00:00:00:00 - 00:00:43:14 Unknown All right. Good evening everyone. Welcome to the new student insights session for student Accessibility Services. My name is Nate Gondal, and I'm the associate director of the Office of Accessibility Services and the director of Student Accessibility Services. I also have with me, my colleague Aaron Massey, who's an accessibility specialist, and, he will introduce himself in more detail, in the back half of the presentation. 00:00:44:05 - 00:01:08:01 Unknown We have two ASL interpreters with us as well this evening. And we also have, cart, captioning with us as well for real time transcription. Just kind of modeling the fact that obviously, as an accessibility office, we want to foreground accessibility in our presentations. And these will be made available on demand for folks to view, for recording anytime afterwards. 00:01:08:01 - 00:01:27:12 Unknown And we'll have them captioned, when they're posted, as well. So, just to talk a little bit about our presentation, tonight we're going to do an overview of student accessibility services. And I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the fact it is an office. We've been around for several decades here at the University of Vermont. 00:01:27:13 - 00:02:01:06 Unknown Gone by different names during that period. But we're kind of entering this exciting new chapter as an office. As of the beginning of, 20, 25. We're now part of the Office of Accessibility Services. And so, for the first time, we actually have centralized accessibility at the University of Vermont. And so in addition to providing accommodations for students, as we have for decades, we also provide accommodations for, employees, faculty and staff, as well as members of the community and just making the institution as a whole accessible. 00:02:01:07 - 00:02:30:05 Unknown And I think that that centralization is due in large part based on kind of our reputation and providing robust services to students. So today, Aaron and I are going to talk about some of the differences between, Accessibility Services and K through 12 setting versus UVM. We'll talk about, the documentation that students should submit, to establish their eligibility, and why we request that documentation. 00:02:30:06 - 00:02:58:08 Unknown We'll also talk a little bit about, accommodations in terms of how we make determinations around eligibility and what the purpose of accommodations are for students, in a higher education setting. We'll also get into, detail about student responsibilities and rights. And there is some difference from a K through 12 context to higher education. We're going to talk about faculty and how to work with them around accommodations, because that is different than kind of working with teachers in high school. 00:02:58:08 - 00:03:34:13 Unknown Setting talk broadly, even transcending specifically accessibility about just expectations, as college students have at at UVM and provides us some advice and experience that we've had, as professionals working at the university with students with disabilities, but also just in general, at UVM. And then we're gonna have plenty of time to end for questions. Kind of our main goal is just to kind of give you the nuts and bolts, bread and butter of kind of what we do, how to get started with our office and what we provide, and make sure that everybody has time to to ask questions that they'll want to at the end. 00:03:34:13 - 00:03:59:06 Unknown And Aaron and I'll answer them to the best of our abilities. And, as you can see in the chat, for anybody that wants to access that captioning, which I mentioned before, you can just click that stream text link, and that'll bring you to the direct, transcription done by a professional captioner. So just kind of an overview of what we provide, is an office. 00:03:59:06 - 00:04:22:03 Unknown And this is not, a comprehensive list by any means, but just kind of touching on some specifics. So, we provide accommodations in classroom settings, exam settings, and for housing accommodations. Those are our most common types of of accommodations that we do provide them in, in clinical settings. Or students have placements for student teaching or practicums. 00:04:22:06 - 00:04:44:09 Unknown We provide accommodations in those contexts as well. But by and large, the majority of students who work with our office are specifically working with us around, academic accommodations in a classroom or for their exams. And then also around accommodations related to university on campus housing. And we'll talk about specifics around that in a little bit. 00:04:44:11 - 00:05:04:08 Unknown We also have a team of accessibility specialists, of which Aaron is one who work individually with students. So each student that works at our office is assigned, to a student, or, excuse me, to a specialist who will be kind of their point person, and we'll work with them to kind of take their narrative, around what accommodations have worked. 00:05:04:10 - 00:05:26:10 Unknown You know, for them, if they have a history of that and also review their documentation to determine what they're eligible for. And then throughout their time at UVM, then their accessibility specialist will be their go to person around any accommodation questions. And I think that we do a good job in the office as well of, you know, emphasizing to students that there are other resources on campus. 00:05:26:10 - 00:06:03:00 Unknown And we'll show some examples of this later on in the presentation that are really important for our student success here at UVM that are actually separate from, Student Accessibility Services itself. We also provide, accessible, formatted texts for students. So a lot of students that we work with use a, use text to speech software. And so if you're using any screen reading software and we provide some of those, we actually have university licenses for some of those softwares, whether it's a text book or an article, we can make sure that that's in a format that is compatible with one of those text to speech softwares that are students using, and we 00:06:03:00 - 00:06:26:13 Unknown can come up with creative solutions regardless of what the context is. In addition to that, for students who are deaf or hard of hearing, we provide specific accommodations, like ASL interpreting or CART services, captioning type. Well as well, are all examples of accommodations we can provide to student, accommodations we provide to students who are deaf or hard of hearing. 00:06:26:14 - 00:06:47:05 Unknown And then we provide adaptive technology as well. So a lot of times students may require a specific type of technology, depending on what the nature of the disability is and what the contexts, you know, of an academic course or a program that they're involved in is. And so really what I want to emphasize here is we take an individualized approach to each student's circumstance. 00:06:47:06 - 00:07:03:03 Unknown And the course they're taking in a program they're enrolled in, or whatever it might be as it relates to their experience here at UVM, and work with them to provide the appropriate accommodation based on the nature of the student's disability. 00:07:03:04 - 00:07:27:06 Unknown So, in terms of our role, and responsibilities as an office, we are here to provide the services, some of which I just mentioned to students that are set up with our offer centers, met with us, provided their narrative and also submitted documentation to our office. We don't necessarily use documentation is a barrier to getting started with our office. 00:07:27:13 - 00:07:45:05 Unknown Students can have their meeting with us first, and then we'll work with them to get documentation submitted. So I do want to emphasize that although oftentimes documentation is going to be a key part of continuing accommodations beyond a certain point. And there are certain accommodations that a student, will have to submit documentation in order to be eligible for. 00:07:46:03 - 00:08:16:12 Unknown And really, what we're trying to do as an office is make an assessment based off the documentation that's provided, as well as the student's narrative to assess students eligibility. And so what a student has received in the past, or what it's recommended by a provider that they work with, be that a physician or a psychologist, psychiatrist, counselor, therapist, whatever the appropriate provider is, we make a holistic assessment based on that meeting with the student or multiple meetings, and our review of their documentation. 00:08:17:04 - 00:08:36:06 Unknown And we don't, you know, simply kind of take a provider's recommendation and we automatically provide that. That carries certainly a lot of weight with us, but we're really trying to make an assessment based on that meeting with the student and the documentation they provide to, you know, verify students disability and the, functional limitations that may result from that. 00:08:36:08 - 00:08:58:09 Unknown And be able to pinpoint what accessibility barriers may show up as a result of that and then provide the appropriate accommodation on that basis. And so that's the key part for us, is making sure that it's an accommodation based on a disability, as opposed to specifically something that's a convenience or a study aid. And so that's something that that we're making assessment on frequently as we work with students. 00:08:58:10 - 00:09:22:09 Unknown And we can talk there are multiple study aids and different things like that that are outside of our office. So we can connect students for that just aren't provided in the context specifically of an accommodation. And then there's an interactive process as well. And so there's something that I always want to kind of emphasize, you know, we're talking with students and families is, they're our goal with any type of accommodation is to make sure it's something the student is eligible for. 00:09:22:09 - 00:09:58:15 Unknown But depending on the context that it's provided in, we have to make sure that it doesn't pose a fundamental alteration to a course that is a relatively rare circumstance, and it depends on the accommodation, how frequently that might come up. So much variability, kind of involved in these determinations. But that is an interactive process that involves the student, a faculty member or the staff member, if it's a specific program, the students involved in, as well as our office and, you know, in the event, that, there is a concern around a fundamental alteration that's a conversation that we have together as a group. 