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Fall 2001 UCLA
NEW HORIZONS
UCLA Office for Students with Disabilities
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
- A Word from the Director: Kathy's Korner by Kathy Molini
- Article: After-Affects of Polio Beginning to be Felt
- Health Care on Campus: Ashe Student Health and Wellness Center
- Construction Update
- Come in Early to Set-up Services
- Have You Moved?
- State of the Art Technology: Disabilities and Computing Program Lab
- DCP Open House
- Article: Testing Accommodations on Postgraduate and Licensing Exams
- Career Center: Job Fairs & Special Events
- Misuse of a Disabled Person's Placard is Illegal
- KCET College Relations Internship Program
- Student Psychological Service: Counseling and Support Services
- Searching for Scholarships
- Union for Students with Disabilities
- Chancellor's Advisory Committee on Disability
- Graduate Disabilities Caucus
- Contacting OSD
- OSD Services
- ADA/504 Compliance Office
- Alternate Formats
A WORD FROM THE DIRECTOR
Kathy's Korner
Welcome to the 2001-02 Academic Year! I hope you had a great summer and that you got to do some fun and interesting things. If you would like to share your adventure with us by writing an article for the OSD newsletter, please let Doug Gerow know.
I encourage you to take a few minutes to read this edition of New Horizons. This kick-off issue is meant to assist you in getting the best start to your quarter. In this issue, there is information on OSD academic support services, important deadlines, information regarding events concerning you and the OSD, and interesting articles.
As the old saying goes, "the early bird gets the worm." We urge you to make an appointment to arrange for the services that you will need this quarter. Students tell me over and over again that this makes all the difference in having a successful quarter.
Stop by anytime just to say hello and to let us know how it is going. We are here to assist you.
After-Affects of Polio Beginning to be Felt
Reprinted with permission
March of Dimes
Up to 20 million polio survivors around the world face the threat of new disabilities 15 to 40 years after their original illness, which could leave them using wheelchairs or ventilators for the rest of their lives, says a new report from the March of Dimes.
A major problem confronting millions of polio survivors is that too few recognize this slow moving and little understood secondary illness, called post-polio syndrome (PPS). The main symptoms of PPS are new progressive muscle weakness that gradually worsens, together with severe fatigue and pain in muscles and joints. It is often accompanied by decreased muscle endurance.
No cure exists for PPS. Doctors advise patients to curtail physical activities and take rest periods during the day, including during working hours. Many doctors also advise more severely affected patients to use wheelchairs part-time or fulltime, even if they can walk without them.
As many as 250,000 U.S. polio survivors may have PPS, the March of Dimes says. The World Health Organization estimates that 10 to 20 million polio survivors are alive worldwide, and some estimates suggest that 4 to 8 million of them may get PPS.
What causes PPS?
"The causes of PPS are not thoroughly understood," says Lewis P. Rowland, M.D., professor of neurology at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York City and chairman of the March of Dimes Steering Committee on Post-Polio Syndrome.
"In the initial acute polio episode, patients can lose up to 60 or 70 percent of their motor nerve cells. The surviving nerve cells find muscle fibers that still work and attach to them, restoring function. After 15 to 40 years," Dr. Rowland says, "the ability to maintain function seems to be lost, but no one is certain why this happens."
The most widely accepted hypothesis is that PPS results from a degeneration of motor nerves that sprouted new connections years earlier to make up for other nerves killed by polio. Because the surviving motor nerves have been supplying many more muscle fibers than nature intended, they may wear out prematurely.
Also, the normal aging process and the overuse or disuse of muscles may be contributing factors in development of PPS.
Polio preyed on children and adolescents in the United States during the 1940’s and 1950’s and terrified the nation and world. Thousands of children were placed in iron lungs to allow them to breath. In 1955 alone 2,000 died and 16,000 were paralyzed
The development of the Salk vaccine in 1955 and the Sabin vaccine in 1961 effectively ended the epidemic in the United States. The world Health Organization hopes to have the disease eradicated worldwide by 2005
Health Care on Campus
Ashe Student Health and Wellness Center
Are you neglecting or postponing attention to your health care needs? Have a health-related question? Where on campus can you go?
Why not try the Arthur Ashe Student Health and Wellness Center?
