Services

In addition to accommodations, effective and efficient approaches to learning are key to the academic success of students with disabilities.

Pre-Planning activities

• Become familiar with Black Hills State University (website, preview day, catalog).
• Make initial contact with the Disability Services Liaison. Share general disability information and accommodation need area(s).
• Complete the BHSU application and admissions paperwork.
• Update and compile thorough documentation of your disability (case manager, counselor, agency representative, physician, psychologist, psychiatrist).
• Complete all necessary releases of information.
• Attend a scheduled New Student Registration day at BHSU. Meet with the Disability Services Liaison on that day.
• Schedule a planning meeting with the Disability Services Liaison prior to or during the first two weeks of the semester.
• Provide the Disability Services Liaison with thorough documentation of your disability. The documentation should include how your disability will affect you academically. It should also include professional recommendations for your accommodation(s).

Planning Meeting

• Review your documentation with the Disabilty Services Coordinator and determine appropriate accommodations.
• Determine supports needed in addition to accommodations.
• Complete referrals.
• Complete accommodation and academic planning paperwork.

Follow-up

• Present accommodation paperwork to your professors prior to or during the first two weeks of the semester.
• Follow through on referrals.
• Schedule follow-up appointments with the Disability Services Liaison at least once per month to discuss how well your accommodations are working.

Printable version 

Reasonable Accommodations

Accommodations are steps faculty, staff, and school administrators take to help remove, whenever reasonable, barriers to participation in the educational experience presented by an individual's disability. This list is not conclusive.  Determination and responsibility for provision (including financial) of a reasonable accommodation are considered on an individual basis through interactive collaboration between the student, Disability Services Coordinator, faculty, and administration when necessary.

Alternate Format

• Larger font
• Wider spacing
• Alternative answer/scoring sheets
• Colored exam paper
• Braille

Alternate Setting and/or Extended Time

• Typically applies to test taking
• Distraction reduced environment
• Setting and/or time arranged by student and instructor

Medical/Physical Needs Allowance

• Preferential seating
• Modified classroom furniture and/or equipment
• Faculty approved extension on deadlines
• Faculty approved attendance adjustment

Auxiliary Aids

• Interpreter
• Reader
• Scribe
• Note taker and/or instructor notes
• Electronic text or other materials

Assistive Technology

• Software (e.g. screen reader, speech to text, magnification)
• Tape recorder
• Calculator
• Spell-checking device  
• Personal Digital Assistant

Course Substitutions

• Course substitution policy for disability services students

Links to Disability-related Sites

• Acquired Brain Injury
  • Brainindex.com
    http://www.brainindex.com/
     
• Hearing Impairments
  • Communication Services for the Deaf
    http://www.c-s-d.org
     
• Learning Disabilities
  • National Center for Learning Disabilities
    http://www.ncld.org/
      
• Psychological Disorders
  • National Mental Health Association
    http://www.nmha.org/
     
• Speech/Language Impairments
  • American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
    http://www.asha.org/
     
• Vision Impairments
  • American Foundation for the Blind
    http://www.afb.org

• Services/Resources
  • Independent Living
    http://jobfactory.com/disabled.htm
     
  • Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic
    http://www.rfbd.org/
      
  • SD Advocacy
    http://www.sdadvocacy.com/
     
  • SD Division of Rehabilitation Services
    http://www.state.sd.us/dhs/drs/
     
  • AHEAD (Association on Higher Education and Disability)
    http://www.ahead.org/
     
  • OCR (Office for Civil Rights)
    http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/index.html
     
  • TRIO Programs
    http://www.trioprograms.org/abouttrio.html#glance
      
  • Rehabilitation Act Section 508
    http://www.section508.gov/
     
  • ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act)
    http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/ada/adahom1.htm

Faculty Guide

University Policy
It is the policy of Black Hills State University, in accordance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, to ensure that no qualified person shall, solely by reason of disability, be denied access to, participation in, or the benefits of any program or activity operated by Black Hills State University. Each person who has met the academic and technical standards for admission to or participation in university programs shall receive the accommodations needed to ensure equal access to educational opportunities, programs and activities. Reasonable accommodations are those that do not fundamentally alter the nature of the program, that can be provided without undue financial or administrative burden, and that can be provided without lowering academic and other essential performance standards.