00:09:59:03 - 00:10:19:10 Unknown And certainly I think, you know, in a situation of a student and a faculty member, there's a hierarchy involved there. And so one of the rules of our office, beyond just kind of making these determinations around eligibility, is to make sure that, you know, the student has a fair arbiter in kind of our office to help facilitate those, conversations around the interactive process. 00:10:19:10 - 00:10:38:02 Unknown And in the rare circumstances where there might be a valid concern around a fundamental alteration, we're working with the student, the faculty, to explore viable alternatives that will still reasonably address a disability related barrier for a student. 00:10:38:03 - 00:11:07:08 Unknown Talked a little bit about the transition that's involved, from K through 12 setting to a university higher ed setting. And so, just a couple examples of that. You know, as I mentioned before, we take an individualized approach to all specific, you know, student cases. We have a lot of students who may have the same exact diagnoses or disabilities, and they might receive different accommodations depending on kind of what their history is and how that disability shows up for them. 00:11:07:08 - 00:11:33:03 Unknown And so it's not, you know, a situation where students with a specific type of disability automatically get these accommodations or don't get these accommodations, we're making those individualized assessments. And there are different laws that govern, accessibility in a k-through-12 context versus higher ed. And so really, the the key piece that I want to emphasize is the role of student advocacy. 00:11:33:13 - 00:11:50:08 Unknown So in a K through 12 setting, students may have experience with being self advocates, but it's really important, even whether or not students are coming in with that experience or not, to understand that as a student, you kind of have to take the initiative to get set up with our office, and we can talk about this more in detail. 00:11:50:08 - 00:12:13:11 Unknown Folks may have questions about this, but we're really encouraging students. If you're at attending this meeting or watching it, haven't gotten started with our office yet. Encourage you to do so. But if there's something that's going on as relates to your accommodations, or there's a change is at least to your disability, you're going to want to be in touch with us and let us know, because it's much less likely than in a high school context that we're going to have an idea that that's happening. 00:12:13:11 - 00:12:40:12 Unknown If you're not telling us. Occasionally faculty will reach out to us. But that's not something that I would ever suggest to see the count on. And so it's really important to be able to, take that initiative. And, and that's part of the reason we have an assigned specialist is we want there to be a person the student feels comfortable with, that they can reach out to, to let us know if there's something going on, and then we can get involved and address it, to the best of our abilities. 00:12:40:14 - 00:13:09:01 Unknown And in terms of, documentation requirements, I mentioned that a student doesn't have to submit documentation, in order to have an introductory meeting with our office. And there are some accommodations, certain accommodations that we can provide on a provisional basis for a certain period of time for students. But ultimately, in order to keep those accommodations going in the long run past an academic year, or to be eligible for certain other accommodations that do require documentation, it's really key that students provide that to us. 00:13:09:04 - 00:13:32:10 Unknown And so, you know, examples of documentation that students can submit have a 504 plan or an IEP from high school that can be submitted. That's not required in any way, but it's always helpful to have an understanding of kind of what was provided. And the student has a history of accommodations. Additionally, if a student has, an evaluation, Neurosci or educational assessment that can be provided as well. 00:13:33:03 - 00:13:58:04 Unknown But we also have forms on our website. So we have come up with forms that can be filled out. For example, if a student is working with, a therapist or a psychiatrist or a physician or any provided that relevant to their disability, that can be completed as well. To give us a sense of the student's diagnosis, what functional limitations might result of that, how that shows up in an academic context or just any context at the university and when accommodations are recommended or appropriate? 00:13:58:11 - 00:14:33:06 Unknown And once a student submits that documentation and gets established, for eligibility, unless they are requesting other accommodations, generally more documentation is not is not required. There might be certain situations where we'll ask a student to provide follow up information, but those are relatively rare for the most part. Once a student gets that eligibility established through the narrative meeting process and providing documentation, and they establish kind of their eligibility for their initial set of accommodations, that's something they can continue semester to semester throughout their time at UVM. 00:14:33:13 - 00:14:56:15 Unknown And without having to submit new information on a regular basis. And at this point, as we transition to accommodations, I'm going to toss it over to my colleague Aaron Massey to introduce himself and take it from there. Hello, everybody. Thank you so much, Nate. My name is Aaron Massey. I'm, an accessibility specialist here at Student Accessibility Services. 00:14:57:08 - 00:15:20:15 Unknown I am actually, also a UVM, alumnus. I graduated back in 1996. And I've been on, right, you know, a long journey, that brought me eventually back to UVM. I spent 18 years, in a special education, alternative education environment, and just did a lot of work with students with disabilities and their families. 00:15:21:10 - 00:15:45:05 Unknown And that experience, led me, back to UVM, and, I found myself about three and a half years ago connecting with, student Accessibility Services and applied for position was, thankfully accepted, into the role. And, I've been doing that ever since, and I absolutely loved doing this. I love to be able to serve, the students and the families and work with my campus partners and things like that. 00:15:45:05 - 00:16:10:03 Unknown So I'm very excited to be here with you tonight. I will attempt to not be super wordy so that we live, leave enough time for y'all to ask questions and stuff. But, let me jump into, accommodations. Ultimately, you know, accommodations at the college level, as, as Nate said, there can be some differences between what's available to students and the K through 12, environment versus the college environment. 00:16:10:03 - 00:16:43:06 Unknown And ultimately, what we're looking at is equitable access, to the college experience for, for students. And it's really important that we, those accommodations don't create, any kind of, an advantage. And in fact, we do some advocacy with, folks to talk about how, you know, accommodations aren't an advantage. They're, they're they're specifically designed not to be that they're really designed to give students the ability to engage in their their college education in a way that works with their disability. 00:16:43:06 - 00:17:05:00 Unknown And so we want to provide those accommodations so that students that have a deficit in a certain area or a barrier to accessing things, can move beyond that, so that they can they can take this journey at UVM with us. So, things that Nate sort of talked about, then I'll sort of reiterate around accommodations, you know, everything is individualized. 00:17:05:01 - 00:17:31:07 Unknown We do have this sort of lengthy list of accommodations, but, they're not a one size fits all. It's not, you know, I have ADHD. Therefore I get these accommodations. It really comes down to the individual's lived experience. What? The information that they share through their student narrative and through that documentation. And so we'll look at everything, on that individualized basis and make determinations, from there. 00:17:31:08 - 00:17:50:06 Unknown And a lot of times, you know, the the experience that students had at the K through 12 level or at a previous university can inform that, but sometimes, you know, there are some differences. And so we work with students to try to figure out what those differences are. Some accommodations are the exactly the same extended time on testing quizzes is a great example. 00:17:50:11 - 00:18:22:03 Unknown Super common at the high school level, super common at the college level. You know, and often those just sort of are almost like a 1 to 1, you know, accommodation transfer. But but ultimately, you know, really taking the time to, to consider the individual's experience. The other thing is that we really want to make sure that, that students have this opportunity to learn, you know, one of the, I think big differences when I talk with students about accommodations is that, you know, through the, in the K through 12 world, they're really looking through the lens of success. 00:18:22:03 - 00:18:48:03 Unknown So when I worked in that special ed environment, we were designing, you know, the things that we did to accommodate students in a way that allowed them to do the math through the write the papers, engage at the, you know, in the workplace, whatever that might be, but ultimately designed to get them to graduation. And I think, you know, the a big lens change, for college level accommodations is this idea that instead of looking through the lens of success, we're looking through the lens of access. 