We are centrally located on campus across from Ackerman Union and next to the Wooden Center. Our academic year hours are 8 am to 6:30 pm Monday through Friday (except Tuesdays, when we open at 9:00). All registered UCLA students are eligible to use our service, whether or not you are enrolled in the Student Health Insurance Plan.
We offer a broad array of health services on-site, including routine preventive health exams, a same-day Walk In Clinic, and even Acupuncture Clinic! Some of our newer services are accessible from our website (www.studenthealth.ucla.edu).
E-nurse, a nurse practitioner-run email service, provides your test results and answers your health-related questions confidentially, usually within one working day. Our website section, "Meet the Ashe Center Clinicians", displays biographical information, photos, and email addresses of our clinical staff (so you can start to get to know them!). You can also use our website to request appointments or prescription refills!
New for Fall Quarter 2001 will be a full-service Optometry Clinic, providing vision exams and glasses/contact lenses!
To improve comfort and convenience, most exam rooms are equipped with adjustable height exam tables. Campus paramedics will provide transportation from on-campus locations to the Ashe Center. A buzzer is available at the ground-level entrance to let the first floor staff know that you need assistance.
We welcome your feedback about your experiences with the Ashe Center and especially any information or ideas you could provide on how we might better meet your needs. Contact Susan Quillan, RN, NP, Director of Nursing, at squillan@saonet.ucla.edu or use our website to contact E-nurse.
Construction Update
Haines is reopened after a three-year seismic renovation. All of the offices have returned form their various locations on campus (especially from Hershey).
Late this summer a new, permanent wheelchair ramp was installed at Franz. This ramp leads from the sidewalk between Franz and Knudsen into the middle building of Franz.
New sidewalks were poured along Portola Plaza near Haines and the south entrances to Knudsen during the summer.
The entrance to Parking Structure 9 from CE Young Drive East (near the School of Public Health main entrance) is closed for at least the next 6 months.
Construction continues on the new Physics/Astronomy Building near Powell, Moore and Knudsen. This project will last for approximately two more years. The Thermal Energy Storage Tank construction is proceeding at the south side of Court of Sciences. The Westwood Replacement Hospital is moving along. The foundation is being poured in stages over a three to four month period.
The construction of a new underground Parking Structure has just started at the IM Fields. For the next three months there will be a major excavation of the dirt from this site. Trucks will be hauling the dirt from the large two story deep hole on CE Young Drive West past the Residence Halls. This route has resulted in the loss of parking on Young Drive near Sunset Village and Sproul Hall.
Construction has just started on the Men’s Gym. Most of the Offices have moved to other locations, many to the Wooden addition.
The Temporary Staging Building on Parking Lot 32 is nearing completion. It is anticipated that occupancy will begin about the first of the new year.
Help Us
Help You
Come in Early
To Set Up Services
And Remember to Make A Request Each Quarter
HAVE YOU MOVED?
Please remember to let the OSD know each time you change your address in order to continue to receive the newsletter and other important mailings regarding priority enrollment, proctoring, van transportation, etc.
Changing your address with the Registrar’s Office DOES NOT change your address with OSD. You can call the office, e-mail us, or come in and fill out a "change of address" slip.
State of the Art Technology
Disabilities and Computing Program Lab
The Disabilities and Computing Adaptive Technology Lab provides specialized high-tech computer hardware and software to help students, faculty and staff with disabilities. DCP staff offer training and technical support for the hardware and software applications available in the lab.
The lab, located at Math Science 4919, is made up of seven powerful, state-of-the-art computer workstations including six IBM compatible PCs and one Macintosh G4. One of the PCs is a dedicated scanning workstation linked to a high-speed Fujitsu scanner. The scanner includes a document feeder and can scan both sides of a document.
The computer lab includes both standard and adaptive software to meet the needs of users with disabilities. The workstations include software widely used on campus such as Microsoft Office and the applications comprising the Bruin Online software package. New applications will be added as the need arises.
Adaptive software applications include programs to assist individuals with mobility impairments, visual impairments, learning disabilities, hearing impairments and traumatic brain injuries.
For those with physical impairments, voice recognition programs such as Dragon Naturally Speaking are available along with other software that makes it easier to input information into the computer. We also have an array of input devices. For individuals with visual impairments the lab offers the ZoomText screen magnification program and the JAWS for Windows screen reader program.
People with learning disabilities have access to WYNN (What You Need Now) and Kurzweil 3000. These programs provide scanning along with speech output and other tools that allow users to create, edit, and listen to documents.
