internal  
External

• Counseling to cope with disability related problems. 

• Evaluations to determine what disability is present and what problems exist.

• Informational and referral services for other programs.

• Vocational training or retraining to allow you to work.

• Telecommunications and other adaptive devices for personal communication needs.

• In-home assessments to identify ways to increase your personal independence.

• Evaluations to determine the potential for job-site modifications.

• Support services during your rehabilitation.

• Interpreter services for persons with sensory disabilities.

• Keep a daily, weekly, and monthly calendar for appointments, test dates, paper due dates, etc.
• Assign priorities to things to get done during the day.
• Have a separate notebook for each subject.
• Organize papers and handouts. Every time you get one, put it in the appropriate section of your notebook.
• Have a place for everything.
• Make a list of everything you need for class.
• Plan ahead.  Start papers early.  Give yourself plenty of time to study for tests.

• Find out about your instructor.
• Read ahead. Read background material.
• Look at notes before class and immediately or as soon as possible after class.
• Find out the instructor's policy regarding test make-ups if you are sick the day of the test.
• Study every day.
• Ask questions.
• See your teacher for extra help early in the semester, not the day before the test.
• Make sure the instructor knows your name. Make a favorable impression.
• Start to develop memory strategies to remember material. (See section on memory tips.)

• Taped textbooks. Many students find listening and reading along in the book to improve comprehension significantly.
• Read aloud or have a friend read to you.
• SQ4R:

• Take notes while you read.
• Underline key phrases in your textbook.
• Visualize. Try to picture in your mind the ideas the author is describing. This will help you remember longer.
• If you have trouble understanding test questions, have someone read them to you.
• Seek out the reading lab or study skills center to improve reading speed and comprehension.

• When learning new information, review it several times to help transfer it from short-term memory to long-term memory.  Recite and repeat.
• Learn from the general to the specific.
• Don't cram. We tend to remember information longer if it is learned in three 2-hour sessions instead of one 6-hour session.
• Take a break about every 50 minutes. Relax.
• Review material periodically throughout the quarter.
• Create associations. Fit new material in with what you already know.
• Learn actively. Get all your senses involved--gesture, draw pictures, talk out loud, write it down. Using two or more senses at a time helps anchor information in your memory.
• Reduce interference. Find a quiet place free from distractions.
• Put information into your own words. Don't just memorize--make sure you understand. Make it meaningful.
• Use mnemonics. Try memory "tricks" such as HOMES (Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, Superior) to remember the Great Lakes. Make up your own.
• When you are stuck and can't remember something, think of something related. If you have a memory block during an exam, recall facts that are related. This should jog your memory because similar information is stored in the same area of the brain.
• Decide to remember. Memory experts say if we don't remember something, it's probably because we didn't try to remember it in the first place.

• Sit near the front of the classroom. Tape record lectures and listen to them again.
• Pay special attention to lecture notes written on the board or overhead.
• Read material in your textbook related to the lecture and review notes before class.
• Have a note taker. Have another student in the class use carbon paper, so you can have a copy of his notes to fill in whatever you missed (see accommodations manager in DRS office for carbon paper).
• Listen for main points. Most professors repeat the main point.
• Listen for organizational cues such as "the point is," "the 3 steps are," "to summarize".
• When writing notes, divide your paper into 2 columns--the rights side larger--and use it for the bulk of information. Use the left side to highlight main ideas and recall information after class.
• Use short phrases and key words, don't try to write everything the professor says.
• After class, fill in any information you missed with another student or the instructor.

• Study and ask questions to understand math concepts. Don't just memorize facts and formulas. Try to learn why.
• Try verbalizing math problems. Put into words what you are doing, rather than just dealing with numbers.
• When tackling a word problem, underline the parts needed to work the problem.
• Make flash cards for algebra formulas, steps to problems, definitions, etc.
• Talk to your instructor to clarify areas you don't understand.
• Get a tutor to work with daily.
• Attend math anxiety workshops.
• Buy a book that simplifies math concepts such as "Algebra Made Simple."
• Seek out the math lab for extra help.
• Sign up for remedial math courses to build basic skills.

• Use a word processor with a spell-check to write papers. This can be a tremendous help in organizing a paper and cuts down on rewrite time.
• Write out your papers and "cut and paste" to reorganize.
• Hide it in your drawer for a while. Rewrite. Then rewrite your rewrite.
• Read your paper aloud when finished to check how it flows.
• Have a friend read it and give feedback.
• Try dictating into a tape recorder and then write your paper from the tape.
• If you face a writing block, just start writing all of your ideas down. This should get you going with something you can use for your paper.
• Have someone record your verbal answers to your test questions.
• Keep a daily journal to practice writing.
• Keep a personal speller for words you often misspell.
• Buy the "Misspeller's Dictionary" or "Bad Spellers Dictionary". Words are spelled phonetically so you can look them up.
• Carry a small dictionary with you.
• Attend a writing lab to improve your skills.

• Know when your high and low energy times are and try to study during your "best" time of day.
• Study for an hour and take a break.
• Use the time in between classes to study.
• Find out what type of test the professor has planned--essay or multiple choice--and study accordingly.
• Know the vocabulary used in your textbook.
• Anticipate questions that may be on the test and study to answer those questions.
• Find a study partner or tutor.
• Meet with your professor to discuss points you don't understand.
• If you experience a lot of test anxiety, try some relaxation techniques. Deep breathing, tighten and relax each group of muscles from head to toe, drink some herbal tea, take a hot bath, etc.
• Make positive statements--tell yourself you will do your best rather than ruminate about how you will probably fail.
• Read test directions carefully.
• Answer the easy questions first. This will help boost your confidence and stimulate your memory to answer harder questions.
•  If you do poorly on an exam--learn why.

• Study consistently. Keep up using the study skills that work for you.
• Get a good night's sleep the night before an exam.
• Eat a light breakfast. This helps prevent low blood sugar and gives you energy.
• Allow enough time to get to the test without hurrying.
• In the exam room, sit where you usually sit. You will feel most comfortable there.
• Bring a watch and keep track of the time. Plan your time and pace yourself so that you are not rushed on any part of the exam.
• When you get the test, immediately jot down key words and phrases.
• Read the directions carefully.
• Answer the easy questions and mark those you don't know to come back to later. You may pick up answers in other parts of the test. Take your time, but answer all questions. Always check your test over before handing it in.
• Do relaxation exercises any time you need to during the test. Breathe deeply and talk to yourself in a very supportive way.

• Ask before you help.
• Don't make assumptions.
• Be sensitive about physical contact.
• Be direct in you communication.
• Respond graciously to requests.

• Put the person first, not their disability.
• Section 4.1 of the DRS policy manual: Etiquette and Disabilities

• Call the DRS office at 5-6900 promptly when you change textbooks.
• Get your textbooks listed on the computer prior to the deadline.
• Announce a note-taker request promptly.
• Keep the DRS office informed if you place your class notes on the Web.
• Hand deliver tests to the DRS office.
• Include the DRS Testing form in each testing envelope.
• Seal the test in an envelope when hand delivering the test.

• Section 2.5 of the DRS policy manual: Confidentiality

• Most Accessible Professor: Dr. Sara Sullivan, Psychology
• Most Accessible Staff Member: Dwayne Web
• Most Accessible Department: History