Fall 2008 UCLA

NEW HORIZONS

UCLA Office for Students with Disabilities

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

1. A Word from the Director: Kathy's Korner by Kathy Molini
2. Disability Awareness Activities
3. Alternative Formats Available
4. Have You Moved?
5. Schedule to Request Proctor Test-Taking Accommodation, OSD Resource Room
6. 2007-2008 Annual Report
7. Construction Update
8. Linda's Library
9. Veteran Welcome
10. OSD Services
11. Want to Connect with Other Young Artists
12. ADA/504 Compliance Office
13. UCLA Committee on Disability
14. Disabled Student Union
15. Educational Testing Services
16. Contacting OSD

A WORD FROM THE DIRECTOR

Kathy's Korner

Welcome to all new and returning students. It is hard to believe that summer is over and we are starting academic year 2008-09. I hope you enjoyed your summer. 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 having a very successful quarter.

Please Make an Appointment
We urge you to make an appointment with an OSD staff member to arrange for the services that you will be using this quarter. Remember, the early bird gets the worm. Students tell me over and over again that this makes all the difference in having a successful quarter.

Your Feedback
Each Spring quarter, we send you a Student Evaluation of Services for the academic year. We really appreciate you taking the time to complete it and return it to us, as we are able to get an idea of how the year went for you and perhaps make some adjustments on how we do things. However, we have noticed that some of you wait until you are filling out the evaluation to tell us about a problem you have had. The unfortunate thing is that we are unable to help you if you wait until the end of the year. So, I would urge you to tell us as soon as possible if you are having a problem. This way, we can do our best to address it. We are here to assist you. Be sure to drop by to let us know how things are going.

I hope you enjoy reading this issue of New Horizons. Please let us know if you would like to contribute an article or if you would like us to cover a particular topic by contacting Deb Owen at dowen@saonet.ucla.edu. Come by the OSD to say hello and to let us know how things are going. We are here to assist you. Have a great quarter!

Keep an eye on our website at www.osd.ucla.edu for upcoming Disability Awareness Activities scheduled for the week of October 27th November 1st, 2008.

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.

Returning Students
HAVE YOU MOVED?

Please remember to let the OSD know each time you change your address in order to continue to receive 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.

SCHEDULE TO REQUEST PROCTOR TEST-TAKING ACCOMMODATIONS, OSD RESOURCE ROOM

For students needing exam accommodations, the Student Request for Exam Assistance must be completed and signed during the first two weeks of the quarter. Come to the OSD Resource Room, 181 Powell, between the hours of 8:30 am and 4:00 pm to request exam accommodations. An appointment is not required until after October 10th, the last day of week two. Please do not delay in making your request because you need more information or don't know the exam dates. There will be a computer available should you need additional information about your classes.

The OSD Resource Room is located in 181 Powell on the 1st floor. To enter, you may go up the steps across from Kinsey or enter on the ground floor and use the elevator. There are two ground floor entrances: there is one accessible by ramp on the east side of the Library that has an automatic door and is nearest the elevator going up to the 1st floor. The other entrance is behind Powell and across from Moore. You can take the stairs up to the 1st floor or enter by way of the door located on the southwest corner of the building and go down the hall to the elevator.

OSD Resource Room Information

Powell 181
Phone: (310) 825-2651
FAX (310) 267-2008

Resource Room Staff:
Linda Stolt, Assistant Director/Proctor Coordinator
Tony Buffo, Alternative Format/Asst. Proctor Coordinator
A.J. Mason, Resource Room Assistant

The 2007-08 Annual Report will soon be available at OSD and on our web page.

www.osd.ucla.edu

CONSTRUCTION UPDATE

The Ronald Reagan/UCLA Medical Center is now open for business. Likewise, C. E. Young Drive is now re-open from Westwood Plaza, west to Gayley Avenue, where a traffic light and crosswalk have been installed.

Construction continues on the replacement UC Police Department at the corner of Westwood Plaza and C. E. Young Drive. There is no sidewalk for pedestrians on the west side of Westwood Plaza from just north of the Ronald Reagan UCLA Hospital and the Strathmore Building.

Rieber Residence Hall is closed for upgrades and repairs. This project is scheduled to be completed in about 18 months. There is very little, if any, impact, to access to Rieber Vista or Rieber Terrace.

A new major construction site is that of the Life Sciences Replacement Building near Manning Drive and C. E.Young Drive what once was Hershey Hall. The sidewalk on the east side of C. E Young Drive from Manning Drive to the Botany Building is closed.

A traffic light is being installed on C. E. Young Drive at the crosswalk between the School of Public Health and Parking Structure 9.

Check out the Capital Programs frequently-updated web site for construction impacts: www.capital.ucla.edu click on Construction Impacts under Projects.

If you have any questions about specific construction projects or access to any building or area on campus, please call the OSD at (310) 825-1501 for detailed information.

Linda's Library

My Mother used to call me a Bookworm. After she got to know me. But, first she named me Linda Stolt. I am the Assistant Director/Proctor Services Coordinator in OSD's Resource Room located in 181 Powell. I am a bookworm. My collection of books might out do a small town library. I love to read. It's a good thing, since I acquired my disability as a result of contracting the polio virus when I was one year old. We didn't have television to start with, so, I began my book collection when I was about four years old. Dick and Jane included.

