The Counseling & Accessibility Services Office (CAS) provides a variety of academic support services, auxiliary aids, and accommodations for students with disabilities. Auxiliary aids include readers, note takers, scribes and interpreters. In addition, CAS provides an adaptive computer lab, with adaptive software and hardware. In order to receive services, students must voluntarily self‐ identify with CAS, provide written verification of disability from a qualified medical doctor licensed to make a disability diagnosis and meet with a CAS Advisor to discuss appropriate and reasonable accommodations. Please note that Daytona State College does not test for, or diagnosis, any type of disabilities (including learning disabilities). CAS services may include the following accommodations:
Students are not required to self‐identify with CAS or College staff if they do not request academic support services or accommodations based on a disability. The right to decide whether and when to request accommodations is strictly up to the student. Disability information is confidential and is not subject to the FERPA or the Buckley Amendment, because the federal and state governments consider medical information not open to the general public and not subject to free access. Daytona State College will not release information such as the services or accommodations provided to students with disabilities unless written authorization is obtained from the student in compliance with federal and state privacy laws. For more information, you may check out the Counseling & Accessibility Services website.
Please note that the CAS Office does not provide personal services, such as transportation to and from campus, personal items, personal devices, and/or personal care attendants. The CAS Office is authorized to provide academic support and not social work services. The CAS Office staff may provide information about other available resources within the community.
Guidelines for emergency evacuation exist with the Daytona State College Campus Safety office. Faculty are encouraged to assist students with disabilities during emergency situations. However, it is advisable for those students with disabilities to be aware of the college’s emergency procedures and to be aware of emergency evacuation routes. To review the procedures, visit the Campus Safety Emergency Response website.
The CAS computer lab offers students an opportunity to use adaptive equipment or computer technology to complete exams or assignments. Additionally, some equipment is also located in the Academic Support Center, Library, and other computer labs throughout the college at all campus locations. The following equipment is available:
Legal Reference: Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990, as it relates to Higher Education.
According to Section 504 and the ADA, a person with a disability is anyone with a physical or mental impairment, or who has a documented history of such impairment. The disability must substantially impair one or more of a person’s major life activities; for example, caring for one's self, performing manual tasks, walking, seeing, hearing, speaking, breathing, learning, and working.
The term "physical or mental impairment" includes, but is not limited to, speech, hearing, visual and mobility impairments, cerebral palsy, epilepsy, muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis, cancer, diabetes, heart disease, AIDS, intellectual disability, psychological and psychiatric disabilities, learning disabilities and Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD/HD). Temporary conditions and impairments are not covered under Section 504 or ADA.
Some individuals may present documentation of a disability or a history of a disability and therefore are entitled to protection from discrimination, yet they may not have any current substantial limitation that requires academic accommodation. For this reason, Counseling & Accessibility Services will not provide accommodations to all students with a disabling condition or impairment.
Yes. Postsecondary institutions that receive federal funds already comply with a similar non‐discrimination law: Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. The ADA upholds and extends the standards for compliance set forth in Section 504. Colleges are primarily concerned with Title I and Title II. The ADA extended coverage to the employers, public/private institutions and service providers who were not covered under Section 504, because they did not receive Federal revenue sharing or federal financial assistance funds.
According to Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, as it relates to higher education, reasonable accommodations are guaranteed for “otherwise qualified” students with documented disabilities that have a substantial limitation to a major life function. The purpose of accommodations is to provide equal access to educational opportunities. Daytona State College does not guarantee equal results or success. To be “otherwise qualified”, students must be able to meet the academic and technical standards of the institution, either with, or without an accommodation.
Examples of reasonable accommodations for college students are readers, test accommodations, use of adaptive technology, note takers, tape recorded lectures, copies of class notes or PowerPoint presentations, sign language interpreters, scribes, extended testing times, use of adaptive equipment, and reduced distraction testing rooms.
The CAS Advisors will also request that Faculty respond to confidential progress reports and meeting requests to help monitor students’ academic progress and offer appropriate intervention if necessary.
Unless another option is authorized by the instructor, students must take the exam the same day and time that it is administered to the class. The CAS Office on the Daytona Campus has reduced distraction testing rooms available to students by appointment on a first come first serve basis. Students who need to use adaptive equipment or need extended time for exams must make testing arrangements with their instructors prior to scheduling the testing rooms.
Students who are deaf or hard of hearing may have language‐based deficiencies, such as poor vocabulary and spelling, poor syntax, and difficulty understanding abstract concepts. Some students may wear a hearing aid or assistive listening devices. Hearing aids amply all sounds; therefore, those with hearing aids may not hear sounds the same way that others do. Students who use hearing aids also usually rely on lip‐reading, although even highly skilled lip‐readers can at best only comprehend approximately 50% of what is said.
Deaf students may be authorized by the CAS Office to use a Sign Language Interpreter. Interpreters are employed by the CAS Office and are assigned to students to attend classes. The Interpreter should be located in the front of the class near the student and the Instructor so the deaf student can watch both the Instructor and Interpreter. Interpreters who are certified follow a strict Code of Ethics that is established by the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf. Interpreters transliterate everything that is being said and are there to facilitate communication. Instructors should speak directly to the student, not to the Interpreter.
Some students who are deaf or hearing‐impaired can speak, and others rely on sign language only as the primary method of communication. Writing notes is an acceptable means of communication with a deaf student if an Interpreter is not present.
