Review and evaluate Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) program to encourage student participation in services and to promote efficacy of same.

Provide academic adjustments and auxiliary aids and services for purpose of promoting full and equal access on part of students with disabilities to educational programs and activities and student life.

Questionnaire administered at conclusion of Fall, 2013 and Spring, 2014 semesters, respectively, to gauge client satisfaction with various aspects of the Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD).

SSD will administer Program Evaluation Surveys to its clients by means of mass e-mailings at the conclusion of the Fall, 2013 and Spring, 2014 semesters, respectively, in an effort to gauge client satisfaction with the quality and efficacy of it services.

SSD anticipates the following results from its Program Evaluation Surveys in 2013-2014:

1) At least 80% of respondents will rate their overall experience with SSD as "Good" or "Excellent;" and

2) At least 80% of respondents utilizing academic adjustments and/or auxiliary aids and services provided by SSD will report that these services contributed to improvements in their academic performance.

The 2013-2014 SSD Program Evaluation Surveys yielded the following cumulative results:

1) 80.9% of respondents rated their overall experience with SSD as either “good (19.0%)” or “excellent (61.9%).”   95.2% of respondents indicated that they would probably or definitely recommend SSD services to fellow SHSU students with disabilities.      

2) 90.7% of respondents reported that the accommodations provided by SSD contributed to improvements in their academic performance. With regard to auxiliary aids and services, 83.3% and 75.0% of respondents indicating usage of alternative textbook services and captioning/transcription services, respectively, credited these services with improvements in their course grades.  Although only 50.0% of respondents endorsing use of the SSD Adaptive Technology Lab characterized the lab as adequate for their purposes, this finding represented the views of a relatively small sample of respondents and, for that matter, SSD clients.  Only 19.0% of respondents reported actual use of the Adaptive Technology Lab, and, of these users, only 37.5% indicated an awareness of the adaptive technologies available at such campus venues as the Newton-Gresham Library, the Reading Center, and the general-use, computer labs.  Nonetheless, several respondents expressed dissatisfaction with the size and resources of the Adaptive Technology lab.

Note:  The above-noted findings should be interpreted with caution, in light of the relatively low response rate (6.7%) to the 2013-2014 Program Evaluation Surveys.

Questionnaire administered at conclusion of orientation program to gauge extent of awareness, knowledge, and/or skills gleaned by participants.

SSD will present an orientation program for new and returning clients at the outset of the Spring, 2014 semester, addressing such topics as the accessing and use of Classroom Accommodation Forms, effective faculty notification, self-advocacy vis-a-vis instructors on accommodation issues, and SSD testing procedures for accommodated exams.

As a result of this orientation, SSD expects to observe the following in participant surveys administered at the conclusion of the program:  

1) At least 80% of respondents will report increased knowledge and understanding of their responsibilities with regard to utilizing the Classroom Accommodation Forms and the SSD testing facilities; and

2) At least 80% of respondents will express increased confidence in their abilities to communicate with instructors regarding accommodations and to advocate for themselves, when necessary, on accommodation issues.

The Spring, 2014 Student Orientation Program Survey yielded the following results:

1) 80% of attendees reported that, as a result of participating in the orientation program, they had a better understanding of the process for accessing and utilizing Classroom Accommodation Forms.  100% of participants reported increased understanding of the SSD testing procedures for accommodated exams.

2) 100% of attendees reported that, as a result of the orientation program, they had increased confidence in their ability to communicate with instructors regarding their accommodations. 

Note:  Attendance at the SSD Spring Orientation Program was limited.  Only five students, including four SSD clients and one non-client, attended the event.  The feedback from these participants, however, was quite positive (see attached documentation).

The results of the 2013-2014 SSD Program Evaluation Surveys suggest that students are generally satisfied with the quality of SSD services and would recommend SSD to fellow SHSU students with disabilities.   As was the case with the 2012-2013 survey results, however, these findings should be interpreted with caution in that they reflect the views of a relatively small percentage of SSD clients.  Apparently, the distribution of pre- and reminder mass e-mailings to the SSD client population was not sufficient to increase the survey response rate.   Moreover, limitations in time, resources, and staffing precluded the use of additional methods for increasing the response rate, such as the availability of lap-top or notebook computers to students at the SSD Office or the designation of incentives for survey compliance.   SSD will further explore such means of increasing the response rate to the Program Evaluation Survey and, as a consequence, generating a larger and more representative sampling of clients than has been observed in previous surveys.