The DCP staff continually researches and purchases new software to help people with disabilities, and these new technologies will be added to the work stations as they become available.
The workstations are designed with an eye toward ergonomics. All tables are height-adjustable, and we'll have a variety of ergonomic chairs in the lab so lab-users can pick the chair most suited to them. Other devices such as wrist rests, trackballs, specialized copy holders, monitor risers and keyboard trays are also available to demonstrate the state of the art in ergonomic computing.
If you would like further information about the DCP Lab and or any DCP services or resources, please call the Disabilities and Computing Program at 310-206-7133. We also invite you to see our web page at www.dcp.ucla.edu.
DCP Open House
Thursday, October 18
11:00-3:00.
DCP staff will demonstrate the adaptive technologies available in the lab and visitors will have the chance to get hands-on experience on the software and hardware.
Just drop by the Lab at 4919 Math Sciences.
Testing Accommodations on Postgraduate and Licensing Exams
By Dr. Sharon Teruya
Originally printed Fall 2000
We have decided to reprint this article written by Dr. Sharon Teruya since now is the time when students are applying to graduate programs. Please be aware that the testing agencies are becoming increasingly strict about their documentation requirements. For example, in some instances, students with psychological disabilities are asked to go through a full cognitive assessment to demonstrate the need for extra time. Also of interest is what we hope will become a trend towards eliminating the "flagging" of students who take these exams with accommodations. In the past, scores had an asterisk noting that the test was taken under nonstandard testing conditions. The ETS (which oversees the GMAT, GRE, TOEFL, and Praxis) will no longer be flagging effective 10/01/01. The MCAT and LSAT are still making such notations. Finally, if your disability was diagnosed at a community college, it is important to be aware that the testing agencies are looking for a complete report. The community colleges, as a rule, do not generate such reports. Please speak to one of OSD’s LD Specialists in advance if you fall into this category, and we can discuss your options.
Jo Anne Simon, a leading disability rights attorney, states that the testing agencies and licensing boards (e.g., MCAT, LSAT, GRE, etc.) or professional licensing exams (e.g. bar exam, medical licensing exam, etc) are now more restrictive in their interpretation of the Americans with Disabilities Act and thus it is getting tougher for students to be granted accommodations, even though accommodations were received at institutions like UCLA.
The ADA does not define the terms "physical or mental impairment," "substantially limits," and "major life activities" so that it has been a source of interpretive disagreement in the courts.
This recent trend in conservatively interpreting the law is exemplified in the case of Gonzalez v. National Board of Medical Examiners (MBME) which was ruled on this past August. Mike Gonzalez, a medical student at the University of Michigan, took the Board to court for refusing to grant him extra time on the USMLE Step 1 Exam. Mike was receiving the accommodation of extra time on exams at the U.M. Medical School as he had received for exams taken during his last two undergraduate years at UCD.
The court ruled in favor of the NBME which argued that Mike is not disabled under the Americans with Disabilities Act. The MBNE had convinced the court that Gonzalez: 1) did not have a disability because his assessment for a learning disability indicated that his reading ability fell within the average to superior range when compared to "most people" and 2) that he did not have disability that affected the major life activity of working.
The court justified their ruling based on the premise that Mike’s abilities, while they may be discrepant from his medical school peers, were not discrepant from the abilities of the "average" person and did not substantially limit a major life activity using the experience of "most people" as a referent group.
Since the Gonzalez case was decided, a major case concerning academic accommodations was ruled on by an appellate court in New York. In this case Jo Anne Simon and her client, Marilyn Bartlett, contested a ruling by a district court in favor of the New York State Board of Law Examiners’ denial of accommodations to Dr. Bartlett. In contrast to the court hearing of the Gonzalez case, this court compared Dr. Bartlett to her peers who had "comparable training, skills and abilities and also deemed the bar examination as having implications for a major life activity. The ruling on the Bartlett Case is seen as setting an encouraging precedent for individuals with learning disabilities.
Given the mixed conclusion of the courts and the uncertainty of how other and future courts will rule on what determines a disability and what defines a major life activity, the request for accommodations should be viewed with caution. Barbara Guyer, Ed.D., Director of Marshall University’s H.E.L.P. Program and a program for premedical students who have learning disabilities, advises her students to prepare for their postgraduate entrance exams as if they were not going to receive testing accommodations.
