- Extra Time and/or Computer for Exams - Class Notes - Accessible Class Materials - Assistive Technology in Class - Document Conversion - Interpreters and Serivces for Deaf & Hard of Hearing Students - Reader/Scribe for Classes, Exams and/or Library Research

Extra Time and/or Computer for Exams	Your Accommodations Letter alerts instructors if you need extra time and/or the use of a computer for exams. The Assessment Center provides exam accommodations. Check Assessment Center hours and policies in the Student Guide to the Assessment Center, available in the Assessment Center, DSS office, and the DSS Learning Center . Note: You should remind your instructor to deliver exams to the Assessment Center. If your accommodations include the use of a computer for exams, you must schedule an appointment at the Assessment Center at least two days before you wish to take the exam.
Class Notes	Students volunteer to share class notes. If you receive this accommodation, pick up the Notetaker Packet with your Accommodations Letter from the DSS office. The Notetaker Packet includes instructions to volunteer notetakers, an announcement your instructor can read to the class to secure volunteers, and carbonless-copy notetaker paper. More paper is available in the DSS office.
Accessible Class Materials/ Document Conversion	DSS reserves the right to select among equally effective formats. Accessible materials are requested on the Request for Services Form approved by your DSS Counselor, and coordinated through the DSS Learning Center. Depending on the nature of the request, you may also need to complete additional forms in the DSS Learning Center. Materials must be returned by the final exam in good condition to continue this service. Textbooks Audio textbooks are ordered by the DSS Learning Center from Recordings for the Blind & Dyslexic (RFB&D). If you receive this service, please provide the Center with either of the following: Title with edition number or copyright date, Author, Publisher and ISBN. A listing of the required textbooks is available on the Montgomery College Bookstore web site. The RFB&D shelf numbers of your textbooks, which you can look up on the RFB&D web site. Note: During peak periods at the start of semesters, RFB&D takes at least two weeks to send tapes, so request this service early. When you register, check the bookstore for textbooks, and consult your instructor early in the semester about additional required readings. If neither RFB&D, nor the publisher, have a book, the Center creates an Adobe .PDF file for students who cannot use books due to visual and/or physical disability. Students who are able to learn and use the Kurzweil Read & Scan computer system are encouraged to take advantage of the stations available in various locations on campus. An orientation to the use of this equipment is available; ask your DSS counselor. Electronic, Large Print, and Braille Textbooks Textbooks in this format require time and coordination with outside agencies to produce. DSS must obtain written copyright permission from the publisher. Requests for Braille textbooks are sent to companies that require three months or longer to Braille a book. If you request these formats, make sure to plan ahead. Consult your DSS counselor and alert the DSS Learning Center as soon as possible, keeping in mind that several weeks to several months may be needed. Handouts, Exams, and Short Articles Large print, electronic and taped course materials (including class handouts, exams, or short articles) are produced by the DSS Learning Center. While every effort is made to provide materials in a timely manner, please be aware that time frames vary depending on the volume and nature of requests. Consult the DSS Learning Center at the beginning of the semester to discuss details. For alternate format exams, ask your instructor to deliver the exam to the DSS Learning Center as soon as possible, or at least 2 business days in advance.
Assistive Technology in Class	Please work with your DSS counselor and the Assistive Technology Coordinator to determine your software or hardware needs for class. Students interested in using assistive technology should contact a DSS counselor, who will assist the student and instructor to determine the specific need and design a technological solution. Every reasonable effort will be made to make assistive technology available in laboratories and other college support facilities to provide students with disabilities the opportunity to independently access instruction. Assistive technology is available at the Rockville, Germantown and Takoma Park/Silver Spring campuses for students who need disability-specific software and equipment to independently access classroom materials and to complete assignments. Please note that while DSS determines the equipment, the Office of Information Technology (OIT) installs it. This process takes time, so please register and meet with your DSS counselor at least six weeks before the start of the semester. Available Assistive Technology includes: Computers with disability specific software and equipment with capabilities such as: Voice recognition—allows students who cannot access a keyboard to input information using speech Enlarged print and screen magnifiers—for students with low vision Voice-synthesizers—provides computer monitor access to blind students; also provides multisensory editing capabilities for students with learning disabilities Alternative keyboards and mice—for students with limited muscular control, one-handed typists or mouth stick users Document scanning and conversion to text or speech—for students who need materials converted to auditory or an adapted visual format. Limited Braille conversion and printing—for students who are blind or have low vision Audiovisual equipment is also available such as: Closed circuit TV print enlargers (CCTV)—for students with low vision Assistive listening devices - for students who are hard of hearing Closed captioned decoders are built in to all TV's and instructor stations - for students who are deaf or hard of hearing Digital recorders (on a short-term, try-out basis) Audio CD players. Additional information on Assistive technology. Call the DSS Learning Center (CB116) at 240-567-5224 for an appointment to obtain more information and demonstrations.