00:18:48:03 - 00:19:07:01 Unknown So no guarantee, that you'll get to the end of the road. But we're going to do everything we can to create the opportunity for you to to to get there. And so it's this is where I think Nate was talking about, self-advocacy and really taking initiative. It's really important that students understand that. And I'm going to talk a little bit more about that, a little later on. 00:19:07:12 - 00:19:28:00 Unknown And getting back to the piece about fundamental alteration, we have to be really careful to make sure that our accommodations aren't an advantage. And one of the ways that that we do that is to determine whether or not, an accommodation might fundamentally alter sort of the essential elements of a course or the standards. And that's one thing at the college level that we're not not able to do. 00:19:28:02 - 00:19:49:11 Unknown You know, if you're going to be a chemist, there's certain things you need to learn, along the way in order to do that job. And so we can't change that part. How you learn those things, we might be able to make some adjustments. You know, using an audio, book to, you know, get through those, you know, those dense chemistry chapters isn't changing the fact that you still need to learn all the information that's in there. 00:19:49:11 - 00:20:10:01 Unknown So that would be an example. Another thing that's really important in this, I think, comes down to, we, we, I use the term early and often. So it's really, really important for students, especially ones that are coming to the university for the first time, or maybe they're in a college setting for the first time to really reach out and and ask for help as early as possible. 00:20:10:01 - 00:20:28:12 Unknown And specifically when it comes to accommodations, because accommodations cannot be used retroactively. So, you know, if you had extended time in high school and you're like, oh, I'm going to see how college goes. And that first exam comes and it doesn't go as well as you had hoped. And you're like, oh, man, I really did need that extended time. 00:20:28:12 - 00:20:47:10 Unknown We can't go back and apply that extended time. That exam that's already passed, we can apply to exams coming, coming up. But that that's just an important, key distinction. And then I think, the other thing that's just important is that, you know, a lot of students come in and they're like, oh, I have my 5 or 4. 00:20:47:10 - 00:21:11:11 Unknown I have my IEP, and I need to transfer that to UVM because the law is different and because the accommodation, process is different, it's not necessarily a direct transfer. We do utilize those documents to help give us the context for what the student is experienced. But, you know, some accommodations that are available to students at the K through 12 level just aren't available or are very different at the college level. 00:21:11:11 - 00:21:45:13 Unknown And so we we part of our process is to sort of explain that, so that students aren't, you know, going in with sort of false sense of, of expectations. So let's talk a little bit about, student rights, under the Americans with Disabilities Act and section 504 of the 1973 Rehabilitation Act. So ultimately, the the laws were written and the laws have have been sort of analyzed, and there has been all this precedent set in courts regarding all these things. 00:21:45:13 - 00:22:09:09 Unknown So a lot of the language that we use comes from that. And one of the things that we use often is this, this concept of reasonable and appropriate accommodations. And so we want to make sure when a student needs extended time on a testing quiz, you know, that generally that's a really common accommodation that doesn't generally bump up against fundamental alteration. 00:22:09:09 - 00:22:35:03 Unknown How much time it takes you to complete, an exit, you know, a pop quiz or an exam that's not going to change the nature. You still need to know the material. You still need to be able to produce, the answers that you know, that the professor is looking for, that demonstrate your knowledge. But we want to make sure that, we're going through the interactive process, supporting the students all the way, working with faculty, working with staff. 00:22:35:03 - 00:23:02:08 Unknown And you know, you know, different programs to make sure that those accommodations, sort of meet that standard of reasonable and appropriate. Again, the, accommodations can find their way to lots of different, settings. So classrooms are one of the most common. And that along with the testing environment, but some students will need, accommodations to access, campus activities or different programs. 00:23:02:15 - 00:23:44:05 Unknown The housing accommodations is another big one, you know, making sure that people have, a living environment that that works and that meets their, their individual needs. We also support students, in internships and clinical rotations. And we actually have a, an accessibility specialist that, that, whose primary focus is working with, folks in the, in, in the College of Nursing minor, College of medicine and the health sciences, because sometimes those settings, the accommodations need to be adjusted, or we need to really, work hard with those, parts of the university to make sure that the accommodations are reasonable and appropriate and aren't a fundamental alteration. 00:23:44:09 - 00:24:11:10 Unknown Because the the standards in those programs can be, sometimes significantly higher. I think, the other thing that is really important, and I say this regulated my students, everything that students provide to us, whether it's via their narratives, their documentation, letters of support from providers, that information is confidential, and private. And we do not share that, unless we are working with a student. 00:24:11:10 - 00:24:32:02 Unknown And we need to share that. And they're a part of that conversation. So sometimes will connect them with their college student services office. And we need to share some information so that those folks know what kind of support, to bring, to the, to the conversation. But we're not going to do that without the student, you know, making sure that they have permission. 00:24:32:02 - 00:24:54:13 Unknown And so that that also, means that we can't communicate with parents and providers without explicit permission from the student. So, that's, we have a form that students fill out to get started with our office. And on that form, they're able to supply us with information about who who they feel comfortable with us sharing information about about their case. 00:24:55:04 - 00:25:14:08 Unknown And they can change that. That confidentiality, that consent. At any time they can take people off, they can add people on. And sometimes this comes up, I think, with students that are maybe new, to their diagnosis, new to their disability. They just recently got a diagnosis and they're, they're still trying to figure out what that means for them. 00:25:14:08 - 00:25:31:08 Unknown And so sometimes they want us to talk with their provider so that we can get more information, get more context about what's going on. And obviously, you know, if it's their therapist and they've been talking about some stuff that's, you know, really difficult, you know, we want to make sure that that's, it's okay for us to go there before before we do that. 00:25:31:11 - 00:25:57:06 Unknown So, that information is protected by the, the, the purple law. And so that's just a really important thing. So in terms of student responsibilities, I think, you know, the first and foremost is getting connected to our office. A lot of times, we have a lot of times, but sometimes we hear from students and like, hey, I, you know, I submitted my documentation or I submitted my getting started on how come I don't have my accommodations. 00:25:57:10 - 00:26:18:00 Unknown And that's because one of the key elements to providing accommodations at the college level, and particular UVM, is this meeting with the accessibility specialist, so that that narrative portion of the process, where we're hearing from the student about their their experience, about their needs, and then and then working from there, that's super important. So students have to complete our are getting started them. 00:26:18:00 - 00:26:36:08 Unknown That sort of registers with you, registered you with our office and sets up a file on our system. But there needs to be a to follow up meeting, and so that that student has the responsibility to schedule that meeting. We will send out an email or office as soon as they get the getting started forms sends out an automated email saying like, here's your assigned specialist. 00:26:36:11 - 00:27:00:11 Unknown This is how you set up an appointment. But it's really important for students to to follow through that and make that appointment and then and then come and meet with their specialist. Similarly, it's, cannot emphasize the importance of doing things as soon as possible. So we have, you know, a summer, you know, all summer that we meet with students, we work year round. 00:27:01:03 - 00:27:24:07 Unknown And getting things set up ahead of time is so important because that first few weeks of school orientation that is just, there's a lot of information coming. It's coming really fast for a lot of students. It's a really big transition, to, to come to college and be more independent and doing their own laundry and, you know, getting their own food and all of the things that that are required. 00:27:24:07 - 00:27:50:00 Unknown And so having to set up your accommodations while you're doing all that can be really challenging. So we really recommend that, that students reach out early, get your accommodations set up, so that you have sort of one less thing to deal with. And I think also just in terms of like some of the systems that we have set up for students around things like peer no takers and exam accommodations there, there are additional sort of steps for those processes. 00:27:50:00 - 00:28:14:11 Unknown And it's important that, students learn how to access those, supports and then make sure that they are engaging those things early so they don't get halfway through the semester and be like, oh, no, I didn't set up my peer note taker. So I haven't had notes for the last, you know, several weeks. Other things, I think in that it's really important and really incumbent upon students is to make sure that they understand their responsibility around notifying, their faculty. 00:28:14:11 - 00:28:38:04 Unknown So with our system, students, we'll go into our My Access student portal and send their accommodation letters for the accommodations that they're requesting in there and their individual classes. And so that is a really important responsibility. You may have be eligible for X, Y, and Z accommodations, but if you haven't sent your letters of accommodation, then you sort of, like, haven't officially activated your accommodations for a given semester. 