The professional staff who review applications for special accommodations on the MCAT and LSAT strongly recommend that one should submit applications for tests and special accommodations as early as possible. This is especially important because significant numbers of students provide inadequate or unacceptable documentation of their disability. The requirements for documentation can vary from school to school or testing organization to testing organization. One needs to be sure of exactly the type of testing that is required to show a disability as well as what professional with what type of licensing is allowed to make a specific diagnosis. It would not be too early to begin investigating what and when one needs to submit one’s application and documentation for testing accommodations. Some testing organizations may require that you send in your application earlier than the general application closing date. If one’s request for accommodations is denied an early submission of an application may provide one with enough time to appeal the decision and obtain the necessary additional testing that may be required. In some instances one may need to obtain grade school report cards and progress reports to support a diagnosis. Many postgraduate school exams are given in the Fall of the student’s senior year so Spring quarter should be the latest time when one should begin to look into what is needed to apply for an exam and accommodations. If one has applied for the test once before, one should be sure to take care in finding out if the requirements for accommodations are the same as when one last applied. Testing agencies may make modifications in the process or requirements for accommodations.
Besides preparing for the application for postgraduate entrance and licensing exams, one should prepare for a major test in other ways. Dr. Guyer suggests that students regulate their life styles with the incorporation of exercise, adequate amounts of sleep, and a balanced diet into their daily routine. She feels that this is especially important for students with learning disabilities and AD/HD. She also recommends experimenting with the use of earplugs when studying and taking tests for college courses to test them out or acclimate to them before the major exam. Finally, Dr. Guyer recommends that if one needs to take medication, begin treatment as early as possible before the testing date. Often medication dosages may need to be adjusted or even trials of different medications may be required.
In summary if you are applying to take an examination for entrance into graduate school or for licensing, remember the following points:
- Begin the application process very early.
- Make sure you understand what specific tests are acceptable and what specifically needs to be addressed in an evaluation report to document your disability.
- Be sure the individual who is documenting your disability has the professional credentials approved of by the testing organization or licensing board.
- Make sure you know how recent your disability documentation needs to be.
- Find out if application deadlines for accommodations are earlier than the general application deadlines.
- Don’t expect that you will receive testing accommodations just because you have received them in the past.
- Prepare for the exam as if you will not receive accommodations.
Study Abroad Fair –
October 9, 11 am - 4 pm
Ackerman Grand Ballroom
Graduate & Professional School Information Day
October 10, 10 am - 2 pm
Dickson Plaza
Jobs For Bruins
October 11 & 12, 10 am - 3 pm
Ackerman Grand Ballroom
Engineering, Technical & Science Career Fair
October 17 & 18, 10 am - 3 pm
Ackerman Grand Ballroom
BioTech Career Fair
October 18, 10 am - 3 pm
Ackerman Grand Ballroom
APSIA Forum of International Fair
October 22, 6 pm - 9 pm
James West Alumni Center
Diversity Career Fair
November 15 & 16, 10 am - 3 pm
Ackerman Grand Ballroom
Go to the Career Center web site for links to each of these events
http://www.career.ucla.edu/students/ (Link Broken)
Misuse of a Disabled Person’s Placard is Illegal
UCLA Parking Services is committed to assisting disability placard and permit holders in utilizing accessible parking on campus
To report misuse of a disabled placard call 825-9555
KCET’S COLLEGE RELATIONS INTERNSHIP PROGRAM
PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES PROGRAM
The goal of the College Relations Program is to identify top college students who have a disability and who are at the junior, senior and graduate school level who have demonstrated high academic achievement in their major. These selected students should possess the ability and the potential to gain meaningful training to help them succeed in their broadcasting career development.
Participating interns shall be selected from local, accredited, four-year colleges and universities. Selection of participants shall be done through an application/interviewing process. The participating department and the Human Resources Department will make the hiring decision.
The duration of the internship shall be for one quarter or semester depending on the student’s school system. This assignment can be extended for a full year provided the participant can commit to the duration of the program. Ideally, the internship schedule would involve two interns in the Fall and two interns in the Spring. This will be a paid assignment at a rate of $10.00 per hour.
The internship program will be designed to meet the goal objective of providing performance evaluation and coaching to the student and the department to enhance and validate the program. The desired goal will be to create a mutually beneficial relationship in which topnotch students perform a department’s tasks and gain experience in the broadcasting field while providing the department with extra staffing to complete its work.
