CLASS Program - Mission of CLASS
* Individual contact is available at the freshman level to provide instruction and modeling of advocacy skills and accessing of services
* By the time students are juniors and seniors, our one-on-one time has lessened, as they have gained the skills needed to be their own best advocate.
* Achieving independence over time is the goal.
Two-tiered Model of Service:
* Accommodations provided by law
* All accommodations are provided by our Accommodations Specialist
* Accommodations are in place to remove the academic barriers that exist due to the manifestations of the disability
* Accommodations are not meant to guarantee success for the student, they are to ensure fair and equal access
* Individual meetings with a Disability Specialist are an additional service beyond legal mandates
Accommodations
* Exams: extended time, reader, writer, computer, limited-distraction environment
* Classroom: note-takers, tape-recording lecture
* Individual: alternative format materials (i.e. recorded or scanned textbooks)
* Authorized accommodations are based on the unique manifestations of the documented disability and the functional limitations resulting from the disability; therefore, not every student will receive the same accommodations.
Role of the Accommodations Specialist:
* Supervises the Groves Lab and the assistive technology
* Schedules and provides assistive technology trainings
* Communicates with faculty regarding testing
* Assists students in the procurement of personal technology
* Facilitates and coordinates the provision of accommodations
Meeting with a Specialist
Accommodations:
* Clarify the student’s documentation as a first-step to explaining authorized accommodations
* Get feedback from each student on an ongoing basis regarding the effectiveness and appropriateness of their accommodations
Advising:
* Assist student in selecting classes for the next term and in preparing to meet with their faculty advisors
* Help students negotiate their way through red tape: petitions, incompletes
Coursework:
* Clarify what the assignment is asking for or refer the student to the professor for further clarification
* Help the student figure out what steps to follow and what resources to use to get an assignment done
* Help students determine why an assignment might not be going well
Communication with Professors:
* Help student decide what the professor needs to know
* Help the student plan how to approach the professor and communicate information
* Help the student figure out how to contact hard-to-reach faculty
* Engage in direct advocacy with professors only if invited to do so by the student and if such an action is compatible with the student’s independence
General Academic Monitoring:
* Discuss how each of the student’s classes is going
* Help the student identify and articulate what is working well and what is interfering with success
* Refer the student to academic resources such as the tutoring program and supplemental instruction
Study Skills and Organization:
* Provide modeling of study strategies such as creation of mnemonic devices, reading comprehension techniques, etc.
* Help student design a time management program that will fit his/her cognitive style and lifestyle
* Model how to set up and use planners and "master notebooks" to organize course material. For example, using a 3-ring binder with tabs for the syllabus, lecture notes, completed texts, lab reports, vocabulary lists, etc.