00:28:38:05 - 00:28:59:01 Unknown Now, students can do that at any time, and sometimes students will wait until they know an exam is coming up and they'll send their letter and, and, and, you know, set up their exam accommodations. But again, we recommend doing that at the beginning of the semester, making sure that you're following up with professors to let them know, what accommodations you're seeking and what your needs are. 00:29:00:15 - 00:29:30:10 Unknown So this piece about, interacting with professors is so important. We interact with faculty regularly to help them understand how accommodations might be applied in their class. But it's also really important for students to develop those relationships. College can be really different, than than than high school environment, especially for students who are coming from smaller, schools where there's maybe less, less, students, they have more time and interaction with the, with their teachers. 00:29:30:13 - 00:29:54:00 Unknown That can be really different. You get into a class with, you know, 100 to our 300 students, there might not be that same level of, individual, connection with that professor. So are students that work with our office, making those connections early, building that that positive rapport and that relationship with the faculty. So that if you have questions, if they're challenges, come up, you've already developed that relationship. 00:29:54:00 - 00:30:11:01 Unknown And so you're not trying to develop a relationship while trying to, to manage that problem. I think that's really, really important. And that gets back to what they were saying about self-advocacy. You know, UVM, most of the programs and also the offices on campus are our student driven folks are here to help and they're here to serve. 00:30:11:04 - 00:30:34:03 Unknown But they have to know that you need that help and that you need that service. And so it's really, really important for students to to step up now, accessibility specialists, I think we do a great job of of being a support. But ultimately the responsibility lies with the student. Similarly, professors have a role, and this role can be really different, I think, than, what what folks might have experienced, with their teachers in high school. 00:30:34:05 - 00:30:57:00 Unknown But some of the primary differences, professor, is going to provide the material. They're going to provide the information that the student, needs to learn, in order to to be, to get through the class, to be successful, to term. The grades are looking for, and the students are responsible for the learning part of that. So one thing that's important to know is that professors are experts in their field. 00:30:57:01 - 00:31:20:15 Unknown They may not be teachers. They may not be, they may not have an education as a teacher. So they really know their area and they can provide you with all of that, that knowledge and their experience. But they may not necessarily have, classroom, experience as an actual teacher, you know, making sure that they're making the classroom, you know, accessible and all those kinds of things. 00:31:20:15 - 00:31:42:02 Unknown So that advocacy piece, sending letters of accommodation, working with our office so that we can support the students, that becomes just that much more important. Not all professors are going to understand disability. Not all of them are going to understand accommodations. Some of them are going to have, you know, negative perspectives and, and see accommodations, in the way that they're not intended. 00:31:42:02 - 00:32:02:09 Unknown And we again, do a really good job of trying to break down those barriers and stigmatize both disability and accommodations. But it's important for students to know, going in that your your professors don't necessarily know what extended time means. They don't necessarily know what flexible attendance means. And so we do a good job of trying to explain that to them. 00:32:03:01 - 00:32:20:15 Unknown But we don't want students to go in thinking like, oh, I sent my letters. And so my professor will automatically know everything that I need. The other thing I think, that is important is, and this is, I think, part of the what we call the hidden curriculum, which is like things that students may not know about the college experience. 00:32:20:15 - 00:32:45:07 Unknown And one of those is office hours. So professors, and sometimes their teaching assistants will set up times during the week to be available to students outside of class. So those are called office hours. And they can do some an individual one on work in that time. But it's a relatively limited time frame, and it's not going to be the same as like staying after school and meeting with their teacher to, to work on your, your, your project. 00:32:45:15 - 00:33:04:03 Unknown And so because of that limitation, they're not necessarily going to be the best resource for, tutoring and academic support. We have other services on campus that need talked about, and we'll talk about more in a little bit, that are there for students to support them in that way, when the teacher is not as available, maybe as the student needs them to be. 00:33:04:09 - 00:33:28:07 Unknown And then, you know, another really key thing is that professors have a lot of, leeway in terms of how they design their courses and how they present the information. And so there can be a really wide variety of classroom styles of teaching styles. You know, there can be, you know, sort of just long lectures where, where the teacher is just going to present the information and the students are going to absorb it. 00:33:28:13 - 00:33:44:08 Unknown And then there are other classrooms that are going to be more dynamic. We have, some classrooms and how flip classrooms where students will do a lot of their learning outside of the classroom and then bring that learning to class to do some more sort of dynamic, interactive work with the material. So there can be a lot of variables and a lot of variation. 00:33:44:14 - 00:34:07:05 Unknown And that's another important factor for for students to know. So in terms of classroom etiquette and expectations, students coming to UVM are generally adults. Sometimes they're they're folks that aren't quite adult yet, but are are coming into this a little more of a adult environment. So, you know, if you need to leave class and go get a drink, go to the bathroom. 00:34:07:09 - 00:34:25:13 Unknown Generally that's that's fine. Professors are going to, you know, they'll let you know if there's a time when that's not appropriate. But, generally you can do that. You don't need to ask permission, you know, need a hall pass. But what is important is that students understand the expectations of the classroom because it can be different with different instructors. 00:34:26:04 - 00:34:47:06 Unknown And so the course syllabus is really the key to unlocking those expectations and understanding them. The course syllabus is going to describe sort of everything the student needs to know about that class. When the class meets who the professor is, their their preferred mode of communication, when the exams are, when your projects are due, and what the attendance and grading policies for the class are. 00:34:47:06 - 00:35:08:12 Unknown So, that's where you would find information about, you know, are there going to be natural breaks built into the class? The students just take breaks as they need to and information should be provided. And of course, syllabus. The other thing, that the professors are going to do is that they're going to provide, the, the, the design of the course and the course requirements. 00:35:09:03 - 00:35:34:02 Unknown So they're going to, they're going to let you know about, you know, is attendance mandatory? You know, are there excused absence absences available? What are the participation policies? Is this the kind of class where you're just going to we're going to throw a bunch of information at you, and you're just going to absorb it on your own and presented via paper or via an exam, or are there going to be group discussions or, you know, projects that are that are, you know, when the teams are set up. 00:35:34:02 - 00:35:52:11 Unknown So, there can be a lot of variation there. And so again, really important to check the course syllabus similarly with grading, just because you work hard doesn't necessarily mean that you're going to get the grades that, that you're used to. Performance is typically the way that, professors grade, you know, how'd you do on that exam? 00:35:52:11 - 00:36:13:13 Unknown How did you do on that paper? How did you do on your homework? And they'll, they'll, they'll they'll give you a very clear description of how they're grading. How much? Each part of the, of the classes is weighted in terms of that grade. But, you know, working hard isn't the sole factor. You know, sometimes I think, you know, students like. 00:36:13:14 - 00:36:31:02 Unknown But I did. I did so much, I studied so hard on this kind of stuff. I'm still struggling. And you know that that can be because, you know, the teacher has a generalized expectation about what? What you need to be able to show in terms of your performance. So, that's another really important, thing I think it's important to know. 00:36:31:03 - 00:36:53:10 Unknown And then again, you know, professors may initiate contact and then again, they may not. So for students that have, accommodations really important that you reach out and make that connection? If you're not understanding material, really important that you talk with your professor about that and let them know if there are teaching assistance available, utilizing them as a resource. 00:36:54:03 - 00:37:15:08 Unknown And then using us, your accessibility specialist, as a way to connect and understand what other resources are available out there. And we'll again talk a little bit more about that, in a, in a bit. So in terms of interacting with professors, once you send your letter of accommodation beginning of the semester or whenever you send it, you always are gonna want to follow up. 00:37:15:09 - 00:37:38:07 Unknown You can follow up with an email. That's fine. Some professors are not great about responding to emails in a timely way, so it's really incumbent upon the student to make sure that they're making that connection. You know, talk to the professor before or after class. Hey, did you get my letter of accommodation? Can we set up a time to to discuss my accommodation needs to make sure that that I, that I understand how they are going to work in your class, that that's a that's really, really, really important. 