UC Blue Ash College

Faculty & Staff Accessibility Resources

Working together, we can put students first and ensure they all have the best opportunity for success. Our office provides accommodations to UC students. If you are a faculty member seeking accommodations for yourself, please contact the Office of Equal Opportunity.

Feel free to browse our site to learn what is expected of students registered with our office, to find out about what accommodations you might see in your classroom, or to learn more about our office and staff. If you have any specific questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at 513-558-9414. We look forward to working with you.

Accommodated Testing

Students inform their instructor and Accessibility Resources of their plan to take their accommodated test in the Accessibility Resources Testing Area three days in advance and for finals seven days in advance.

Instructors send the test to the Accessibility Resources office ahead of the student's scheduled time. On the day of the test, students will arrive at the Accessbility Resources office and take their test. The staff will return the completed test to the instructor.

Interactive Accommodation Process

In response to a student request for a novel and/or uncommon accommodation, a conversation is initiated between faculty and the Director of Accessibility Resources to discuss and determine if the requested accommodation can be provided given course and program requirements.

Definitions

  • What qualifies as a disability? A physical or mental difference that substantially limits major life activity such as standing, walking, sitting, bending, lifting, learning, processing, depression, anxiety and/or having a record of or being regarded as having such a condition.
  • What are essential functions? The standard physical and written task/skills required to complete all components of the course and program with or without accommodations. This information should be shared with students and documented as such at the onset and throughout their course of study

Steps of the Interactive Process

  1. Student requests novel or modified accommodations from a faculty member or Accessibility Resources (AR).
  2. Whoever receives the request, between the Director of AR or the faculty member, reaches out to the other to explore possible accommodation and/or alternative options considering the essential functions/requirements of the course and program.
  3. The Director of AR and the Faculty member determine and document accommodations and/or decline the request based on essential functions/requirements of course/program.
  4. The Director of AR communicates accommodations with the student and copies faculty.

Electronic Accessibility

At UC, we are committed to ensuring that all students, faculty and staff have equal access to all that the University has to offer as well as to, encourage the exploration and understanding of each other's differences and similarities.

We understand that time is limited and want to provide ample opportunities for all to attend our training and workshops - to help facilitate the further growth of our campus we have make available several online training modules that can be accessed as your schedule permits- 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

We hope you will take the time to expand your knowledge and awareness of people with disabilities and help UC become a more welcoming and inclusive environment for people with disabilities.

The National Center on Disability and Access to Education provides helpful resources for creating accessible content.

Adobe Acrobat

When you scan paper documents to PDF form, you're really just taking pictures of those documents. That's great for photos and other printed images, but what if you've got a 200-page document in which you need to find a particular word or phrase? Use Acrobat to recognize the text in that scanned file, making the text searchable and usable.

For instructions on how to use Acrobat to make your documents accessible, head over the the UC Knowledge Base for a step-by-step rundown.

Microsoft Office

For instructions on how to use MIcrosoft Office programs to make your documents accessible, head over the the UC Knowledge Base for a step-by-step rundown.

YouTube

For instructions on how to use Youtube to caption your videos, head over the the UC Knowledge Base for a step-by-step rundown.

Universal Design for Learning & Accessibility

UC's Center for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning offers a full guide to the concepts of Universal Design.

Special Needs Policy

Instructors have asked for information they can include on their syllabus to alert students to our services. Use the following statements to provide clarity about our servcies.

Accessibility Resources

If you have a disability (e.g., visual impairment, hearing impairment, physical impairment, communication disorder, and/or specific learning disability, etc.) which may influence your performance in this course, you must meet with the Accessibility Resources Office to arrange for reasonable accommodations to ensure an equitable opportunity to meet all the requirements of this course. If you require accommodations due to disability, please contact Accessibility Resources at 513-558-9414.

Campus Location

UC, Blue Ash 9555 Plainfield Rd., Muntz Hall, Room 112L. You will be provided an Accommodation Form indicating your accommodation needs for the quarter. Please present this form to the Accessibility Resources office as soon as possible to ensure your accommodation needs are discussed, agreed upon, and provided.

Faculty Frequently Asked Questions

It's the law. The Rehabilitation Act (Section 504) of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 require that "reasonable" accommodations be provided in higher education.

Students with documented disabilities or medical conditions. With proper documentation, the following students may be eligible to receive services:

  • Students who qualified for Accessibility Resources in high school.
  • Students who have psychological, educational, or medical reports indicating the need for Accessibility Resources.
  • It is the student's responsibility to "self-identify" and provide appropriate documentation to Accessibility Resources. The specific details about a student's disability are confidential between them and our office. They are not required to disclose details about their disability to their instructors.
  • Learning disabilities: LD, slow processing speed, dyslexia
  • Attention deficit disorder:ADD / ADHD
  • Psychological: depression, anxiety disorder, bipolar, PTSD, OCD, etc.
  • Medical / chronic illness: epilepsy, sickle cell, cancer, crohn's, migraines, diabetes, fibromyalgia, asthma, lupus, etc.
  • Autism spectrum / autism / asperger's
  • Physical: cerebral palsy, spina bifida, spinal cord injury, arthritis, carpal tunnel, etc.
  • Hearing: hearing impaired or deaf
  • Cognitive: brain injury, concussion
  • Visual: low vision or blind
  • Temporary: broken bone, recent surgery, pregnancy complications

