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UCLA
Office for Students with Disabilities
ANNUAL REPORT
1998-99
University of California, Los Angeles
P.O. Box 951426
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1426
A-255 Murphy Hall
(310) 825-1501 (voice)
(310) 206-6083 (TDD)
(310) 825-9656 (Fax)
http://www.osd.ucla.edu
The Office for Students with Disabilities
The Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD) is a campus resource that assists the faculty and the University in meeting the mandates of Federal and State law and University Policy to provide academic support services and programmatic access to students with disabilities. The OSD also provides information to faculty about academic accommodations for students with disabilities. The philosophy and mission of the office focuses on encouraging independence, assisting students in realizing their academic potential and facilitating the elimination of physical, programmatic and attitudinal barriers.
Services Provided 1998-1999
The OSD provides a variety of services including registration assistance, disability parking, on-campus van transportation, campus accessibility, assistance with housing appeals, tutorial referrals, adaptive equipment loan and the following:
| Service | 1997-98 | 1998-99 |
|---|---|---|
| Reader hours | 3,555 | 3,925 |
| Scanner hours | 1,618 | 1,704 |
| Notetaker hours | 20,600 | 24,595 |
| Proctoring hours | 5,198 | 5,361 |
| Counseling hours | 9,078 | 10,834 |
| Transcription hours | 313 | 789 |
| Interpreting hours | 626 | 1,570 |
| Captioning hours | 1,333 | 1,727 |
Highlights This Year
New Mobility magazine rated UCLA in the top ten "disability-friendly" colleges in its September, 1998 issue! The article stated that, "Much of the positive change (over the past ten years) can be credited to the Office for Students with Disabilities, seen by some as a model program." The article also mentioned accessible campus buildings, accessible housing, the Disabilities and Computing Program (DCP) and the National Arts and Disability Center (NADC) as contributing factors to this high ranking.
The OSD hired a full time computer programmer analyst. For the first time, we have computer assistance available on a full-time basis. Because of this, we were able to update and improve our web page at http://www.osd.ucla.edu. In addition, we have been able to develop our own database, and students are able to obtain training on adaptive hardware and software more readily. Our analyst is also able to maintain our computer equipment, insuring that it is available to the students when it is needed.
The OSD held its first New and Returning Student Reception and Orientation. Students were given the opportunity to meet all the OSD staff and take campus tours that highlighted departments that work closely with students with disabilities. Students as well as staff felt it was a great success.
Disability Demographics
During the 1998-99 academic year, a total of 1,389 students with documented disabilities received one or more academic support services and/or parking assistance (an increase of over 24% from last year). Of this number, 724 students received services other than parking and were identified in the following categories:
| Disability Group | 1997-98 | 1998-99 |
|---|---|---|
| Learning Disability | 174 | 172 |
| ADD/ADHD | 40 | 57 |
| Psychological Disability | 58 | 53 |
| Deaf | 5 | 6 |
| Other Hearing Impairment | 16 | 19 |
| Visual Impairment | 11 | 14 |
| Mobility Impairment | 173 | 194 |
| Other Functional | 157 | 201 |
| Acquired Brain Injury | 9 | 8 |
| Total | 643 | 724 |
A total of 665 students requested and received only parking assistance. The graph below demonstrates our overall distribution between parking only and academic service users over a five year period.
The Learning Disabilities Program
Support services were provided for students with specific Learning Disabilities (LD), Atten-tion Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (AD/HD), Acquired Brain Injury (ABI), and students with psychological disabilities.The Peer-Mentor Program matched new students with continuing students who have learning disabilities. The mentors stayed in touch throughout the year to provide support and to answer questions. Workshops this year included: reading, writing, and notetaking strategies. Monthly support groups addressed issues such as disclosure to faculty, career exploration, memory techniques, time management, learning style assessment, stress reduction, and essay writing.The "Working Together Orientation Workshop" was led by continuing students to address issues such as: "making it" in the quarter system, interactions with professors, and selection of classes. A "Survival Tips" Peer-Mentor Newsletter written by continuing students with learning disabilities was distributed to all new students. An integral part of our program continues to be the screening of students for suspected learning disabilities, counseling on specific strategies, and disability- management counseling by our learning disabilities specialists.
Students with psychological disabilities were served through a weekly support group co-facilitated by the LD Coordinator and a psychologist from Student Psychological Services.
Technology Resources for Students with Disabilities
The Office for Students with Disabilities maintains a Resource Room at Powell Library that is used by students for distraction-free testing and for use of special adaptive equipment and devices. There are several computer workstations with adaptive software that are used for scanning, reading, converting materials to large print, voice recognition and other activities. In addition, there are computer labs throughout the campus available to students who do not need adaptive software.
The Office for Students with Disabilities maintains a close working relationship with the Disabilities and Computing Program (located in MSA 4909) which researches and field tests software as it becomes available and makes recommendations to students and campus departments. Students can receive training and advice on the most useful software for their individual needs. Students may contact this program on their own or be referred by the Office for Students with Disabilities. Their website is: http://www.dcp.ucla.edu/.
Mobility Assistance
A total of 772 students with documented disabilities affecting their mobility were issued disability parking permits. Placards from the Department of Motor Vehicles and letters from physicians were accepted forms of verification. Permits were issued to 665 students who requested no other services from this office; permits were issued to an additional 107 students who received other academic accommodations.