Disability Services
At Black Hills State University, it is the student’s responsibility to identify and request accommodation in a reasonable and timely manner. The process outlined to establish and maintain accommodation involves pre-planning, planning, and follow-up steps. In addition, the request for accommodation must be supported  by appropriate and thorough documentation. Black Hills State University follows guidelines dictating provision of appropriate documentation of disability and the confidentiality of this information.

In addition to accommodation planning and follow-up, the Disability Services Office
provides students with the following direct services:

• Determination of individual learning styles, associated skills, and strategies.
• Guidance in development and effective use of self-advocacy skills.
• Training and access to assistive technology software in an accessible lab.
• Referrals to additional supports available at Black Hills State University.

Links to disability related sites provide faculty, administration, and staff with disability specific information. Questions for the Disability Services Coordinator can be addressed on the Disability Services website inquiry page, by calling 642-6099, or by stopping by the Disability Services Office in the Jacket Legacy Room.

Resources
A valuable resource for post-secondary institution faculty, administration, and staff is The Faculty Room website. The Faculty Room is a place to learn about how to create classroom environments and activities that maximize the learning of all students, including those with disabilities. The following areas and/or issues are frequently faced by postsecondary educators and are addressed on The Faculty Room website .

• Accommodation Strategies
• Rights and Responsibilities
• Faculty Resources
• Interactive Faculty Presentations
• DO-IT Prof Project
• Resources for Staff and Administrators

Another valuable resource for faculty, administration, and staff is the website for AHEAD (Association on Higher Education and Disability). AHEAD is an international, multicultural organization of professionals committed to full participation in higher education for persons with disabilities. The Association is a vital resource promoting excellence through education, communication and training. The following areas are addressed on the AHEAD website:

• Recent Court Decisions
• OCR Perspectives
• Publications
• Resources
• Student Scholarships
• Job Listings
• Training

Distance Learning

Black Hills State University is committed to providing assistance and accommodation(s) for qualified students with disabilities who are interested in distance learning.

Direct disability service questions related to distance learning to the Disability Services Coordinator by clicking Inquiry at the top.

If you are specifically interested in the Electronic University Consortium of South Dakota, go to the EUC website. You will find disability-related information by clicking on the site index at the bottom of the page.  Select the appropriate disability-related category.  

Procedures for Requesting a Course Substitution as a Reasonable Accommodation

1. Initiating a Request for Course Substitution:

   Prior to making a request, it is suggested that the student meet with the Disability Services Liaison to ensure they have the necessary documentation in place to qualify as a student with a disability, and to explore other reasonable accommodation options.

   • If no other effective and reasonable accommodations can be identified or agreed upon, the student should:
      
     1. Write a letter of request, which should include:
        • The request for a substitution
        • The course requiring accommodation and the course requested as the accommodation.
        • The rationale upon which the student believes the request should be approved.  This should include prior accommodations provided in the course (if any) and reasons why the student believes these were unsuccessful.
        • Appropriate disability or other documentation to support the request
           
     2. Submit the request letter to the Disability Services Liaison. Copies of the written request and attachments will be made and forwarded by the Disabilities Services Liaison to the student’s advisor, the Dean of the College, and the Vice President for Academic Affairs.
         
     3. Respond and attend any meetings or requests for documentation initiated by the Dean or Vice President for Academic Affairs regarding this matter.
   • The Disability Services Liaison will assist the student in assembling relevant and available documentation to support the request.
      
   The Disability Services Liaison can be reached:
   • in person at the Disability Services Office located in the Jacket Legacy Room
   • by phone at 605.642.6099
   • or via e-mail to Mike McNeil 

   Other campus personnel who may be helpful for the student to consult would be the staff at the Student Assistance Center, the Center for Academic Success, Student Support Services, the student’s academic advisor, or specific faculty members with whom the student feels comfortable. These consultations are not required, but listed here as possible resources for the student.
    

2. After submitting the written request:

   The appropriate faculty, the Dean of the College, and the Vice President for Academic Affairs will make a determination. The time frame is approximately 20 working days after receipt of the request.

   • The student will be contacted by letter from the Dean of the College as to the final disposition of the request. 
3. Appeals:
   
   Appeals may be made in writing to the President, who in consultation with the Board of Regents, will make a decision regarding the appeal.