The Human Resources Department will implement the internship program. The Human Resources Manager will coordinate recruitment and application of participants. The manager will also monitor the progress of this program. Departments will be responsible for performance evaluations and coaching of the interns.
Interested students should contact Dalia Gomez, Internship Coordinator, at 323-953-5531, or email at dgomez@kcet.org or, send your letter of interest along with your resume to: KCET, 4401 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90027.
Counseling and Support Services
Being a UCLA student can sometimes be quite stressful. Each year, thousands of UCLA students use the services of Student Psychological Services (SPS). Students come to SPS to discuss a broad range of concerns. These include grief, relationships, sexuality issues, stress management, shyness, anxiety, depression, self-esteem issues, family problems, and eating issues.
SPS offers individual counseling, groups, workshops, and programs aimed at helping students enrich their lives at UCLA. Services are free and confidential. SPS counselors are also available to do outreach and educational presentations to UCLA student groups. In addition, every day that the university is open, SPS has a counselor who is available to talk with students who feel that they are dealing with an emergency or urgent situation.
This quarter, SPS will offer groups for students dealing with grief, psychiatric disabilities, writer's block, drug or alcohol concerns, dissertation and thesis concerns, and gay, lesbian, bi and transgender issues. There are also general psychotherapy groups available for students who would like to explore concerns such as self-esteem, assertiveness, and relationships in a small, supportive group environment.
SPS offers the following special programs:
- Gay, Lesbian, Bi & Transgender Mentoring Program --- For students who are dealing with sexual orientation and coming out issues and concerns. (For information call 825-0768.)
- Mind/Body Workshops --- For students who want to learn more about the connection between emotions, behavior and physical health. Each workshop includes training in techniques such as meditation, self-hypnosis and guided imagery. (No sign-up is necessary; students may attend any and all workshops. Wednesdays, 3:00 to 4:00, Ashe Center, Room 416, fourth floor.)
- Stress Clinic --- A variety of three and four session groups dealing with stress-related topics such as public speaking anxiety, cognitive approaches to stress management, relaxation and biofeedback. (To sign up, call 825-0768.)
Christina Miller, Ph.D.
UCLA Student Psychological Services
(310) 825-0768; FAX: (310) 206-7365
Searching For Scholarships
The search for scholarships can be complicated and confusing, but the Scholarship Resource Center (SRC) is here to help guide you through the maze. The SRC maintains a scholarship database and library, and provides workshops and counseling. The SRC is located at 233 Covel Commons (206-2875).
The SRC is an extremely valuable resource to assist you in searching for scholarships including those based on a disability or any number of other criteria. You don’t have to have a 4.0 GPA to qualify for many scholarships. Now is the time to start looking for funding for next year.
Fall Workshops
- Free Scholarship Search,
- How to Find Scholarships,
- Writing Personal Statements for Scholarships,
- The Scholarship Process, and
- Searching for Scholarships on the Internet.
The SRC also offers the U.S. National and British Merit Scholarships, workshops to provide UCLA students information about national scholarships such as the Rhodes, Churchill, and Truman Scholarship programs.
A great way to become familiar with the process is to sign up for one of the Free Scholarship Search Workshops. Check the SRC website for times and locations.
www.college.ucla.edu/up/src
Union of Students with Disabilities
The mission of the Union of Students with Disabilities (USD) is to ensure full accessibility of educational opportunity for students with disabilities at UCLA. The USD also offers disabled peer support and plans programs and events aimed at raising the campus consciousness about disability-related issues. If interested in becoming involved, please contact the Mike Cohn at (310)206-8821.
Chancellor’s Advisory Committee on Disability
The CACD was established in 1982 as an advisory group by the Chancellor to create and maintain a more accessible campus environment. The CACD is comprised of student, faculty, staff, alumni, community, and ex-officio members. The Committee’s charge is to analyze and identify problems, propose solutions, and make recommendations on matters of particular concern to persons with disabilities.
Meeting Times:
The 2nd Tuesday of each month (except August and December,) 2-4 pm, Faculty Center
For more information contact the ADA & 504 Compliance Office at (310) 825-2242 (voice) or (310) 206-3349 tty
GRADUATE DISABILITIES CAUCUS INVITES YOU TO JOIN!!
