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Disability Services
What should I know when applying to _______ A&M University? Are there any special procedures? What should I do if I suspect I have a disability and want to receive accommodations? I received accommodations in high school or I had an Individualized Educational Plan (IEP). Can I use the IEP as documentation? I received special education (IDEA) or 504 services in high school, how are these services different in college? If I am a student with a disability, will Disability Services seek me out to provide services like my counselors did in high school? What role do my parents play in the process? I have a physical disability and have trouble getting around. What types of accommodations are geared just for me? I suspect I have a learning disability, can Disability Services conduct the assessment to provide a diagnosis? I'm a Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services (DARS) client. Is there anything special I should know? I'm a DARS Division for Blind Services (DBS) client (formerly called " _______ Commission for the Blind"). Is there anything special I should know? What should I know when applying to _______ A&M University? Are there any special procedures? Students with disabilities must apply to TAMU through the regular admissions procedure. There are no special admissions procedures. A student may, however, apply to Educational Testing Services for provision of accommodations when taking standardized tests such as the SAT. Contact Educational Testing Services for further information. What should I do if I suspect I have a disability and want to receive accommodations? If you suspect you have a disability that is impacting your academic performance, you will need to provide documentation of that disability to Disability Services (DS). This documentation must be supplied by a qualified professional who is licensed or certified to diagnose the disability in question. An appointment should be scheduled with an accommodations counselor (AC) in the Department of Disability Services to review the documentation and the need for services. I received accommodations in high school or I had an Individualized Educational Plan (IEP). Can I use the IEP as documentation? The IEP is a valuable resource of information, but it cannot be used as documentation of the disability. I received special education (IDEA) or 504 services in high school, how are these services different in college? Colleges are required to provide any reasonable accommodation that may be necessary for equal access to education. They are not required to design special programs for students with disabilities or have Individualized Educational Plans (IEP’s). If I am a student with a disability, will Disability Services seek me out to provide services like my counselors did in high school? In college, students with disabilities are covered under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and under the Americans with Disabilities Act. IDEA no longer applies. Since this is the case, the legal obligations change. There is no special education in college. Under IDEA, it is the responsibility of the schools to provide services and seek out students with disabilities. Colleges do not have to seek out students with disabilities. It is the student's responsibility to seek out services through Disability Services. What role do my parents play in the process? Students who are 18 years old or older are legally recognized as adults. In this case, the student is responsible for their own accommodation requests and disability-related decisions. However, students are encouraged to have an open dialog with their parents. Parents can be a wonderful source of support. I have a physical disability and have trouble getting around. What types of accommodations are geared just for me? Students with physical disabilities are encouraged to register with Disability Services every semester so that their accommodations counselor can help them with access to buildings and other university activities. Disability Services maintains a current listing of all building accessibility information which you can access using the Campus Accessibility Guide. Due to the large size of the campus, paratransit services are available as needed. I suspect I have a learning disability, can Disability Services conduct the assessment to provide a diagnosis? Colleges are not required to conduct or provide testing. The student is responsible for providing current documentation, and any additional testing, if necessary. However, we do provide referral information. I'm a Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services (DARS) client. Is there anything special I should know? If you have a DARS counselor in your home town, you are encouraged to stay in contact with your home counselor. The Bryan/College Station DARS office no longer provides local counselors for existing DARS clients. If you do not have a home town DARS counselor or have other questions regarding DARS, you may contact the Bryan/College Station DARS office at 979-693-8804. I'm a DARS Division for Blind Services (DBS) client (formerly called "Texas Commission for the Blind"). Is there anything special I should know? If you have a DARS counselor in your home town, you are encouraged to have your home counselor contact Disability Services to provide information about your accessibility needs. If you don't have a home town DARS counselor, contact DARS in Bryan/College Station. The telephone number to the