1. Request to schedule your exam(s) at the Adaptive Computer Lab (ACL) and use Dragon Dictate (you need to be referred to ACL by a RCDS service specialist. You should also be comfortable with using such software before scheduling exams) OR,
    
2. You can ask for a scribe. A scribe will write down verbatim what you have dictated. You have the opportunity to review what the scribe has written by either reading or having it read to you. If there are corrections, you need to let the scribe know.
    
3. If the scribe is unsure of spelling and punctuation, he/she will ask you for clarification.
    
4. A scribe is not responsible for organizing or outlining students’ thoughts into final form.
    
5. A scribe may stop the session at anytime and notify a Ross Center staff member if he/she feels that the student is requesting more assistance than is appropriate.

1. You should meet with the testing coordinator before you schedule any exams.



2. You can pick up an Exam Accommodation Form by meeting with the testing coordinator or going to the reception desk as soon as you know the date(s) of your exams.
   
   
3. All exams must be scheduled and all forms completed at least Five Business Days prior to regular exams and 10 business days prior to finals and/or when scheduling evening classes or if there are holidays such as spring break.


4. The Exam Accommodation Form needs to include the date(s), time(s), specific accommodation(s) for each exam and special instructions from the instructor. The faculty's instruction and signature on the submitted Exam Accommodation Form in advance of your scheduled exam is required to provide the accommodation in the manner agreed upon by the instructor and the RCDS staff member.
    
5. Eligibility for using the Adaptive Computer Lab (ACL) for testing accommodations requires the approval of your RCDS disability specialist and a meeting with one of the ACL consultants to determine computer competency.
    
6. RCDS is responsible for proctoring exams per faculty's written instructions on the completed Exam Accommodation Form. Be sure to discuss with your professor specific instructions or materials he/she may be allowing the class to use. For unscheduled exams or pop quizzes every effort will be made to provide a RCDS proctor or scribe but the accommodation may have to be provided by the instructor due to time and scheduling limitations.
    
7. Delivery and return of the exams should be clearly indicated by the Faculty on the Exam Accommodation Form.
    
8. RCDS should receive all exams at least 24hrs before the date of the exam. The RCDS will contact you as soon as your exam is delivered. If the exam is not here, RCDS will make every effort to get the exam through the department on the day of the exam however if the exam can not be located, RCDS will cancel the exam until further notice from faculty.Faculty will have the option of providing the accommodations directly or contacting the RCDS to reschedule an alternative date (rescheduling an exam at the RCDS depends on the availability of proctors, space and a documented approval from the faculty.)
    
9. You must arrive at the RCDS 5-10 minutes prior to the scheduled time of the exam. The time scheduled for testing accommodation should not be used for anything other than taking exams. If you need to study or eat, please do so before the time of exam.
    
10. If at any point you have questions about your exam or concerns about the test environment, you need to stop the exam and notify the proctor.
     
11. If you need to reschedule an exam, please notify the professor first; then notify RCDS as soon as possible. RCDS will need 3 business days in order to reschedule any missed exams.
     
12. Academic dishonesty is a violation of the Student Code of Conduct. If you are suspected of using tools or materials not indicated by your instructor on the Exam Accommodation Form during an exam, the proctor will remove these materials, make a note on the proctor form, which will then be forwarded to your instructor after you complete the exam. The instructor will determine the necessary course of action according to the Student Code of Conduct. A copy of the Code of Student Conduct can be obtained from the Office of the Dean of Students.

1. Note-taker services will be provided only to eligible students who submit a Semester Accommodation Form, a signed copy of Confidential Faculty Letter and a printed copy of your course schedule. It is your responsibility to contact the RCDS with any schedule changes as soon as possible.
    
2. Note taking services are provided as a supplement to the class lectures. Note takers are instructed to only provide notes if you attend the class.
    
3. The RCDS will send a note taker announcement letter to your professor(s) in order for them to recruit volunteer note takers from the class (Confidential Faculty Letter has to be signed and returned to the RCDS prior to recruiting note takers.)
   
4. The RCDS will attempt to fulfill your requests within 5 business days after we receive the request and all other necessary disclosure forms.
    
5. You are responsible for contacting your note takers and meeting with them. RCDS will provide you with their name and number. A meeting between you and your note taker is highly recommended at the beginning of each semester in order to discuss note taking strategies and other helpful hints for working together. If you have difficulty reaching your note takers, the RCDS will arrange a meeting.
    
6. If you locate your own note takers, please ask them to fill out a volunteer note taker form at the RCDS so we know that your request has been filled. Also, filling out this form will give the notetaker an opportunity to participate in the note taker workshop that offers them valuable information about note taking skills.
    
7. All note takers have the option of either using the carbon-less paper notebook or using the copy machine in the RCDS office to duplicate notes. They are also eligible to fully participate in all activities and trainings offered to note takers.
    
8. If you have problems with your notes, you should bring a copy of your notes and set up an appointment with your RCDS specialist. The service coordinator and your professor will then review the notes for content and legibility. If it is determined that the notes are not sufficient, your professor will recruit another note taker from the class.
    
9. If no note-takers are recruited, the RCDS will contact the faculty member and/or director of the student’s program in order to recruit a graduate or teaching assistant.

1. You are required to fill out and sign a Semester Accommodation Form at the beginning of each semester. If this form is not completed and signed, the RCDS will not be responsible for completing a request.
    
2. You must contact your professors or departments once you are registered for classes to obtain information about which textbooks and materials are needed for classes. The sooner the RCDS receives course materials the better able the RCDS is to ensure the timely formatting of these materials. If you are experiencing difficulty reaching professors, contact the RCDS, and a staff member will assist in contacting the professor or department to facilitate obtaining this information.
    