00:37:38:08 - 00:38:00:08 Unknown It's important to have a plan so that you can set yourself up, to have a positive experience in that class. I think that, the other thing that's really important is that professors that are engaged by their students, I think they really appreciate that. They don't know. They don't know what their experience is. They don't know what your needs are. 00:38:00:08 - 00:38:20:05 Unknown So when you come to them and and say, hey, I, I really struggle with this and I have this accommodation that helps support me with that. They're going to really appreciate that night from the faculty that I work with or engaging with students at that level, that that is so much better than when they just sort of get a letter out of the blue and nobody ever talks to them. 00:38:20:11 - 00:38:41:14 Unknown Because then that's also where I think, not misinformation, but miscommunication can happen. You know, you sent the letter, so you just sort of assume things are going to be okay. And then the professor makes assumptions and then finds out that you're both making sort of false assumptions. So in order to avoid that, better to make that connection and interact with that professor. 00:38:41:15 - 00:39:01:10 Unknown So a few things to just help move you towards success. You know, again, success is guaranteed. Accommodations aren't going to guarantee that you're getting an A in that class. But there are some things that you can do to to improve your chances of, of of, achieving your goals. Managing your time is probably the biggest one. You are going to be away from home. 00:39:01:10 - 00:39:25:11 Unknown Your parents aren't going to be there. You need to do your laundry, clean your room, you know, take care of yourself, exercise, eat all these things you're going to be responsible for. And you also need to be a full time student. So managing your sleep cycle, knowing when you're going to get your, your exercise and, knowing when you're going to study and what you need to be successful when studying. 00:39:25:11 - 00:39:44:04 Unknown All of those things are super important, and it's really important that you schedule time throughout your day. You know, you might have a really like, great schedule where you've got, you know, three classes in the morning and the rest of the afternoon and off. It's not really off because that's when you go to do your homework, and that's when you have to prep for your next class or study for your, you know, your upcoming exam. 00:39:44:07 - 00:40:03:06 Unknown So managing your time is really, really important. And for students that struggle with that struggle with executive function and time management, there are supports both accommodation supports but also additional supports through things like the UVM Tutoring Center, their study skills program that can help students, learn those skills and bolster any deficits they might have in those areas. 00:40:03:13 - 00:40:29:14 Unknown I think it's also really important to to track your own progress. Pay attention to your grades, know what your grades are. Again, some professors are great about being timely in their you know, getting the grades back on an exam or on a paper, some or not. So it's really important for the student to, to, to be there to advocate for their, their themselves and make sure that they're saying, hey, like I noticed you didn't post that grade, what is my grade on that exam? 00:40:29:14 - 00:40:51:04 Unknown So I know what what adjustments I need to make. And, and one thing that, that is sort of part of that hidden curriculum is, academic alerts. So for students that that maybe are struggling in a class, maybe they haven't been coming to class, they're not turning in their homework. They missed an exam. Some professors, will provide an academic alert them, sort of like, hey, I noticed you weren't. 00:40:51:04 - 00:41:10:03 Unknown You haven't been in class this week, or. Hey, I noticed you. You didn't do, particularly well on that first exam. Let's have a conversation. Sometimes they won't do that. And so that's where it's really important that students sort of manage that, and make sure that they're, understanding where they're at in the class. Attendance is really, a key part of the college experience. 00:41:10:06 - 00:41:32:08 Unknown Some classes have mandatory attention, attendance, where other ones don't. But but being in the class, being present, being engaged is super important. If you're not going to class, treat the minor stuff in the book and, and the, you know, the slides that maybe are posted online, but you're going to miss all of the the interaction that's happening in the classroom, the interaction with your with your peers and things like that. 00:41:32:08 - 00:41:54:11 Unknown And that's just an important part of the college experience. Again, I talked about the syllabus that is your that is your guide. That is your outline for for what what to expect in that class. And, you know, what you need to do in order to be successful in that class. And then I think the other thing is that, and I'll speak from my own experience, I was a really good student in high school. 00:41:54:11 - 00:42:11:15 Unknown And then I got to college and I thought I had great study habits. Turns out not so much. So I had to learn some new ones. And I think, it's just important to make sure that you're constantly, constantly growing your toolkit, making sure that you do have effective strategies. And if you don't, that you seek help to try to learn some new strategies. 00:42:11:15 - 00:42:39:08 Unknown And again, the Study Skills programs tutoring center is a great resource for that. Because it's just, you know, you're here, you're investing in your future. So learning the material, retaining the material so that you can use it, you know, down the road in your future is really important. Just a few things to think about. Especially in that first semester of college where that transition can be, pretty jarring, you know, consider taking a lighter course load. 00:42:39:14 - 00:43:05:10 Unknown There's a range, for a full time state of students between 12 and 18 credits is a really big difference between 12 credits and 18 credits. So knowing yourself, knowing what the workload that you feel you can handle, and using that range of credits is really important. We have, an accommodation that some students are eligible for, called the reduced course load that allows students to retain their full time status but take less than four times that as credits 6 to 11 credits. 00:43:05:10 - 00:43:23:12 Unknown So for students who really need to slow down, they need to focus a little bit more on their mental health or just need more time to to process and do the work. Reduced course load might be appropriate, but it's just important not to, to try to, you know, overdo it, not to spread yourself too thin because it's, you know, the long haul. 00:43:23:12 - 00:43:43:09 Unknown You know, you're, again, a really an investment in that, that there's a lot that's going to happen over that four years. So you don't want to burn yourself out too soon. Classroom sizes can be really variable and can be really variable from your previous experience. So there can be some really large classrooms with, with just a lot of students and very little individual interaction with those professors. 00:43:43:15 - 00:44:06:14 Unknown And some of those courses you may just have to take, because that's, that's the introductory level chemistry course that's available that all students, you know, need to take, that, that, that are required to take chemistry. But then utilizing the resources outside of the classroom to really get the support that you need, whether it's tutoring, supplemental instruction, the study skills, there are a lot of resources. 00:44:06:14 - 00:44:30:00 Unknown So just don't don't hesitate to ask for help and seek those resources. And then, you know, really good advice is to really, emphasize, getting doing as well as you can that first semester, really starting off strong academically, really working to, to, to to start off with a really solid GPA. So that you're like, okay, this is where I'm at. 00:44:30:00 - 00:44:47:11 Unknown And I want to continue to grow and develop. And again, from my own experience, if you don't have a strong GPA your first semester, it's okay. You can learn the skills you need to learn and you can get better. My first semester didn't go as well as I had hoped, but I ended up doing doing fine down down that Damian. 00:44:47:11 - 00:45:07:01 Unknown So last thing, I want to just say about our particular approach of student accessibility services, and one of the main reasons that I love, working for this office and supporting students in the way that we do is this holistic approach that we take. We do not see students just as students with disabilities or students with ADHD or students with depression. 00:45:07:03 - 00:45:32:04 Unknown We see them as whole people, and we really want to make sure that they are, well, that they have access to the things that they need in order to remain well, and so being able to connect with our campus partners around wellness, academic supports, faith based supports, identity, all of those resources are available to all of our students, and we really want to make sure that they have access to it. 00:45:32:04 - 00:45:57:03 Unknown So we do a lot of referrals, and we work with all of these campus partners to make sure that that students have the things that they need in order to feel good and to be able to continue on their journey to UVM and hopefully achieve that success and the goals that that they set would be. So. So, this is really, really a vital part of what we do and how we how we see our interaction with students and families. 00:45:57:04 - 00:46:15:03 Unknown So, that was a lot of words. Even I said I was going to try to do less words, but, we really want to open things up at this point. To give you all an opportunity to ask questions. And we'll do our best to answer, as many of those as we can. 00:46:15:04 - 00:46:38:10 Unknown Thanks so much, Erin. I know we already have a couple, in the Q&A and is it is at least one in the chat which which will address. But please, send them in if folks have questions. And, you know, Erin and I have our, individual contacts up there as well, and kind of a very general email account such as anything folks want to ask confidentially related to a specific circumstance they're navigating. 