This guide gives disability service offices tools to increase readiness to serve deaf students for online courses through proactive planning and being prepared to respond to requests from students and faculty members.
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act (Section 504) are three pivotal laws that ensure equitable access to education, employment, and the community. These federal mandates guide accommodation decisions through key concepts such as “effective communication”, the “interactive process” in accommodation decision-making, and the “subjective experience” of an individual with a disability.
Sound policies and procedures can also support deaf individuals with an equal opportunity to access a wide-range of opportunities. Through proactive planning, an organization can reduce barriers for deaf individuals accessing postsecondary environments.
Sound policies and procedures can also support deaf individuals with an equal opportunity to access a wide-range of opportunities. Through proactive planning, an organization can reduce barriers for deaf individuals accessing postsecondary environments.
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Topics: DSP Toolkit, Legal/Policy, Remote Services
Useful For: Disability Services Professionals, Teachers -
Topics: Deaf 101, Legal/Policy, Other Access Topics, Research & Data
In recent years there has been an increase in the number of veterans returning home with combat-related hearing loss and tinnitus. Deaf veterans may need accommodations and support to be successful in college and the work environment.
Useful For: Administrators, Audiologists, Disability Services Professionals, Employers, Speech-to-Text Provider, Students, Teachers, Vocational Rehabilitation Professionals -
Topics: Legal/Policy, Testing, Transition
This document provides an overview of English language proficiency (ELP), how it is measured when it comes to eligibility for English learner (EL) services, and what this may mean for deaf students.
Useful For: Parents, Students -
Topics: Legal/Policy, Testing
The 2014 Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing significantly elevated the importance of fairness in testing.
Useful For: Administrators, Audiologists, Disability Services Professionals, Teachers, Vocational Rehabilitation Professionals -
Topics: Legal/Policy
The interactive process engages deaf individuals and disability services professionals in a collaborative discussion regarding the impact of deafness and any necessary accommodations to mitigate barriers in the environment.
Useful For: Administrators, Disability Services Professionals, Interpreters, New Users, Speech-to-Text Provider, Vocational Rehabilitation Professionals -
Topics: Deaf 101, Legal/Policy
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) work together to protect children and adults with disabilities from exclusion, discrimination, and unequal treatment in education, employment, and the community.
Useful For: Administrators, Disability Services Professionals, Employers, New Users, Parents, Students, Teachers, Vocational Rehabilitation Professionals -
Topics: Deaf 101, Legal/Policy
Effective communication affords deaf individuals the ability to share and/or receive information in a manner that is successful for them. Effective communication increases the opportunity for full and equal participation in any situation. Effective communication is fluid and allows all parties to receive and respond to information equally.
Useful For: Administrators, Audiologists, Disability Services Professionals, Employers, New Users, Parents, Students, Teachers, Vocational Rehabilitation Professionals -
Topics: Legal/Policy, Other Access Topics
Improved access and advancements in technology have allowed deaf individuals who might not have previously considered a career in the healthcare field to now pursue this option. Nonetheless, barriers continue to exist, caused in part by the technical standards established by academia and training programs. Technical standards are a set of abilities and characteristics a person is required to possess to gain admission to an educational or training program.
Useful For: Administrators, Disability Services Professionals, Employers, Vocational Rehabilitation Professionals -
Topics: Legal/Policy
Deaf students have the same rights as their hearing peers, including the right to be absent. However, when they are absent from class, disability service professionals become concerned that the funds being expended for interpreters or speech-to-text services are not being used prudently. By establishing policies and procedures for students and staff to follow, disability service professionals are able to balance the need for access with the need to demonstrate responsible budgetary management.
Useful For: Administrators, Disability Services Professionals, Vocational Rehabilitation Professionals -
Topics: Legal/Policy, Transition
This collection of handbook templates is designed for a disability support service provider to download and personalize for his or her institution's needs. These handbooks contain information for orientation to and standardization of procedures as well as general information about how these service providers can work effectively within a postsecondary education setting and with deaf students. Templates are included for faculty, interpreters, note takers, speech-to-text providers, and students. (Revised: 2017)
Useful For: Administrators, Disability Services Professionals, Vocational Rehabilitation Professionals -
Topics: Legal/Policy, Transition
This two-part video explains the Americans With Disabilities Act and how it applies to postsecondary education for students who are deaf.
Useful For: Administrators, Audiologists, Employers, Interpreters, New Users, Parents, Students -
Topics: Legal/Policy
This resource is for professionals who want a better understanding of the legal foundations in serving deaf students. Disability law attorneys and experienced practitioners explain institutional responsibilities and provide tips for implementing policies and procedures.
Useful For: Administrators, Disability Services Professionals, Vocational Rehabilitation Professionals