Accommodations will be established based on the law, collegiate standards, professional judgment and as supported by disability documentation. Some of the possible accommodations are as follows:

  • extended testing time
  • reduced distraction testing location
  • classroom note taker
  • audio textbooks read via text-to-speech software
  • sign language interpreters (ASL)
  • CART writer (communication access real-time translation) aka captioning
  • FM listening system for students with hearing impairments
  • use of electronic device for note taking (tape recorder, computer, smart pen)
  • large print material / braille
  • test questions read aloud by staff or screen reader software
  • use of computer for typing essay exams
  • use of calculator if specific math disability is documented
  • scribe to fill in bubbles on scantron
  • special furniture in classroom (padded chair, accessible desk)
  • excused medical absences
  • extended assignment time
  • need for extra break time while in class
  • training on how to use voice recognition software
  • priority registration
  • Student provides disability documentation from a qualified health professional.
  • Student completes a detailed self-report form.
  • AR intake process includes a review of the disability documentation and self-report form followed by an interview with the student.
  • AR identifies appropriate accommodations based on the law, collegiate standards, professional judgment and as supported by disability documentation.
  • Accommodations are explained to the student and an accommodation form is prepared. All students receive the form as an email PDF file. They are directed to forward the email/PDF to instructor, obtain instructor signature on hard copy, and return signed copy to AR.
  • For online classes emailing the PDF between parties may be sufficient, however both parties may make hard copies if they desire.
  • The accommodation form provides some basic information about each accommodation listed that may be helpful.
  • When meeting with the student an instructor can ask questions about the logistical aspects of implementing an accommodation. Because a student's disability information is confidential (between the student and AR) the instructor should not ask questions about their specific disability. If a student freely discloses their disability information then it is okay to include that in the discussion.
  • If your questions are more appropriate for AR staff please don't hesitate to contact us. We are readily available by telephone, e-mail, drop-in visit or appointment.

Remember that students are people first, students second, and students with disabilities third.

  • Using "people-first" language, such as "student with a disability" instead of "disabled student," is generally recognized as the most appropriate terminology.
  • Respect the student's right to confidentiality of their disability status. Please don't initiate a conversation about the student's disability or their accommodations in front of classmates.
  • Include a statement regarding Accessibility Resources on your syllabus and blackboard page to create a welcoming environment, and to identify the official process for students when requesting accommodations.

UC Blue Ash College is committed to providing all students equal access to learning opportunities. Accessibility Resources is the official campus office that works with students who have disabilities (learning, ADD, psychological, visual, hearing, physical, cognitive, medical condition, etc.) to arrange for reasonable accommodations. Students are encouraged to contact Accessibility Resources for a confidential discussion about services and accommodations. Contact should be initiated as soon as possible to allow adequate time for services to be arranged. Visit our office in Muntz Hall, room 112L or give us a call at 513-558-9414.

Work cooperatively with AR to provide certain accommodations. This could entail making an announcement to recruit a note taker, sending class handouts to AR in advance so we can enlarge the font, wearing a microphone for an FM listening system device, etc.

If you have a student registered with our office who is struggling academically please notify AR. We'll follow up with the student to provide.

If you have a student in your class whom you believe is struggling due to disability issues our office recommends the following:

  • If the student mentioned they have a disability then please make them aware that AR may be a helpful resource for them.
  • If the student has not disclosed any disability issues you might ask them some exploratory questions such as:
    • I've noticed you have been absent a lot. Is everything okay? I've noticed you seem to know the material but do poorly on tests. Has this always been a problem for you? You seem to be struggling with general concepts in this class. When you took classes in high school did they do anything special to help you learn more effectively?
  • It would not be appropriate to directly ask the student, "Do you have a disability?" because some students might not want to disclose personal information or feel pressured to do so. Other students might not identify with the term "disability."
  • If the student does not reveal any disability issues, it might be appropriate to make a general referral to the learning center area by pointing out the school provides assistance with math tutoring, writing, reading and study skills.
  • Student makes appointment in AR and instructor at least 3 days in advance of test. Tests are to be scheduled at the same time as the class unless instructor sends written permission for the student to take it at an alternative time.
  • AR requests test from the instructor by sending an email request.
  • Instructor provides AR with test and testing instructions. Common delivery methods include hand delivery, email attachment, or fax.
  • AR student with extended time listed on their accommodation form.
  • After test is completed AR returns sealed envelope to instructor's mailbox. Alternate return methods can be arranged such as: hold for instructor pick up, have student carry sealed envelope back to class, scan, or fax.
  • Occasionally students will mistakenly make testing appointments with Clifton or Clermont. If you receive a test request email from Clifton or Clermont it is likely a mistake. Please forward the email to UC Blue Ash Accessibility Resources so we can review the situation.

Additional Faculty Resources

These informational resources will help you better understand and teach students with accessibility issues.

Resources

Contact Information

John Kraimer - Program Director

Muntz Hall | Room 112L
(Far right corner of computer concourse)
Hours: Mon-Fri 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Phone: 513-558-9414
Email: ucba.accessibilityresources@uc.edu