00:46:38:11 - 00:47:04:14 Unknown You're certainly welcome to do that directly as well. But we know a lot of questions that folks might have. Could be useful for others, too. And one thing I'll also mention as we before we get into the questions, is that it's important to recognize we work with about 22% of the student population here. When I started working here, which was 20 years ago as an undergraduate, we worked with 5 to 600 students, and now we're working with just under 3000. 00:47:04:14 - 00:47:27:04 Unknown And so that's always a good thing for students to know is that, you know, in a class, generally one out of every 4 or 5 in your peers is also going to be using accommodations. And so it's very commonplace at UVM, I think we take pride in that. We offer robust services and that, students disabilities feel comfortable going here and feel like that they're going to get the accessibility, provided to them by our office. 00:47:27:15 - 00:47:49:07 Unknown And because of that, faculty are also familiar with with the processes as well, because they are used to working with students that have different types of accommodation requests in their classes. So, we'll start going through some questions. And, I know that, one of, some of the questions I addressed that were kind of straightforward. 00:47:49:07 - 00:48:08:15 Unknown I provided a link in the Q&A to kind of the form stage of our website, where we have different forms to, the students can submit to our office to kind of establish their eligibility. So please find that link there. That's this kind of a centralized one stop shop for all of that. There's also a question here about deadline for documentation. 00:48:09:08 - 00:48:43:01 Unknown And do we accommodate officially undiagnosed disabilities or do we need an official diagnosis. So there's no there's no deadline. We students can get started with our office at any time. We work with students who are in the second semester of their senior year. We're not going to turn them away, but, I would say that it is, crucial to the student success to get started with this as early as possible, students have the flexibility to decide whether or not they're going to use their accommodations in a particular course or from semester to semester, but cannot emphasize how much easier it is to have things set up and have them in place, and 00:48:43:01 - 00:48:58:07 Unknown then decide not to use them or decide to use them kind of, you know, in a particular class as opposed to waiting and say, I don't think I need this. And then kind of getting started with our office from scratch because, you know, Erin and I outlined the process from kind of meeting to submitting documentation and review. 00:48:58:10 - 00:49:16:04 Unknown That's not something that can happen in a couple of days. That's generally a few weeks at least, and kind of at the beginning of, say, the fall semester, it might be a little bit longer. So I really encourage students, you know, if you haven't got started with our office now, there's still plenty of time for you to start that process now and have things in place for the start of the semester. 00:49:16:06 - 00:49:36:10 Unknown But once we start getting into August, then, it gets a little bit closer, to, you know, being sure if we can get set up in time for the start of the semester. So I would say definitely having a as a goal to get if you haven't started with us yet to have, your documentation in to us, you know, by, by the end of July and get that meeting set up with us. 00:49:36:10 - 00:49:55:02 Unknown There's no need to wait for that. We have the Getting Started form on our website, and you can get that meeting started now. And if even if you don't have documentation submitted, that might help you determine what you need to submit. There is also a deadline. The one thing I will mention is June 1st was the deadline for housing, accommodation requests. 00:49:55:02 - 00:50:14:00 Unknown So, if you haven't submitted a request, it relates to housing accommodations. That would be you need a specific type of room based on a disability. You can still submit that, the reason we have that deadline is just because it gives us the best chance of making sure, for eligible students, something is in place before the start of the semester. 00:50:14:01 - 00:50:41:08 Unknown You can still submit that to our office, and we'll, you know, interact with, with that request, and, you know, work as best we can to kind of assess eligibility. And if a student's eligible get that in place. So definitely if there's any, any folks here who haven't put in a housing request and are planning on doing that, I would prioritize that because that is, more time sensitive turn around than academic requests, which, you know, we still have a couple of months, before before those are in place. 00:50:41:10 - 00:51:05:08 Unknown And then as relates to the question around diagnosis, are not, generally students that work with our office do have an official diagnosis. However, if a student is working with a provider and it's unclear about what their diagnosis is, but they do have an established relationship with a provider and they can speak to kind of specific limitations that are showing up in their have kind of working with the student around a specific diagnosis, and just aren't clear on that yet. 00:51:05:09 - 00:51:25:12 Unknown We'll certainly do our best to, to work with that, or we're not going to turn a student away, even if there isn't a formal diagnosis settled upon, the the key thing there would just be making sure that there is a relationship with the provider and they can speak to kind of how that's manifesting itself and how that might show up in an academic context to give us the best sense of, of what accommodations, that we would need to provide. 00:51:27:01 - 00:51:33:01 Unknown There is a question here in the chat, around, 00:51:33:02 - 00:51:54:14 Unknown Next steps, to set up a meeting for accommodation. So that would be our Getting Started forum. That's, that's on our website. I can put the, the link to that, as well, in the chat here. You know, Erin, there's a question here that, that, would be a good one, I think, for you to tackle about any accountability groups or support groups for students with ADHD. 00:51:54:15 - 00:52:17:05 Unknown Yeah, yeah. So, the couple a couple of, things that currently exist and then, some, some, sort of hope for the future. So right now there are a lot of resources available to, to support students and provide them with sort of some external, accountability, some external structure. As I mentioned earlier, the tutoring center is one of those key supports. 00:52:17:13 - 00:52:43:13 Unknown There's three distinct programs. It's tutoring center, subject area tutoring. So if students are struggling with the content of the course, they can request a subject area tutor the study skills program, which is really more about developing those executive function skills and learning the study habits that you need at the college level, how to how to study for exams, how to take notes, in an effective way, and then supplemental instruction, which is for courses that are historically really challenging, high level of withdrawals. 00:52:44:06 - 00:53:06:01 Unknown And D's and F's, they have these supplemental instruction, these peer led study groups with students who just get additional time with the material, with a peer that really understands expectations of the class, and, and can support students and that other way. The UVM Writing Center is another amazing resource. It's open to all students you can get up to, like an hour a day, I think, with them. 00:53:06:08 - 00:53:32:14 Unknown So you can become, part of the structure of a student's day to really help. And then you have somebody that you're meeting with that you can be accountable to on that sort of more future side of things. Couple of really cool things that are, that are, sort of in the works. We just recently had a graduate student, that was working on their capstone project, specifically about supporting students with ADHD and autism, through the lens of occupational therapy. 00:53:32:14 - 00:53:56:00 Unknown And so we have a new occupational therapy office on campus not far from our office. And we're hoping to, begin to engage more with them in terms of that, that resource are being available for students. And I've just recently, accepted a role on our new ADHD task force. And we're going to really be looking at what services are currently available for students, with ADHD. 00:53:56:00 - 00:54:18:15 Unknown And then what supports do we really need to to bolster things like academic coaching, having a professional academic coaches on staff, things like that. So, that's all stuff that that is hopefully coming along. But there are a lot of supports. It just that in part for students to check in with their specialist and figure out what those supports are, that, that they may need. 00:54:19:00 - 00:54:39:12 Unknown Thanks, Erin. Yeah, we're very excited about that, that task force and what possibilities that might include, as well as a future collaboration with occupational therapy. Go ahead to some other questions that, are in the chat. We talked about both Erin and I mentioned kind of this concept of a fundamental alteration. And there's a good question here about what counts as a fundamental alteration to. 00:54:39:12 - 00:55:01:09 Unknown Of course, I shared a link in reply to that that kind of talks about the process that we might move through with a faculty member or a staff member, depending on the context around that question. And it's there's no kind of one answer as to what constitutes a fundamental alteration, because each course is different and similar to kind of the individualized approach that we talked about as we take with students. 00:55:01:10 - 00:55:21:09 Unknown This comes up, in terms of a fundamental alteration as well. It's really about kind of what the expectations of the specific course or program are and whether or not a specific type of accommodation really compromises that. And again, this is not a common occurrence, but it does come up and it might be more likely with some accommodations than others. 