Disability Accommodation

Office of Disability Accommodation

Your path to academic success at the University of North Texas may hold some unexpected challenges. The Office of Disability Accommodation will serve you if you qualify for disability accommodations as defined by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990. Our staff will assist you in your search for adaptive strategies and academic accommodations.

The office maintains all your disability-related medical and psychological documentation and corresponding accommodation request records. More than 650 students are registered for ODA services, and this number is expected to increase as the student body continues to grow and diversify. The office provides many services and resources spanning the full range of disabilities.

ODA's mission

The office's fundamental priority is to facilitate access to the classroom environment as well as to the goods, services and programs throughout the university by means of empowerment and autonomy. To this end, the office collaborates with university faculty, staff and departmental groups to promote a positive academic experience for you.

The ODA serves as the primary resource for several programs and services that will assist you in gaining equal access to the learning environment. It facilitates the implementation of reasonable accommodations in the classroom if you meet eligibility requirements. Examples of ODA services are:

• arranging classroom service providers such as sign language interpreters and volunteer note takers
• providing access to alternative-format materials such as textbooks on audiotape and in electronic or Braille format
• arranging for readers (through a contract with Texas Commission for the Blind)
• referring students to tutoring services and other academic support programs
• facilitating arrangement of adaptive classroom furniture and classroom modifications such as relocating classrooms to more accessible settings
• consulting with other campus departments regarding accessibility issues
• providing ADA and disability accommodation training to faculty and staff groups

ODA also provides testing facilities for administration of classroom exams. If you qualify for alternative testing arrangements, you may arrange the accommodations with your instructors for in-class testing or take the exam in an ODA-assigned testing room with a test proctor. In addition, ODA houses an adaptive testing center, which includes access to a CCTV, JAWS and ZoomText software, as well as test readers and scribes. (You must schedule all tests proctored in the ODA facilities and get authorization by the course instructor 48 hours in advance of the exam and one week in advance during midterm and final examination periods.)

Facilities, parking and transportation

Most facilities on campus are wheelchair accessible and are equipped with ramps, wheelchair-accessible restrooms, automatic doors and elevators with Braille controls. A few older buildings may present challenges; therefore, we recommend that you contact your academic department for details regarding specific facilities in which the program is offered. You are encouraged to consider a motorized wheelchair on the Denton campus if you have difficulties in mobility, as university facilities span 865 acres on a partially hilly terrain.

All UNT parking lots have accessible parking spaces. A valid UNT parking permit must be displayed on all vehicles parked in UNT lots, even if you have a state-approved ADA/handicapped parking placard or license plate. You will be eligible to ride the campus shuttle system, which operates day and night throughout the Denton campus and is wheelchair lift-equipped. Visit www.unt.edu/transit for current parking regulations, a parking map and current shuttle schedules.

In the city of Denton and Denton County, transportation services provided by the Denton County Transportation Authority are available and include ADA-accessible vehicles that travel to and from campus to various points in the city. Information about the DCTA's services is available at www.dcta.net.

Academic Computing Services houses an adaptive computer lab in the Information Sciences Building, Room 110. This facility will offer you many advantages, including a centralized campus location, close proximity to the University Union and the Office of Disability Accommodation, and ramp access.

The lab features the latest versions of adaptive software, including Dragon Naturally Speaking, Scientific Notebook and MathTalk, which translates complex scientific and math symbols into Braille. Other adaptive software and hardware available in the lab includes ZoomText, JAWS, Duxbury Braille Translator, Tiger Embosser, Focus refreshable Braille displays, Braille printer, Kurzweil 1000 Flex scanning system and CCTV. For information about the Adaptive Lab, visit www.unt.edu/ACSGAL.

Housing accommodations

You will be required to live in a university residence hall if you are a full-time, single undergraduate student with less than 30 semester hours of credit, regardless of age. However, exceptions may be granted at the discretion of the director of housing. Exceptions may be made if you live with your parents, grandparents or a married sibling. Other exceptions may be made for veterans or previously married students, students with medical disabilities, or students with such extreme financial hardship that on-campus housing would be unfeasible.

The residence hall system makes every reasonable effort to provide facilities that meet the accessibility expectations of individuals with disabilities. A limited number of wheelchair-accessible rooms are available, as well as other reasonable adaptations that may be considered upon advance request of at least 60 days. Keep in mind that the housing office assigns rooms by date order, so you are advised to make all room accommodation requests as early in the application process as possible. Campus Dining Services also employs a licensed dietician who is available to assist you in formulating special diet plans upon request.

Personal care attendants and service animals are welcome in the residence halls. If you would like assistance in recruiting and hiring an attendant, you may post the job on campus in the UNT Career Center.

Applying for Disability Accommodation Services

To request classroom accommodations through ODA, you must:

• attain full acceptance to enroll in classes at UNT
• submit proof of your disability to the ODA Documentation Review Committee. Contact the ODA or visit www.unt.edu/oda for information about documentation requirements for specific disabilities

After your information is reviewed, you will be contacted by the ODA to schedule an appointment with a counselor.

It is at this time that you will be informed if your documentation was approved or not. If the documentation is approved, you can complete the registration process, officially request accommodations at UNT, and be given letters of accommodation to take to your professors. You must request new letters every semester.

If the documentation is not approved, you will be informed that additional information is required, and how to go about obtaining it.

You may register with the office as soon as you are admitted to UNT. However, it is strongly recommended that you attend the new student orientation, receive academic advising and register for classes before requesting classroom accommodations.

Office Location and Hours

The UNT Office of Disability Accommodation is in the University Union, Room 321. During regular semesters, ODA is open 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday. The office is closed when the university is closed.