5 Tools for Disability Service Providers at Colleges and Universities Serving Deaf Students

Published on January 28, 2020

This image has an illustration of a wall clock in green in the background and an image of a woman's head in front.

A new semester can be overwhelming, but NDC is here with you. NDC can help streamline procedures to enhance disability services offices working with deaf students, with guides to help you build request forms, create a student absence policy and more.

Here are five commonly requested resources for disability services professionals. Visit nationaldeafcenter.org/dsptoolkit for a complete list of related resources, or reach out to help@nationaldeafcenter.org for personalized assistance.

#1: Creating an Accommodation Request Form
nationaldeafcenter.org/requestform

Campuses must collect essential information to effectively coordinate accommodations for a variety of consumers and events. This resource provides guidance on developing an accommodations request form for your campus, including considerations for location, contact information, special instructions, and prep materials.

#2 Crafting a Letter of Accommodations for Faculty
nationaldeafcenter.org/facultyletter

This template provides guidance on how to create a letter to faculty with instructions for making the classroom environment accessible while informing faculty of their responsibilities to ensure access aligns with accommodation plans.

#3 Policies and Procedures: Excessive Student Absences
nationaldeafcenter.org/absencepolicy

Deaf students have the same rights as their hearing peers, including the right to be absent. However, disability services offices often become concerned with managing resources on limited budgets when students are absent. Clear and concise policies and procedures can balance the need for access and the need for accountable budgetary management.

#4 Developing Contracts and Requesting Bids: Interpreters and Speech-to-Text Providers
nationaldeafcenter.org/contracts

If your institution has decided to contract with service providers or seek services from an agency, NDC recommends an agreement with clear expectations and guidelines to ensure that quality services are arranged. This resource offers guidance on various topics when developing service provider contracts, including required qualifications, rates, equipments, cancellations, and more.

#5 Note Taker Training
learn.nationaldeafcenter.org/courses/note-taker-training

Note taking is an important accommodation in various learning settings including the classroom, internships and the workplace. NDC offers a free, self-guided note taker training that defines the role of the note taker and discusses effective strategies to take accurate and comprehensive notes for deaf students. Individuals who successfully pass the training earn a certificate of completion.

Check out the full toolkit for Disability Services Professionals:
www.nationaldeafcenter.org/dsptoolkit

Save This

Other News Items

Screenshot 2023-06-02 at 10.47.21
June 2, 2023
...Idaho Educational Services for the Deaf and the Blind (IESDB) converted an old school bus into a food truck, “The Ravenous Raptor,” managed by students aged 14-26. The program helps students learn essential live-enhancing skills and develop workplace readiness skills that may not otherwise be available to them....
deafcenteredinterpreting
May 10, 2023
Conferences and Events
...On March 16th, NDC hosted a Deaf Centered Interpreting Webinar wherein Dr. Thomas Holcomb, PhD, and Aundrea Love, NIC, aimed to answer the question “How can interpreting become more deaf-centered?” by proposing a deaf-centered interpreting model. This model emerged from an ongoing effort to improve access and participation for deaf participants in interpreted sessions. This presentation focused on the changing view of the delivery model from merely providing access to increasing the quality of interpreting work by removing barriers that have made it difficult for deaf participants to engage fully in interpreted sessions....
Screen Shot 2023-02-24 at 10.26.29 AM
April 19, 2023
...In response to the continued effects of the interpreter shortage, NDC has remained focused on creating opportunities for disability services professionals to connect both with us and with one another as they continue to provide support services to deaf students. On March 30, 2023, NDC hosted a second session of Exploring Interpreter Shortages in Postsecondary Settings Listening Session, wherein participants discussed a variety of potential solutions....

Need Help?

Fill out this form to get help from the NDC team.  Can’t see the form below? Click here to contact the NDC team.