Document Conversion	To facilitate access to College programs and services, DSS provides technical assistance in providing document conversion for the College community on request as resources allow. Students requesting alternative formats must provide documentation from a qualified professional verifying the need for the accommodation. Audio recording/CD's: Many textbooks, novels, and periodicals are available on audio recording/CD's and can be obtained from public libraries, the Library of Congress, and the Recordings for the Blind and Dyslexic (RFB&D) (800) 221-4792. If not available, RFB&D may need as long as six months to tape a book or may provide it in installments to the student. Students requesting taped materials should first investigate these resources. Costs for these services will be borne by the College. Documents required for class, such as class syllabi and handouts, may be submitted for recording at DSS; however, a reasonable document turnaround time is required, depending on the nature of the materials. Textbook recording—this service is primarily used by students with emergency short-term needs. Instructors can assist DSS by providing a syllabus with timelines of when chapters must be available for the student to complete assignments. Requests for textbooks should be made at least six weeks in advance of when material is needed. Other requests must be made as soon as possible to allow adequate time to produce the required materials. Braille: Original documents may be submitted to DSS either in print or on a computer disk for Braille transcription. Documents in WordPerfect or MSWord that use few formatting commands can be transcribed quickly; print materials and Adobe Acrobat .pdf files require more time because they must be scanned or manually entered into the computer. Documents with columns can be problematic in Braille. Often, the best solution may be audio tape/CD or reader services. Electronic: Students with disabilities that limit access to text may request documents on computer disk or CD, rather than hard copy; this will allow access to materials via computers with voice synthesizers or Braille output devices. Posting to the Internet via MyMC or WebCT, as well as email are becoming popular alternatives to provide accessibility to all students. Large Print: A computer or copy machine can create large print documents by following one of the procedures below. Ask the person making the request how much enlargement is preferred. With a computer—if a document has been created using a standard word processing program, it can easily be enlarged before printing. It is best to use a font that is sans serif; Arial, Geneva or Helvetica fonts are the clearest. An 18 or 24 point font is best. Bold characters also make the print clearer. With a copy machine, duplicating onto 11 x 17-inch paper can enlarge documents. The quality of the enlarged version depends on the clarity and condition of the original document.
Interpreters and Serivces for Deaf & Hard of Hearing Students	Interpreters, transliterators, captionists and assistive listening devices (ALD's) for deaf and hard of hearing students are requested on the Request for Services Form, approved by your DSS Counselor, and arranged by the counselor or Interpreter/Scheduler (CB 122A). Interpreter for Class Interpreter for Campus Activities or Events Interpreter for a Meeting with Professor DSS will make every effort to fill all requests for services; however, if students do not follow the published process and deadlines, services may be delayed, possibly until the next semester. Make your request at least three weeks before an activity or event to guarantee timely service. Must be received at least 48 hours before your appointment. All interpreter requests for new students attending classes or events on all campuses, including Workforce Development/Continuing Education, must be made to Janet Merrick, the DSS counselor who works with deaf and hard of hearing students. Returning students on all campuses may submit requests directly to Julie Rogers, the Interpreter/Scheduler in the Rockville Campus DSS office. TTY: 301-294-9672 Voice: 240-567-5058 Email: Julie.Rogers@montgomerycollege.edu and Janet.Merrick@montgomerycollege.edu Students who receive interpreter services: If you plan to miss class or an event, contact your interpreter 48 hours in advance. If you do not alert your interpreter about planned absences two times, you will receive a warning. A third time will result in suspension of the service. You may appeal to your DSS counselor for reinstatement . If you are late for class or a planned event, your interpreter will wait 15 minutes for every hour of class time before returning to the DSS office. For example, for a 3-hour class, the interpreter will wait 45 minutes. Note: When the interpreter returns to the DSS office, he or she will submit a "No Show" notice to the DSS Interpreter/Scheduler. If any questions or problems arise during the semester, please contact the DSS Counselor for deaf and hard of hearing students or the Interpreter/Scheduler as soon as possible.
Reader/Scribe for Classes, Exams and/or Library Research	Readers and scribes are requested on the Request for Services Form approved by your DSS Counselor, and arranged by the DSS Learning Center (CB 116). Resources are limited, so if you receive this service, carefully review the following guidelines: Classroom or Lab Aides Discuss with your counselor specifically how the aide will assist you in class or lab. The aide will be trained by the DSS Learning Center to provide this assistance. Bring to class all books or materials that will be needed during class time. If you plan ahead to miss a class, alert the DSS Learning Center so that your aide can be reassigned to help another student. Otherwise, your absence will be considered a "no show." If you are late for class ("tardy"), your aide will wait 15 minutes for every hour of class time before returning to the DSS Learning Center. If you need a reader or scribe for tasks that differ from those tasks assigned to the aide, make arrangements with the DSS Learning Center, not with the aide. Aides may not help students outside class unless assigned by the DSS Learning Center. Aides are not intended to be primary notetakers, tutors, or instructional assistants. If you require notes, arrange for a volunteer notetaker. If you have a question about class material or instructions, please ask your teacher directly. Alert the DSS Learning Center about any concerns or problems with this service. If you receive this service and have several unexplained absences ("no shows") or late arrivals ("tardy's"), then you must meet with a DSS Counselor to discuss your situation before the service can be continued. Readers/Scribes for Exams or Library Research Reader/scribe appointments are available during the semester for exams or library research. Contact the DSS Learning Center directly to schedule an appointment. If you need a scribe for an exam, contact the DSS Learning Center as soon as the exam is announced or at least one week in advance. If you need to cancel or reschedule an appointment, alert the DSS Learning Center as soon as possible to allow another student to use the appointment. Otherwise, your absence will be considered a "no show." If you arrive late for an appointment ("tardy"), lost time cannot be made up during that particular session. Make-up exams are arranged according to the instructor's exam policies and scribe availability. If you receive this service and have several unexplained absences ("no shows") or late arrivals ("tardy's"), then you must meet with a DSS Counselor to discuss your situation before the service can be continued. If any questions or problems arise during the semester, please contact the DSS Learning Center or a DSS counselor as soon as possible.