3. You are responsible for the delivery and pickup of all reading materials. Please do not rely on your professors or the RCDS staff to make this arrangement.
    
4. Requests for materials to be alternatively formatted should be given to the RCDS at least one month in advance of when the material is needed. The RCDS will make every effort to honor the requests of new students who are admitted or oriented less than a month before the beginning of the semester. You must expect a turnaround time of approximately one week per 30 pages (or one chapter) of written, typed, or printed material, perhaps longer if the print quality is poor, small, or very technical. The Ross Center makes every effort to complete alternative formatting of chapters according to the timeline outlined in the syllabi provided by your faculty members.
    
5. You are responsible for providing a copy of course syllabus to the RCDS.
    
6. All audiotapes, Braille materials, CD’s, and/or computer disks must be returned to the RCDS at the end of each semester unless you have provided or purchased the aforementioned materials
    
7. Please note that any reading materials NOT listed on the syllabus such as class packets, handouts, and articles assigned by the professor randomly throughout the semester will have a turnaround time of two weeks or longer depending on the length and print quality of the material. TEXTBOOKS may take longer.
    
8. If you have three or more books and/or class packets per course, please be aware that the Ross Center staff will do everything possible to make sure they keep up with the requirements of your syllabi. Due to the large volume of materials received and the importance the RCDS staff place on the quality of alternative formatting and its capacity to provide high quality service to all students, the staff encourages students to provide the materials as soon as they are received. Again, the earlier materials are provided to the RCDS staff for alternative formatting the better able the RCDS is to ensure that you will have materials in a timely fashion.
    
9. In addition, the RCDS may fulfill requests for recommended reading, if time permits, provided all required reading has been completed.
    
10. If you withdraw from a course, please let the RCDS know immediately. If you have any CDs or books on tape received though RCDS, please return them as soon as possible.
    
     
11. When the RCDS receives reading materials, readings will begin for the current week in accordance with the syllabus.
    
    For example, if you bring in materials three weeks after class starts, reading will begin for the current week and will continue in that pattern going forward. This will ensure that you do not fall behind. Once current readings are completed, the RCDS will then go back and complete the readings for prior weeks, only if time permits.
    
    
12. Footnotes, graphs, and tables will not be alternatively formatted unless requested by you. Also, some material such as graphs and tables may be poor quality or even not be discernible.
    
     
13. PLEASE NOTE WE CANNOT COORDINATE PICK-UP AND DELIVERY TIMES OF TEXTBOOKS. IN ORDER TO RECEIVE SERVICES,STUDENTS MUST LEAVE THEIR TEXTBOOKS AND ALL READING MATERIALS AT THE RCDS AT THE BEGINNING OF EACH SEMESTER, FOR THE ENTIRE SEMESTER, OR UNTIL SUCH TIME THAT ALL REQUESTED READING HAS BEEN SCANNED AND EDITED.
     
14. RCDS is working with publishing companies to obtain textbooks in an electronic format, such as a CD. If your textbook is available in this format, that is the format, which the Ross Center encourages you to use. The CDs can be read by screen readers, able to be downloaded and printed. This is the technology of the future, and the Ross Center staff and Adaptive Computing staff will assist you in whatever training needs you may have to fully utilize this format as well as the screen-reading technology. You cannot receive more than one format. For example, you may not have your books scanned onto a disk in addition to having it in an electronic format. Also, students should be familiar with and have access to screen reading software such as Jaws or Doc Reader. PLEASE SEE RCDS STAFF FOR LINKS TO DOWNLOAD FREE SOFTWARE, AS WELL AS A LIST OF WEBSITES CONTAINING BOOKS ON TAPE.
    
    The RCDS will make every effort to accommodate you, and you should make every attempt to adhere to these guidelines. The guidelines are being implemented to ensure that you are receiving reasonable and appropriate accommodations.

1. You must fill out a Semester Accommodation Form for each semester you wish to receive services.
    
2. Your request must be submitted at least four weeks in advance of the beginning of classes. This will allow ample time to schedule appropriate interpreters. Please note the longer the delay in requesting services, the greater the possibility that interpreters will be unavailable.
    
3. Report any changes in your class schedule, such as withdrawal or leave of absence, immediately to the interpreter coordinator, so that accommodations are cancelled in a timely fashion.
    
4. In the event that interpreter services are not needed, due to illness or class cancellation, you must inform the interpreter coordinator as soon as possible (at least 48 regular work week hours prior notice) so that the interpreter may be canceled. If you fail to notify the RCDS after three such instances, accommodations will be suspended until you meet with the RCDS director to discuss reinstatement of interpreters.
    
5. Lateness must be reported immediately to the interpreter coordinator so that interpreters can be notified. In the event the RCDS is not notified, the interpreter(s) will wait no longer than 15 minutes. If you are late on three or more occasions and fail to notify the RCDS, accommodations will be suspended until you meet with the RCDS director.
    
6. In the event that interpreter services are needed to fulfill class requirements outside of the classroom, such as meetings with professors or advisors, etc., you must complete a separate Interpreter Request Form through the interpreter coordinator only. You cannot hire interpreters directly. Requests must be made in writing at least five business days in advance. Attempts will be made to honor requests made on shorter notice with the understanding that interpreters may not be available.

Students who qualify for tape recording as an accommodation have the right to tape record class lectures only for their personal study. These tapes may not be shared with other people without the consent of the lecturer. Tape recorded lectures may not be used in any way against the faculty member, other lecturers, or students whose classroom comments are taped as a part of the class activity. Information contained in the tape recorded lecture is protected under federal copyright laws and may not be copied, published, broadcasted, or quoted without the expressed written consent of the lecturer and without giving proper identity and credit to the lecturer.