The purpose of this organization is to provide a forum for addressing issues pertaining to disabilities curriculum, students with disabilities, peer support, and access issues on the UCLA campus. We welcome those graduate students with and without disabilities who have an interest in this area.
Our objectives include advocacy, education, resource management and referral, support, curriculum development, Americans with Disabilities Act compliance, and representation of students with physical, learning, developmental, and psychological disabilities to faculty, administration, Office of Students with Disabilities, Chancellor’s Advisory Committee on Disabilities, and the UCLA student government bodies.
Contacting OSD
George Auletta
Programmer Analyst
gauletta@saonet.ucla.edu
794-5723
Chana Bell
Learning Disabilities Specialist
cbell@saonet.ucla.edu
206-6383
Tony Buffo
Assistant Proctor Coordinator
tbuffo@saonet.ucla.edu
825-2651
Michelle Crawford
Sign Language Interpreter
825-1501
Doug Gerow
Auxiliary Services Coordinator
dgerow@saonet.ucla.edu
794-5725
Melodie Gifford
Sign Language Interpreter
825-1501
Kristin Larson
Sign Language Interpreter
825-1501
Dan Levitt
Assistant Director & Coordinator of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Student Program
dlevitt@saonet.ucla.edu
267-2005
Maria Martin
Payroll Administrator
memartin@saonet.ucla.edu
794-5731
Ed McCloskey
Mobility Assistance Program Coordinator
emcclosk@saonet.ucla.edu
267-2004
Kathy Molini
Director
kmolini@saonet.ucla.edu
825-1501
Julie Morris
Coordinator, Learning Disabilities Program
jmorris@saonet.ucla.edu
794-5732
Robert Ono
Resource Room Assistant
rono@saonet.ucla.edu
825-2860
Deb Owen
Budget Analyst/Supervisor of Technology, Planning & Training
dowen@saonet.ucla.edu
825-1501
Linda Stolt
Assistant Director-Academic Services/Proctor Coordinator
lstolt@saonet.ucla.edu
267-2008
Sharon Teruya
Learning Disabilities Specialist
steruya@saonet.ucla.edu
206-6383
Powell Resource Room
825-2651
FAX
825-9656
TDD
206-6083
Van Line
825-2263
Web page
http://www.osd.ucla.edu
OSD Services
Whether you are a new or continuing student, the OSD is here to assist you. There are many academic support services that the OSD has to offer regularly enrolled UCLA students with documented permanent and temporary disabilities. These disability-based services include:
Notetaking
Provided for students with a wide variety of disabilities, there are three approaches to this service: ASUCLA Lecture Notes, Volunteer Stipend Approach, and Classroom Assistant. The approach selected for a particular student will be determined after discussion with the Auxiliary Services Coordinator and based on verified need.
Proctoring
As an academic adjustment, a student with a disability may need alternative test-taking conditions. Depending upon the disability documentation, faculty consultation and the requirements of the academic program, appropriate testing accommodations for students may include: the exam printed in large print or Braille; additional time for the exam; one-on-one assistance such as the proctor reading the test questions and/or writing the student’s answers. Please contact the Proctor Coordinator for further information.
Transcription
Provided primarily for eligible students with learning disabilities, visual impairments or disabilities impacting manual dexterity, this service involves the conversion of information in any format into another format (tape to transcript, text to Braille, handwriting to typed material, etc.).
Reading/Scanning
The OSD will first facilitate membership in RFBD (Recordings for the Blind and Dyslexic) for eligible students. If the readings are unavailable through RFBD, then readings may be done live or onto a tape. Scanning involves using a computer to scan the material and convert it to a word processing program which can, in turn, be converted into Braille, large print or a speech synthesized reading program.
Technology Resources for Students with Disabilities
The Office for Students with Disabilities maintains a Resource Room in Powell 181 that is used by students for distraction-free testing and use of special adaptive equipment and devices. There are several computer workstations with adaptive software that are used for scanning, reading, editing, large print, voice recognition and other activities. In addition, there are computer labs throughout the campus available to students who do not need adaptive technology.
The Office for Students with Disabilities maintains a close working relationship with the Disabilities and Computing Program which researches and field tests adaptive technology as it comes out and makes recommendations to students and campus departments. Students can receive and advice on the most useful software for their individual needs. Students may contact this program (206-7133) on their own or be referred by the Office for Students with Disabilities.