The 2013-2014 survey results further suggest that SSD services, including auxiliary aids and services, contribute to improved academic performance on the part of SSD clients.  In particular, these results indicate that respondents utilizing alternative textbook services and captioning/transcription services credit these services with improvements in their course grades.  Moreover, the findings suggest that students are generally satisfied with the quality of auxiliary aids and services provided by SSD.  A notable exception to this latter finding would be the relatively mixed reviews of the SSD Adaptive Technology Lab evidenced in the 2013-2014 surveys (see Results above).   The recent expansion of the lab and upgrading of adaptive software currently under way in the department are intended to address this concern.  As was the case with the 2012-2013 results, the current data on these services reflect the views of relatively small percentages of SSD clients.  Moreover, the current results indicate a limited awareness on the part of SSD clients regarding the adaptive technologies available at the SSD Office and other venues on the SHSU campus.  Limitations in time and staffing precluded the development of outreach programming designed to publicize such technologies in 2013-2014.  Given the recent expansion of the SSD staff, the department will explore additional means of publicizing these services and technologies, encouraging the use of such technologies, and collecting data regarding client satisfaction with same.  In pursuing these objectives, SSD will attempt to partner with various departments on campus, such as the Newton-Gresham Library, the Academic Success Center, and the campus bookstore, to facilitate orientations to adaptive technologies and alternative formats of instructional materials.

The participants in the Spring, 2014 Student Orientation Program indicated that this program enhanced their understanding of SSD policies and procedures, including accommodated testing procedures, and increased their confidence in communicating with instructors regarding accommodation issues.  SSD will plan additional such programs and explore appropriate means of publicizing same.

Provide training in disability related topics to SHSU faculty and staff.

Promote awareness and understanding of disability-related issues on part of SHSU faculty and staff by means of training opportunities, such as outreach presentations, workshops, teleconferences, etc.

Questionnaires administered at conclusion of training opportunities to gauge extent of disability-related knowledge, insights, and/or skills gleaned by participants.

SSD will present outreach programs on disability-related topics to additional academic departments in 2013-2014.  These programs will address such topics as:  SSD policies and procedures; responsibilities of faculty members regarding student accommodations; testing procedures for accommodated exams on the Huntsville campus and the satellite campuses; recommended strategies for recruiting volunteer student note-takers; alternative formats of instructional materials; and the limits of client confidentiality regarding disability-related information (a topic of interest identified by faculty and staff participants in the 2012-2013 outreach programs).
As a result of the aforementioned programs, SSD expects to obtain the following results from participant surveys: 

1) At least 80% of respondents participating in outreach programs addressing SSD policies and procedures will report increased knowledge and understanding of said policies and procedures; and

2) At least 80% of respondents will report increased awareness and understanding of the limits of client confidentiality regarding disability-related information and the responsibilities of faculty members pursuant to same.

The 2013-2014 Faculty Outreach Surveys yielded the following cumulative results:

1) 87.5% of respondents reported that, as a result of participating in an SSD outreach program, they had a fuller knowledge of SSD policies and procedures and the responsibilities of faculty members vis-à-vis students with disabilities.   

2) 87.5% of respondents reported that, as a result of participating in an SSD outreach program, they had a keener appreciation of the importance and limits of confidentiality regarding student disability information.

Note:  SSD faculty outreach in 2013-2014 was limited to two presentations, one to the Department of Foreign Languages Faculty Meeting of February 3, 2014 and the other to the College of Business Administration Department Chairs Meeting of April 11, 2014.  Only one participant survey was received from the latter presentation.

Results of surveys administered at the conclusion of the 2013-2014 SSD Faculty Outreach Programs indicated that these presentations were highly effective in promoting enhanced understanding of SSD policies and procedures, the responsibilities of faculty members vis-à-vis students with disabilities, and the limits of confidentiality regarding student disability information.  Limitations in time and staffing precluded additional such presentations in 2013-2014.  With the recent expansion of the SSD staff, the department will expand its outreach programming to faculty and staff in the coming academic year.  Additional topics of interest to be addressed in such presentations would include accessible formats of instructional materials.