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Your
Guide to
the
Office
for Students with Disabilities
at
Florida
Atlantic University
WELCOME
to the Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD)
at Florida Atlantic University (FAU). The mission
of the OSD at FAU is to support students with disabilities
in their pursuit of equity and excellence in education.
The OSD works with FAU faculty and staff to ensure
that reasonable accommodations are provided to allow
this population of students an equal opportunity to
learn in the classroom setting, and to have access
to all areas around the FAU campus.
ADMISSION TO FAU
The Office for Students with Disabilities is not
involved in the Admissions Process. All students interested
in attending FAU should contact the Office of Admissions
at (561) 297-3040. Students applying to FAU with questions
about the admissions process as it relates to a documented
disability should discuss this matter with FAU’s
Admissions Staff. Students with disabilities submit
their Admissions Applications in the same way as all
other students. After students with disabilities have
been accepted to FAU, they may then register with
the OSD.
3-STEP OSD REGISTRATION
Follow these three steps to register
with the OSD.
- APPLICATION
FOR SUPPORT SERVICES
The student must complete an OSD Application for
Support Services which must be submitted to OSD.
- DOCUMENTATION
OF DISABILITY
The student must provide official documentation
of the disability to the OSD.
- APPOINTMENT
& CONSULTATION
An OSD counselor contacts the student to set up an
appointment after the application and documentation
have been received and reviewed. The student meets
with an OSD counselor to discuss the student’s
disability and requested accommodations. If the student
is determined eligible, appropriate support services
are then determined and activated based upon the student’s
documentation.
DOCUMENTATION GUIDELINES
It is
the student’s responsibility to provide official
documentation of the disability from a qualified professional.
The documentation must be within the last 1 to 3 years,
depending on the disability. However, the OSD reserves
the right to make modifications to this time frame.
Documentation must be on letterhead, signed, and dated
by the diagnostician with a clearly explained, definitive
diagnosis of the disability. The diagnostician must
specify the degree of current functional loss, the
current functional limitations of the disability (with
comments as to the degree of effect in the classroom
setting), and make recommendation for possible accommodations.
If medications are taken, these should be listed as
well as their potential side effects.
The documentation provided by the student is reviewed
and evaluated by a team of FAU professionals. All
documentation files are considered confidential and
are kept in locked file cabinets. Student’s
names are kept confidential and are not released to
anyone without the student’s prior written permission.
Documentation information is not a part of the student’s
official University record.
If you require more specific information
about your documentation, please request the
OSD brochure, “Documentation Guidelines”.
TYPES OF DISABILITIES
The following is a list of disability categories
that may be eligible to receive OSD support services:
Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
- Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
- Hearing
Impairment
- Learning
Disability
- Medical
Impairment
- Physical/Mobility
Impairment
- Psychological
Disability
- Speech
Impairment
- Visual
Impairment
ACCOMMODATIONS
Students who register with the OSD are eligible for
accommodations, support services, and/or academic
adjustments based on their individual needs as determined
by their OSD counselor and their documentation. All
accommodations are made at no expense to students.
Students who request accommodations must present this
request for services in sufficient time for the university
to coordinate these services. Some services may require
a minimum of two weeks notice to arrange. Our office
recommends that students request services prior to
the beginning of the semester.The following is a list
of some available support services:
- Advice
on classroom accommodations
- Liaison
to Faculty; i.e., assistance to faculty on how to
effectively work with students with disabilities
- Professor
notification of a student with disability (only
with student’s permission)
- Readers
- Notetakers/tape
record lectures
- Equipment
loan
- Sign
Language Interpreters
- Exam
adaptations
- Enlarged
print materials Study strategy instructions
- Accessible
buildings, classrooms, and housing
(There are FAU dorm units designed for wheelchair
access. If you will need an accessible room, it
is imperative that you notify the FAU Housing Office
as soon as you decide to attend FAU.)
- Assistive
Technology Lab (AT Lab) - Available for use in the
AT Lab are various adaptive computer technologies
such as : computers with large screens, Zoomtext,
JAWS, refreshable braille display, braille printer,
scanners, speech recognition systems, Reading Edge,
Expert Reader, Type and Speak, Optelec Spectrum
SVGA system, Kurzweil 3000, OpenBook, and various
word/data processing software programs.
CHECKLIST
After you have been accepted to FAU, and you’ve
decided this is where you’ll attend, follow
the steps of this checklist:
- Complete
and return the OSD Application for Support Services
to the OSD.
- Submit
current, appropriate documentation
to the OSD.
- Submit
to the OSD your high school transcripts and, if
you are transferring from one or more colleges or
universities, submit those transcripts too.
- After
OSD has received and reviewed all these materials,
your OSD counselor will contact you to make an appointment.
- Meet
with your OSD counselor for the Initial Intake Session
to determine eligibility for services and appropriate
accommodations. Remember that support services for
eligible students will only be activated after the
Intake Interview process is completed.
- After
support services have been determined, remember
that OSD recommends that all eligible students request
accommodations and services prior to the beginning
of each term.
- If
you are being sponsored by the Division of Vocational
Rehabilitation or some other agency, please keep
your counselor fully informed of dates, costs, and
other FAU requirements.
Florida Atlantic University encourages all qualified
individuals to submit admissions applications regardless
of race, creed, color, sex, national origin, age or
disability.
The Office for Students with Disabilities serves
students under the auspices of the Student Affairs
Division in compliance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation
Act of 1973, as amended, and the Americans with Disabilities
Act of 1990. Office of Students with Disabilities’
counselors can provide details about the services
listed in this pamphlet and are available to meet
with prospective students. Interested individuals
are encouraged to contact the Office for Students
with Disabilities by phone, by letter, by email, or
in person.
Boca/Northern
Campuses:
Florida Atlantic University
Office for Students with Disabilities
777 Glades Road, SU 80, Room 133
Boca Raton, FL 33431
Phone (561) 297-3880
Fax (561) 297-2184
TTY (561) 297-0358
Davie/Broward
Campuses:
Florida Atlantic University
Office for Students with Disabilities
2912 College Avenue, MD I, Room 104
Davie, FL 33314
Phone (954) 236-1222
Fax (954) 236-1123
TTY (954) 236-1146
Website Address: http://osd.fau.edu
Alternate
format available upon request
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