Priority Enrollment/ Registration Assistance
Priority enrollment is available to undergraduate students whose disability impacts their ability to get from class to class quickly, students who need to arrange for service providers or students who must take a reduced course load. Students requiring disability-based registration assistance may contact the OSD for more information.
Mobility Assistance Program
On-Campus Van Service
This service offers academically-related rides to students with mobility disabilities which impact their ability to travel around campus. Van service is provided from 7:20am to 5:40 pm, Monday through Thursday. Friday hours are 7:20 am to 5:00 pm. Contact the OSD to ask for the Campus Transportation Options flyer which contains information regarding evening and weekend rides and much, much, more.
Parking
All students with permanent or temporary disabilities or medical conditions must apply for parking directly at the OSD. Please contact the OSD by phone (267-2004) in order to arrange for an appointment. Students with Department of Motor Vehicle Disability Placards or Plates must bring their placard ID to their appointment.
Students without DMV disability plates or placards must have a Disability Verification Form completed by a health care professional in order to apply for parking. This form can be obtained from the OSD. Parking is granted only if a disability-based need is stated in the documentation.
The Mobility Assistance Coordinator will authorize appropriate parking. The application then needs to be taken to Parking Services for payment, processing and issuance of a permit and gate key.
Campus Orientation
Students with visual impairments may request a campus orientation and mobility session with the Mobility Assistance Coordinator.
The student will learn to traverse the campus as he/she would during a regular day - - going from the classroom to labs, lecture halls, or bus stops.
Program for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students
Interpreting/Captioning
In order to participate fully in classes and activities, students who are deaf may receive Sign Language interpreting or real-time captioning. Interpreters use American Sign Language to interpret what the teachers and students say. Realtime captioning allows deaf students to read the verbatim lecture on a laptop computer as the professor lectures. Real-time captioning uses the same method and equipment used by court reporters.
Program for Students with Learning Disabilities
The Learning Disabilities Program serves students with documented specific learning disabilities, attention deficit disorder, acquired brain injury, and students with psychological disabilities. Based on their disability-related needs, students may receive extended time for exams, notetakers, tutorial services, textbooks on tape, adaptive technology, alternative testing format, disability-related counseling and may participate in learning strategies workshops, support groups and the peer mentor program.
Technology for Students with Learning Disabilities
Reading machines and voice-synthesized editing programs are available in our Resource Room, Powell 181. These aids may be used to compensate for reading and writing difficulties. The following assistive technology is available for student use:
Bookwise and WYNN reading programs: These are "friendly" reading programs that use a voice synthesizer to read aloud to students. Popular features of this software include a dictionary to define unfamiliar vocabulary, easily adjustable reading rates and a selection of computer voices. Bookwise also allows you to edit the scanned document.
Openbook: Openbook is a "scan-n’-read" computer program. It will scan a full page in less than 15 seconds and read aloud to students. Text can also be saved on disk for reading at a later time.
Please contact a Learning Disabilities Specialist to determine your eligibility to use this assistive technology, and for a demonstration.
Other Services at the OSD
Other services offered by this office include: Housing Assistance, Tutorial Referrals, Disability Management Counseling and Information and Referral, among others.
ADA/ 504 Compliance Office
- Monitors and coordinates compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 which prohibits discrimination based on disability in all University activities;
- Offers guidance and evaluates efforts to provide access to campus facilities and programs
- Develops procedures to identify and correct access deficiencies;
- Disseminates information regarding compliance-related issues and recommends appropriate remedial actions;
- Coordinates the implementation of the ADA Transition Plan; and
- Fields complaints alleging campus noncompliance with the ADA and Section 504.
The Compliance Office is located in Murphy Hall, Room A-239. For more information please contact: (Voice) 310-825-2242, (TTY) 310-206-3349, (FAX) 310-825-3688 or E-mail dmartin@saonet.ucla.edu
Alternative Formats Available
New Horizons is available in Braille, on tape cassette and on the OSD web site. Contact the OSD to request a copy in an alternative format.
New Horizons is published quarterly by the Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD). The views expressed in this newsletter by individual contributors are not necessarily the views of the OSD. The OSD welcomes material submitted for publication which may be of interest to its readers such as brief articles, essays, or poetry. We reserve the right to edit the material as needed. Contact the OSD for deadline information.
UCLA Office for Students with Disabilities
A-255 Murphy Hall
Box 951426
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1426
(310) 825-1501
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