Once I started reading books with the stories told by just the printed word, no pictures, I was introduced to a book about Helen Keller. She was the second famous person I knew about who had a disability. Franklyn Delano Roosevelt would be the first. I knew about him because he had polio too and the rehabilitation hospital I was sent to by the March of Dimes was the hospital funded by them in Warm Springs, Georgia. FDR built the place before he became President. But the only people who seemed to know that were at Warm Springs. So, growing up in the fifties I didn't read about other people who wore leg braces like I wore or spent summers in a body cast the Warm Springs doctors put me in for six weeks at a time or the downhill wheelchair races we had when the nurses weren't looking. Also, growing up back then, I don't think I ever heard the words disabled or handicapped. I did hear the word cripple but at Warm Springs it was treated like a dirty word and we weren't allowed to use it.

My favorite books were about traveling to the moon in a starship or time travel to Pompeii. Finally, I started adding books about disability or books by authors who have a disability to my library. Note the dates published. Most of them I keep here at the Resource Room. . Here is a list with some of the books that I have found informative, meaningful and with Shreve's book Warm Springs nostalgic and hilarious. I first became a long term inpatient/outpatient of Warm Springs 4 years after the author left, but unlike her I didn't get kicked out for wheelchair racing. But, I didn't get caught either.

If you have read or know of a book that is about the subject of disability, about someone who has a disability, or by an author who has a disability but his or her topic is not related and you would like to share the bibliography, please give me a call at (310) 267-2006.

Save the Date!

Please help us welcome our new and returning students who are veterans back to UCLA. Join them as they learn about services that can help them make a successful transition from military to Bruin life.

When: Tuesday, October 14th From 5:00 7:00

Where: The Center for Women and Men, B44 Student Activities Center Light Refreshments will be served.

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. 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.

Want to Connect with Other Young Artists?

Join our network of artists with disabilities! Since 1994 the National Arts and Disability Center (NADC) has been providing FREE services to advance the careers of artists with disabilities. We would like to speak with you about your career goals as an emerging artist. Call or email us today to find out how to:

• Connect you with other young artists with disabilities
• Connect you with other artists
• Find information about events and activities
• Learn about possible careers in the arts
• Locate the resources you need
• Join our Facebook Group: Rising Artists with Disabilities (RAD)

Contact us:
Maddy Kudritzki
Art and Disability Network
(310) 825-3715
mkudritzki@mednet.ucla.edu
http://nadc.ucla.edu

ADA/ 504 Compliance Office

1. 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;
2. Offers guidance and evaluates efforts to provide access to campus facilities and programs;
3. Develops procedures to identify and correct access deficiencies;
4. Disseminates information regarding compliance-related issues and recommends appropriate remedial actions;
5. Coordinates the implementation of the ADA Transition Plan; and
6. 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.

UCLA Committee on Disability

The UCOD, formerly the Chancellor's Advisory Committee on Disability (CACD), was established in 1982 as an advisory group by the Chancellor to create and maintain a more accessible campus environment. The COD 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 & December) 2-4 pm Faculty Center

The committee is currently seeking Faculty, Staff, Alumni, Graduate and Undergraduate voting members. Please contact the UCOD if you are interested.

Contact: Sylvia Hyde-Moguel, Assistant to the Committee
2131 Murphy Hall
Phone: (310) 206-2400
Fax: (310) 267-1873
E-mail: smoguel@saonet.ucla.edu

Disabled Student Union

This student organization offers peer support and plans programs and events aimed at raising the Campus awareness about disability-related issues.

Contact them at: www.studentgroups.ucla.edu/dsunion

ETS
Listening, Learning, Leading.

Many of you will be taking the GRE, GMAT, PRAXIS, TOEFL, or some other high-stakes examination this year. To help you prepare more effectively, the Office of Disability Policy at Educational Testing Services (ETS) has developed a new brochure, Tips for Test Takers with Disabilities. This brochure can be found on the ETS Office of Disability Policy website at:

www.ets.org/disability

Contacting OSD

Halle Aten
Learning Disabilities Specialist
haten@saonet.ucla.edu
(310) 206-9160

George Auletta
Programmer Analyst
gauletta@saonet.ucla.edu
(310) 794-5723

Chana Bell
Learning Disabilities Specialist
Invalid email address
(310) 825-1501

Tony Buffo
Alternative Format/ Assistant Proctor Coordinator
tbuffo@saonet.ucla.edu
(310) 825-2651

Dan Levitt
Assistant Director/ Coordinator of the Program for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students
Invalid email address
(310) 825-1501

Christian Limon
Administrative Assistant III
climon@saonet.ucla.edu
(310) 794-5725

Maria Martin
Payroll/Personnel Administrator
memartin@saonet.ucla.edu
(310) 794-5731

A.J. Mason
Resource Room Assistant
amason@saonet.ucla.edu
(310) 825-2860

Ed McCloskey
Assistant Director - Services and Relations
emcclosk@saonet.ucla.edu
(310) 267-2004

Kathy Molini
Director
Invalid email address
(310) 825-1501

Julie Morris
Coordinator, Learning Disabilities Program
jmorris@saonet.ucla.edu
(310) 794-5732

Deb Owen
Budget Analyst/Supervisor of Technology, Planning & Training
dowen@saonet.ucla.edu
(310) 794-5728

Linda Stolt
Assistant Director/Proctor Services Coordinator
lstolt@saonet.ucla.edu
(310) 267-2006

OSD (310) 825-1501
Powell Resource Room (310) 825-2651
FAX (310) 825-9656
TDD (310) 206-6083
Van Line (310) 825-2263
Web page www.osd.ucla.edu

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.

(310) 825-1501
A-255 Murphy Hall, Box 951426,
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1426