A total of 5,913 on-campus van rides were given to 246 students with documented mobility impairments. This represents an increase in the number of riders (3%) and an increase in the number of rides (26%).
Comparisons to Other Students
The OSD worked with the Registrar’s Office to compare the academic progress of students who received services from this office with all other UCLA students. The results indicate more similarities in grade point average (GPA) than differences.Overall, students with permanent disabilities averaged just .02 grade points below all other UCLA students. The most extreme differences were noted at the freshmen level, where OSD students averaged .11 higher than other UCLA freshmen, and at the graduate level, where OSD students averaged .07 below other graduate students.
Students with temporary disabilities had similar comparisons. The overall average was .05 below all other UCLA students. Freshmen with temporary disabilities averaged .28 higher than other UCLA freshmen and graduate students averaged .07 below other graduate students.
The Office of the President is currently tracking graduation and retention rates for UC students who have received academic support services at all nine campuses.
Evaluations
An evaluation of services form is sent each year to all students who have received academic support services. Comments received help us improve the way service is delivered. Students who choose to identify themselves on this evaluation can request a follow-up contact regarding their comments. The return rate was approximately 16%. The results of the 1998-99 evaluation varied on individual items but remained generally the same as last year overall. The results are indicated below:
STUDENT EVALUATION OF SERVICES |
||
OSD Administration of Services |
1997-98 |
1998-99 |
| Timeliness of Delivery | 3.6 |
3.5 |
| Availability of Service | 3.7 |
3.6 |
| Responsiveness of Staff | 3.7 |
3.6 |
| Staff Knowledge | 3.7 |
3.7 |
| OSD Administrative Total: | 3.7 |
3.6 |
University Administration |
||
| Removal of Arch. Barriers | 3.2 |
3.4 |
| Academic Dept. Effectiveness | 3.0 |
3.3 |
| Cooperation of Instructors | 3.3 |
3.2 |
| University Administrative Total: | 3.2 |
3.3 |
OSD Service Delivery Ratings |
||
| Readers* | 2.9 |
4.0 |
| Notetakers | 3.5 |
3.3 |
| Interpreters* | 4.0 |
3.9 |
| Test-taking Assistance | 3.5 |
3.6 |
| Tutorial Assistance | 3.4 |
3.3 |
| Transcription Services* | 3.6 |
3.7 |
| On-campus Transportation | 3.6 |
3.6 |
| Access to Adapt. Equip. & Mat.* | 3.5 |
3.4 |
| Equipment Repair* | 2.6 |
3.0 |
| Registration Assistance | 3.9 |
3.6 |
| Information and Referral | 3.3 |
3.5 |
| Parking | 3.9 |
3.7 |
| Disability Mgmt. Counseling | 3.7 |
3.5 |
| Special Orientation* | 3.7 |
3.0 |
| Direct Service Rating | 3.5 |
3.5 |
| Overall Rating (adm. and svc.) | 3.5 |
3.5 |
(*Indicates fewer than 10 respondents to this question.)
Resources Outside the Classroom
- Programmatic access is provided by campus departments for all campus activities including student organizations, sporting events and extra-curricular activities. Contact the UCLA Access Web at www.ucla.edu.
- The UCLA Libraries provide many services to students with disabilities. www.ucla.edu/home/lma.html
- A Support Group for students with learning disabilities offers opportunities for personal growth. (310) 825-1501.
- Student Psychological Services and the OSD co-facilitate a support group for students with psychological disabilities. Contact the OSD for more information on this group.
- The Union of Students with Disabilities is an Associated Students special interest group. (310) 206-0926.
- Chancellor’s Advisory Committee on Disability is made up of students, staff, faculty, alumni and community members. (310) 825-2242.
- The Chancellor’s ADA/504 Compliance Office assists the University in recognizing and acting upon access and compliance issues. (310) 825-2242 or http://www.saonet.ucla.edu/ada.htm
- The Career Center provides career counseling and other services. (310) 825-2981 or www.saonet.ucla.edu/career/.
OSD Staff
Kathy Molini, Director
Dan Levitt, Assistant Director of Operations/Coordinator of the Program for Deaf & Hard of Hearing Students
Linda Stolt, Assistant Director of Academic Services/Proctor Coordinator
Ed McCloskey, Coordinator of the Mobility Assistance Program
Doug Gerow, Coordinator of Notetaking Services
Arline Halper, Coordinator of the Program for Students with Learning Disabilities
Chana Bell, Learning Disabilities Specialist
Nancy Hanson, Learning Disabilities Specialist
Sheila Halcomb, Learning Disabilities Specialist
Deb Owen, Budget Analyst/Supervisor of Technology Planning and Training
Maria E. Martin, Payroll/Personnel Administrator
George Auletta, Computer Technologist
Pat Johnson, Resource Room Services Assistant
Tony Buffo, Resource Room Assistant
Student Workers
Noah Bookman, Oliver Drozdowick, Donny Dumani, Joshua Hamilton, Stephanie Jones, Mark Leverette, Edgardo Montoya, Julie Rattray, Michele Reidt, Kristina Russell, Cori Wapnowski and Susan White.
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