00:55:22:06 - 00:55:41:12 Unknown For example, it would be really rare with extended time. But an easy example would be if a student is taking a CPR course or kind of wilderness survival extended time would, for obvious reasons, be problematic potentially, in that if a student is taking, you know, a CPR course and having to kind of demonstrate their ability to provide CPR. 00:55:42:03 - 00:56:12:05 Unknown And so that's, that's a really easy example. That's not the situation that might normally show up for, but there are situations where, you know, students who might have a specific type of, flexibility, with, attendance or assignment extensions or things like that. You know, in one course, they might be able to miss, more, more classes than in another course because it's one course is more lecture based. 00:56:12:14 - 00:56:30:11 Unknown And students are able to kind of get that information and make up the material in one way versus another course. It's more interactive and based on discussion because of the participation grade, only a very limited amount of attendance flexibility can be provided in that course. So it's really kind of a moving target depending on the nature of the course in the accommodation. 00:56:30:15 - 00:57:04:15 Unknown But again, that's all part of the interactive process, that, that we go through each and every time. And so that's something that we take very seriously. And, and that's the kind of time into, if and when that circumstance does come up and it's something that the student is engaged in throughout, the process. And, you know, it takes place again between our office, faculty member and the student is also another question here about how urgent it is for students, to schedule a meeting that I say is the only one minor accommodation. 00:57:05:13 - 00:57:26:06 Unknown You know, I wouldn't say it's urgent, but kind of going back was saying before, if a student, establishes their eligibility now and kind of has that meeting, provides documentation, then they can that's something that's generally, in most cases and with very few exceptions, is going to be in place for them, throughout their time at UVM. 00:57:26:06 - 00:57:48:06 Unknown And so, you know, and talked about sending letters at the end of a semester, the students can send their accommodation letter. So example, if they have extended time, or say, no taking accommodation, which are two most common types of accommodations. And then they don't have to schedule an examiner exam proctoring center. They can take the exam in class now for extended time with reduced distraction environment if they so choose. 00:57:48:08 - 00:58:09:07 Unknown And so, I really want to emphasize that it's not a matter of kind of, you know, urgent to necessarily get it set up for the sake of having the accommodation in place for that specific course, but just because of the unpredictability of, you know, students transitioning to a higher education environment, I really would always encourage folks to get things set up. 00:58:09:07 - 00:58:34:04 Unknown And then, you know, if they decide that something they don't want to use in a particular class or even for the whole semester, for the whole year, totally. It's students. Right? And we absolutely respect that. And sometimes it's just that one course or that one, you know, situation where a student wants that a combination, but it's better for them to have that in place, because sometimes we have students that do come to us a week before an exam, you know, in their in their second semester of sophomore year. 00:58:34:05 - 00:58:52:02 Unknown And generally at that point, it's we're not going to be able to get that set up in time for that exam. And so there's just really no downside to kind of getting it set up. You know, here in the summer. And then it's just one last thing for the student have to worry about if or when, that situation might arise. 00:58:53:09 - 00:59:23:03 Unknown An accommodation here. Any accommodations for note taking? Somebody's taking notes. But more like the teacher provides, notes for the class. That's a combination of different, you know, types of circumstances. So, broadly speaking, peer notetaking, which optional extended time is the second most common type of exam accommodations. Is you a student in the class, and they're not aware of who they're taking notes for. 00:59:23:04 - 00:59:50:12 Unknown Oftentimes, it's multiple students, and the student actually isn't aware the note takers will upload notes to our My Access portal, and a student can access those notes online. I get an email notification each time notes are uploaded. That's generally have at a combination works. However, there are faculty who just do this as part of their course. And so either they themselves will provide notes and assign a to and they may work with us to provide those notes through my the My access portal for students that have had a combination. 00:59:50:12 - 01:00:14:01 Unknown But there is a universal design approach sometimes that certain faculty members will take or they provide it to, all students, in which case that's great. And then the accommodation might be, unnecessary in that circumstance just because of the universal design of the course. But that is an accommodation that we do provide. And definitely one of our, our more common, types of, of accommodations. 01:00:15:00 - 01:00:27:11 Unknown Erin, I'll throw this one to you in question about what are some spaces or accommodations possibly specific to students with autism or ADHD in classroom or housing communities? 01:00:27:12 - 01:00:58:13 Unknown Oh, you're on mute and. Classic Massey forgetting to unmute himself before he talks. Yeah. So again, you know, accommodations are not necessarily diagnostically specific. So I think it's really important for, students, with autism, students with autism, ADHD combination, the meeting with that specialist to really fully understand your context and what are your strengths, what are your areas of challenge, what accommodations you need like that? 01:00:58:13 - 01:01:16:08 Unknown That is the beginning of that of understanding that because everybody needs something different, right? Something that works for my ADHD may not work, for yours. And so I think in terms of like spaces, there are a lot of quiet spaces or a lot of study spaces on campus. I've had students who are like, oh my, like, go to the library. 01:01:16:09 - 01:01:36:08 Unknown I spent hours there. I get everything done by other students, like, I can't stay in the library. There's too many distractions. You know, I'm people are constantly going by. So, I think in terms of like, where are those spaces? I think it does require some exploration. But there we have a list of, of sort of potential quiet spaces across campus that we share with, with students. 01:01:37:02 - 01:02:04:09 Unknown And then, you know, sometimes students sort of have to kind of find those spaces for themselves. There are some, quiet booths, around campus, in the library. I think it's one of the career center where students can go in and kind of like, sequester themselves and sort of shut out some of the the external stimuli. In terms of like accommodations specifically, a lot of times housing accommodations, come into play for, for folks on the spectrum or folks, you know, that have conditions where, like, they might have real sensory, challenges. 01:02:04:13 - 01:02:27:03 Unknown So, you know, maybe they need to have, you know, one less roommate, maybe they need to have no roommates. So I think there are there are a lot of different things, but I would just sort of follow the guidelines that that we're sort of, talking about tonight, which is just come to our office, come talk with us, let us know what needs, you have, and then we will work with you to try to figure out what's best for you. 01:02:27:04 - 01:02:47:00 Unknown You know, I think the, the area, the autism like ADHD is, there's areas where there's so much information that that a lot of folks don't have access to. And so there, there can be it can be really a challenging environment for some folks until they one learn how to advocate for themselves, get their their needs met through accommodations. 01:02:47:07 - 01:03:15:15 Unknown And then, you know, we do some advocacy and some education to try to help, professors, understand what some of those, those different needs might be for, for folks, with various, disabilities. So, yeah. So those are some examples, just knowing that we have a relatively limited time, I am absolutely happy to schedule a time with folks via email, set up a teams meeting to talk about your your sort of individual situations. 01:03:16:03 - 01:03:39:10 Unknown Sometimes that can be more effective than sort of trying to talk in generalities, which we do a lot as student accessibility services as part of disability services. And so we have to talk in generalities because everything really is, sort of individualized. And it's important that we engage in that sort of interactive process. So, it's sometimes hard to, to give you the exact answer that you might be looking for. 01:03:39:11 - 01:03:59:07 Unknown Thanks, Erin. There's a good question here about how a student might, best prepare for their 30 minute advisory meeting. You know, I would say students come to that meeting with all different types of of, preparation. I wouldn't worry too much about it. I would say the main thing to focus on is just kind of think about, you know, what? 01:03:59:08 - 01:04:19:14 Unknown If a student has a history of accommodations, what what might have worked for them or didn't work, and just kind of how they might have felt their disability manifested itself, you know, in kind of previous academic contexts and anything that they're thinking about, as it relates to how that might show up for them while they're at UVM. 01:04:20:06 - 01:04:56:11 Unknown And then also, you know, and this obviously depends on the nature of a student's disability. It's good for them to kind of have a sense of what, if any, providers that they're working with, whether they're working with a primary care physician, a therapist or a psychiatrist, whomever it may be based on their disability, that's something that's also helpful for us to know, because it's generally good, practice for a student in terms of establishing their eligibility with our office, but also just for their own well-being, of course, to be connected with the provider and depending on the nature of the disability, there are often on campus providers and resources. 