Classroom Accommodation Suggestions for Deaf Students:
A Learning Disability is a disorder that affects the manner in which students who take in, express, retain, understand, or use concepts. It is a disorder of the central nervous system. Learning disabilities are often inconsistent. It may cause difficulty one day, but not the next. Students may have difficulty in elementary school, and yet excel in high school, and then have difficulty again in college. Students may only have difficulty in one area, such as language or math. Some students are only first identified as having a learning disability during college or postgraduate work.
A learning disorder may manifest in one or more of the following areas:
A Learning Disability is NOT:
Classroom Accommodation Suggestions for Students with Learning Disabilities:
Students may have a variety of conditions that impair their physical mobility. These disabilities could be the result of an accident, illness, injury, or congenital in nature. They may include conditions such as spinal cord injury, Spina Bifida, muscular dystrophy, amputation, cystic fibrosis, cardiac conditions, cerebral palsy, later stages of AIDS, stroke, polio or post‐polio syndrome, and traumatic brain (head) injury. Some students may need early access to the classroom and others may need allowance for front row seating, special chairs, or adjustable desks.
Classroom Accommodation Suggestions for Students with Mobility Disabilities:
If you encounter a student with mobility impairment, simply privately offer your assistance but do not insist.
If you encounter a student with a prosthetic arm, leg, or hand, and you wish to give them something, offer it in a normal fashion and ask if you can be of assistance.
Mental illness is a widespread and debilitating disorder that affects more than 41 million people in the United States, according to the American Council on Education. Mental illness is an “invisible disease,” in which the patients themselves may be blamed for their illness and therefore ostracized from the mainstream of life. Many people can recover, and with medication, live fully functioning lives.
The term, “psychological disabilities” covers a range of conditions and may include mood disorders, such as depression, dysthymia, major depression, bipolar disorders, and ADHD. Anxiety disorders include panic disorders, generalized anxiety disorder, obsessive‐compulsive disorder and post‐traumatic stress disorder. Schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorders are types of psychotic disorders.
The greatest problem may be the stigma or misconceptions about the disorder. However, most students with a psychological disorder are not disruptive. Because of the student’s perceived vulnerability, staff or faculty may have difficulty asking the student to set limits of acceptable behavior. While students are entitled to academic accommodations and support, this does not release them from the responsibility of having to meet college standards and policies for acceptable behavior.
If you experience classroom behavioral problems that are a concern when teaching or interacting with students, then consider the following questions:
You may refer students to a Counseling & Accessibility Advisor if you have concerns about their psychological well‐being. You may also refer students to the Campus Safety Office if you perceive them to be a threat to yourself or others.
Classroom Accommodation Suggestions for Students with Psychological Disabilities:
There are many types of visual impairments that individuals may have. A person is considered legally blind if their vision cannot be corrected to better than 20/200, or when vision is limited to a narrow field of less than 20 degrees. To have a visual impairment, one must have vision in one eye that cannot be corrected to better than 20/70, or have a progressive loss of vision, or not have any peripheral vision.
The student may appear to get around well without assistance, yet that does not mean they do not need classroom accommodations. It is estimated that approximately 80% of legally blind individuals may have some useful vision or light perception. Only a small percentage of blind students read Braille, as some individuals lost their vision at later ages, or due to diabetes leading to poor circulation has reduced sensation in the fingertips. Braille books are often difficult to find, create storage problems and are not very convenient for some students. Most students rely on taped books or e‐text books.
Classroom Accommodation Suggestions for Students with Visual Disabilities:
No. From a legal standpoint, you are only required to know the appropriate accommodations arranged with the CAS Office. Students may volunteer to inform you of their disability but to inquire is inappropriate. The confidential accommodation letter will outline the services that the student is eligible to receive. For example, you should know that a student may need special classroom arrangements and/or is allowed to use adaptive technology. Faculty is not privileged to know, without the student’s written consent, how the student became disabled and the exact diagnosis. Please do not ask students to share information about their disability.
Yes. There may be situations when you disagree or have questions or concerns about the appropriateness of an accommodation that is requested. Please contact the CAS Office and discuss the accommodation with the CAS Advisor. Faculty members may not ban tape recorders, interpreters, or auxiliary aids as accommodations for students with documented disabilities. Faculty may not grade a student’s assignments or exams differently as a result of an accommodation. If there is a specific problem with a note taker, reader, scribe, interpreter, or testing arrangement, please contact the CAS office for assistance.
No. Faculty are not required to provide certain accommodations to students who do not present a confidential letter from the CAS Office. It is not appropriate for faculty to list a statement on their course syllabus inviting students with disabilities to self‐identify and to make arrangements to meet with them confidentially during their designated office hours to discuss their disability. If a student is having difficulty in class and has not self‐identified a disability, then it is helpful to inform them of the college resources, such as the Academic Support Center, Writing Center and/or Counseling & Accessibility Services, etc. Faculty may suggest but may not require students to seek support services, nor can faculty ask students if they have a disability.
Yes. Extended time means that a student is allowed additional time to complete an exam or assignment without being academically penalized or having points deducted. The student should request this accommodation in advance with the CAS Advisor, and faculty should discuss and agree on the amount of reasonable time needed to complete the exam or assignment. Instructors should consider that the extra time being requested is not an excuse, but is to minimize the impact of the disability. Instructors may call the CAS Advisor for assistance.
Students with disabilities are not “different” from any other student; they are just people who happen to have a disability.
| Appropriate to Say | Not Appropriate to Say |
|---|---|
| Person with a disability | Handicapped or Retardation |
| Person who is deaf or hard of hearing | Deaf Mute or Dumb |
| Person who has a learning disability | Abnormal or Uneducated |
| Person who uses a wheelchair | Confined or wheelchair bound |
| Person who has a mobility disability | Lame or crippled |