January 22, 2013
Greetings from the Center for Access and Success (CAS). On many campuses, our office would be called "Disability Services" as we oversee the University’s compliance with the legal mandates expressed the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, and subsequent amendments for students with certified disabilities. We would like to take this opportunity to review the many ways our office can be a resource for you and your students.
Location: First Floor of Pine Dale Hall
The Center for Access and Success just completed our first full semester after being relocated to our permanent location at 7136 Pine Dale Hall (first floor). If you have questions about how to reach our office, visit our website at: http://www.umassd.edu/dss/contacthours/directions/. This provides detailed directions. If you are still unclear, please call us at 508.999.8711 or e-mail us at access_success@umassd.edu. The building requires that you have your Umass Pass linked to access it, so you may need to call us from the callbox located at both outside entrances to be let in. Staff parking is available in the lot located directly behind the building. As always, the CAS office is open 8:00 to 5:00 daily. Due to testing accommodations, the hours are subject to change.
Getting the Word Out
The Center for Access & Success has taken the following actions to increase our visibility on campus: postering, UMD Announce, closed-circuit television, and cross linkage to other departments on the web. As most of you know, a statement in your course syllabus welcoming students with disabilities and giving them contact information for the Center is vital. Please visit our website at http://www.umassd.edu/dss/resources/faculty/howtoteachandaccommodate/ for suggestions.
Due to privacy and self-disclosure regulations stated in the Americans with Disabilities Act to protect the rights of students with disabilities, CAS cannot obtain student information from other departments such as Admissions or Health Services in an effort to make direct contact with a student. It is the student’s prerogative to avail herself/himself to the Center for services.
CAS Website
Please visit our website at: http://www.umassd.edu/dss/. There you will find a wealth of information regarding our Center including procedures and protocols for the services we provide to students, documentation guidelines for eligibility, and requirements for foreign language waivers. For faculty and staff, our website includes extensive information on teaching techniques for accommodating students with disabilities in your classroom, instructing to various learning styles, universal design, and general suggestions for encouraging a disability-friendly environment.
CAS Testing Facility & Test Delivery
CAS is working toward on-line test registration for students. We feel this is more convenient and more accessible for many of our students. Until then, as always, it is the student’s responsibility to schedule his/her exams for proctoring in the CAS office. Students are to give our Center no less than 5 business days’ notice when taking a regular test and at least 10 business days for a final.
Upon scheduling an exam, the student will receive a Test Coversheet for the student to hand-deliver to professors. This form will notify you of the date and time the student has scheduled an exam to be taken in the Center. We will also send a courtesy e-mail with the above-mentioned information and encourage you to send the exam electronically to access_success@umassd.edu. The exams may also be faxed to 508-910-6691. If you prefer, you, or a designee, can deliver the exam directly to our office. We strongly suggest exams are not sent through inter-campus mail.
In order for us to effectively and efficiently meet our legal obligations to students with disabilities, the CAS office requires that we receive the exam at least 24 hours in advance.
Return of the Exam to the Instructor
After a student has taken an exam, many professors choose to pick-up the completed exam directly from the CAS office. Others would like the CAS office to deliver the exam to their department. It is our policy to obtain a signature of receipt from someone in the department’s staff to be placed in your mailbox. If no one is available to sign for the test, the exam will be returned to the CAS office. We will attempt two deliveries, after that, professors or designees will need to pick-up the exam in our office. We will notify you of this by e-mail.
For a detailed description of all guidelines, responsibilities, procedures, and protocols regarding the CAS Testing Center, please visit http://www.umassd.edu/dss/accommodationsservicesmissionstatement/testingcenter/.
Best wishes,
Wendi Chaka
Director