01:04:56:12 - 01:05:16:13 Unknown So we might want to talk to student about kind of getting set up. But so I would say that that history kind of, of accommodations and then just kind of their, their work with, with providers around, any or all of their disabilities, those would be helpful things to know in advance. But, it's it's not something where, you know, a student should feel super pressured to show up. 01:05:16:13 - 01:05:42:02 Unknown You want them to, you know, be able to feel safe and be able to be open kind of about, you know, their disability and their kind of history with accommodations and, what they're thinking about in terms of how it's going to show up for them at UVM. Another question here, in the chat, about kind of a, any kind of pass or doctor's note needed to access the elevators, by and large. 01:05:42:02 - 01:06:06:06 Unknown You know, we've really worked, with residential life, you know, in terms of accessibility, elevators should be no less accessible to students than the stairs. And so usually whatever kind of, you know, if there's a, a key or cat car needed to get to specific stairs, that would be what would be needed for an elevator. 01:06:06:13 - 01:06:24:06 Unknown And that's, you know, generally the student lives there. They would have access to that in a specific circumstance. There are some elevators that have, kind of usage limits depending on what the building is. And there's so many different buildings, kind of our campus. If there was ever an issue around accessibility, that's something that we collaborate with. 01:06:24:06 - 01:06:43:05 Unknown University housing on. And university housing should be able to address that directly for, for any student. Certainly if a student has any problems around an elevator accessibility, in their residence hall, they can be in touch with us and we can work with them in in university housing to get that addressed as soon as possible. But that should be pretty straightforward. 01:06:43:05 - 01:07:02:10 Unknown And same thing in an academic buildings or kind of, the data center, which is the student center on campus. There are elevators in those locations, and they're available for for everyone to use. Most every building on campus has elevators. There are a handful of older buildings that that might not. And if that poses a, a mobility concern for a student. 01:07:02:10 - 01:07:29:10 Unknown And again, this does come up too, too often, because it's just a handful of buildings. We can actually work with the registrar to have a classroom move to an accessible location. And we've done that in the past. There's a question here as well about note taking. I know I might have been in process to kind of answer any other no shaking question that happened, but just to kind of recap that, it's our second most common type of accommodation, and there's a peer assigned in a specific, course we work with the faculty member. 01:07:29:10 - 01:07:53:13 Unknown It's, we provide some incentives for students that are willing to be note takers, and, it's a confidential process, but they upload notes to an online portal that are then accessible to a student, to view in real time. Throughout the semester, they get an email notification every time notes are uploaded. The one thing I will emphasize about that, and I mentioned this before, is students should check their notes regularly. 01:07:54:07 - 01:08:25:15 Unknown We often will put multiple volunteers in, of course, if they're available. But it's, it's a concern around the quality or the timeliness of when the notes are uploaded. We these notes to, we also take hours to upload them within 48 hours of the class. Students should give us that, that feedback. And what everyone so I'll happen is a student might have a concern around notes, but they don't check them until the night before, you know, an exam or something like that after they've been uploaded for four weeks, and then it becomes difficult for us to address it. 01:08:26:00 - 01:08:45:02 Unknown By and large, we are. We have a really good culture of note taking here. And students, like the note takers and faculty, are great partners. In that process of getting a note taker set up but cannot emphasize enough the importance of regularly checking in on those notes beyond helping students avoid kind of a last minute surprise at night before an exam. 01:08:45:03 - 01:09:06:00 Unknown It's just a good study habit to check those notes regularly, and can keep pace with the course content as opposed to trying to cram all that information the night before. That goes for all students, regardless of whether or not they're working with with us. Yeah. I'll just add to that, Nate, there are a couple other note taking assistance. 01:09:06:03 - 01:09:23:14 Unknown Accommodations. So one is the use of a laptop in class. So a lot of professors, they have sort of an open policy about students using laptops to take notes or iPads, whatever the case may be, some are a little bit more restrictive, a little more old school. And in those cases, sometimes students will need an accommodation to utilize their laptop in class. 01:09:23:15 - 01:09:44:04 Unknown And then some students, benefit from an audio recorder being able to record, a lecture so they can listen back in case they missed information, things like that. So we have we have do have a sort of a variety of notetaking accommodations that, that students, potentially can have access to. Yeah, I'm happy to jump on the next one to Nate about the extent of time. 01:09:44:04 - 01:10:03:03 Unknown Go for it. So one of the really cool things, that UVM provides so a lot of students have extended time on tests and quizzes and that concern about, you know, you've got your first class of the day with extended time, but you had a class right after it. So what, exam accommodations can work in a couple of different ways. 01:10:03:10 - 01:10:21:11 Unknown Professors can provide those accommodations in the classroom so they can provide you extended time in the classroom or provide an alternative, location for you to test if you have a reduced distraction environment. If their exams are online, they can actually build the extended time into brightspace, which is the learning management system the university uses. 01:10:21:11 - 01:10:40:06 Unknown And so, you know, you get your extended time, you take the test wherever you want to. But often, and I think in most cases, students will use our exam proctoring center. And our exam proctoring center is set up to manage exam accommodations, and specifically those extended time accommodations such that students don't have conflicts with their their class. 01:10:40:06 - 01:10:57:11 Unknown So one of the things here the exam proctoring center can do is they can adjust the start time of an exam so that you start early and end at the same time as your class, so that you can get to your next class. Or it might be something where, you know, you've got a class before, and so then you the, the exam has to go later than your class. 01:10:57:11 - 01:11:12:11 Unknown So we have ways around that. Also that some students don't have a conflict with their classes. And we work really hard to make sure that that's the case, because we want you to be able to access all of your classes, and we don't want to penalize you in one class because you have an accommodation in a, in a different one. 01:11:12:11 - 01:11:41:05 Unknown So. Exactly right. And actually, our our portal won't even let students even like you to a class. Yeah, right. That creates a conflict. And so, that, you know, we're open 60 hours a week, the proctoring center, during the academic year, basically 8 to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and then kind of standard 8 to 4 30 hours on Friday and usually that allows the student to kind of had the ability to find a soft spot in their schedule to, to get that exam. 01:11:41:08 - 01:12:01:15 Unknown And never they put into that situation where they have to kind of make a choice, go to class or use their accommodation there instead. I think right now that looks like the extent of the questions we have in the Q&A. If folks have any more, they can they can toss them in there. But, you know, is is an area I mentioned. 01:12:01:15 - 01:12:23:12 Unknown You can certainly reach out to us, individually or to our general about any questions you have. I put that getting started link it in the chat as well. That's on our forms link as well. But that's the most important accommodation. Excuse me form to, to kind of fill out if you haven't done that already, just because that's really kind of the gateway into, into our office. 01:12:24:04 - 01:12:44:06 Unknown And I also mentioned in the chat that we, plan on having this video posted by the end of the week. And again, kind of modeling accessibility. Our goal after this get the recording will be to have a caption, because we want to make sure it's accessible to everyone before we post it for anyone. And so we'll get that caption, which will just take a day or two. 01:12:44:07 - 01:13:07:13 Unknown And then we'll work with orientation to get that posted and or look at that posted, on our website as well. So it'll be on the new Student Insight session for orientation, but we'll make sure to have a link on our homepage to see a question that just came in about that. And so this will be available throughout the summer for, folks that again, want to watch it again, or folks that didn't have the chance to, to view it live. 01:13:08:09 - 01:13:31:14 Unknown And we're here all summer. Don't hesitate to, to ask us any questions along the way. And again, whether you're a student watching this or a family member, get started with our office, if you haven't already. And, and again, it's something that is important for accommodations, but also just to kind of help you understand maybe some other support services that we might be able to link you up with. 01:13:31:14 - 01:13:51:05 Unknown And that's a key part of any kind of introductory meeting with our office. So really appreciate, everybody who, came tonight and great, great questions that I think benefited everyone. And, we're all looking forward to to seeing everybody come here in the fall. 01:13:51:06 - 01:14:03:01 Unknown I think everybody.