Bryan/College Station DARS office is 979-693-8804. Students who are legally blind (20/200 corrected in better eye or field of view no larger than 15 degrees) can receive a waiver which will cover virtually all educational expenses at a Texas state educational institution. Students who are not legally blind but have 20/70 corrected or better vision or field of view no larger than 30 degrees may also receive financial support and services. Interpreter Services Do you have interpreters? When do you provide interpreters? Can I request interpreting services for non-academic programs or events? Do you have interpreters? We have interpreters on staff and can contract with additional interpreters as needed. We employ certified interpreters who are able to offer sign language interpreting in ASL, PSE, and ENGLISH; we also offer ORAL interpreting. When do you provide interpreters? Interpreters are provided, to qualified students registered with the Disability Services office, for classroom interpreting and other interpreting assignments related to their course work at no additional cost to the student and/or department. An Interpreter Request Form (available on the forms page) is available to request additional interpreter services for academic course requirements outside of the regularly scheduled class time. Can I request interpreting services for non-academic programs or events? Requests for interpreting services for non-academic programs or events should be directed to and handled by the sponsoring entity. The Disability Services office can provide a list of interpreters available in the area to the sponsoring entity. The payment for interpreter services is the responsibility of the sponsoring entity. Testing Services What do I need to know if I would like to use the Disability Services testing center? What do I need to know if I would like to use the DS testing center? Please refer to the Student Testing Rules for complete information regarding the Disability Services testing center. Adaptive Technology Services (ATS) What is Adaptive Technology Services? Is ATS the same as Disability Services? How do I know if I need adaptive services? Who can use the Adaptive Technology Services computer lab? What are ATS extended services? How do I use ATS extended services? Does Adaptive Technology Services offer computer training? What is Adaptive Technology Services? Adaptive Technology is the use of technology to provide equal access to information. The ATS lab is is a computer laboratory (a.k.a. Open Access Lab) just like any other on campus. ATS offers adaptive support services for students with disabilities such as audio books, textbook scanning, adaptive software/hardware, and many others. Is Adaptive Technology Services (ATS) the same as Disability Services? ATS operates in the same functional office and is administrated by Disability Services, but is named ATS mainly to be more descriptive of services. Since ATS is physically located in a separate location, having two Disability Services offices might be confusing. How do I know if I need adaptive services? If you think you may benefit from a technology accommodation, ask your accommodations counselor for a referral to ATS or stop by Cain Hall. If you don't know who your counselor is, contact Disability Services. A full-time professional staff member can advise you on technologies that may work for you. Even better, if you qualify for disability services, the equipment and software you need may be loaned or made available to you at no charge. Who can use the Adaptive Technology Services computer lab? Although ATS exists primarily to serve students with disabilities at Texas A&M, any current registered student may use lab resources. In fact, many students (disabled and non-disabled) have found that ATS lab not only boasts excellent accessibility to campus resources, but also offers an outstanding study environment. What are ATS extended services? Although any registered student may use the lab workstations and printers, only students who are currently registered with Disability Services may use ATS extended services which include audio books, textbook scanning, specialty adaptive hardware and software checkout, accommodation consultation, and adaptive equipment training. How do I use ATS extended services? In order to take advantage of extended services such as audio books, scanning, etc., you need to register with the main Disability Services office located in Cain Hall, Suite B118 EVERY SEMESTER you wish to use services. From there, you will be given an appointment with an accommodations counselor. During you interview with the counselor, you may be referred to ATS for further advising and/or accommodation. Does Adaptive Technology Services offer computer training? ATS supports and provides training for adaptive hardware and software used to accommodate disabilities. The ATS staff can answer general questions regarding your computer and the software you use. Would you like to join my team? What do you need to do? Please send an initial brief introduction about yourself. Can I get your photograph? After that, use regular e-mail, phone, and postal mail. What language would I like to use in e-mail, phone, and postal mail? English. In case you would like to use any other language, please inform me. A translator may be requested. The translator has to be arranged. Do you have difficulties in communicating with others? Does any family member suffer from deafness? How much difficulties do you have in seeing a person across the road? |