University of Waterloo
Faculty, Staff and Student Leaders
Please
note that all University faculty, staff and student leaders are required to
complete training on ways to best extend support to persons with disabilities.
The
following document is a summary of the Accessible Customer Service on-line training
modules and can be read as an option to completing the on-line training. After reading the document, please log on to http://aoda.uwaterloo.ca/ enter your user ID and password, and click
confirm to track your completion.
If
you have questions, require assistance, or would like information on
initiatives taken to ensure access to programs, service and facilities for students,
faculty, staff and campus visitors with disabilities, please visit the
University of Waterloo Office for Persons with Disabilities website at http://www.studentservices.uwaterloo.ca/disabilities/
Council of Ontario Universities
Accessible Customer Service eLearning
Module 1 Summary
Understanding the AODA and the Accessibility Standards for Customer
Service
Background
Since 1962, the
Ontario Human Rights Code (OHRC) has
provided persons with disabilities with the right to access goods, services,
employment, etc. without discrimination. The Code requires employers, service
providers and landlords, for example, to accommodate persons with disabilities
to the point of undue hardship. The Code has resulted in some progress towards
breaking down accessibility barriers in Ontario. However, progress has occurred
on a case-by-case, reactive basis. Full access remains limited as persons with
disabilities still encounter many barriers that prevent equal access and
participation.
Accessibility for Ontarians with
Disabilities Act (AODA)
The goal of the
Accessibility for Ontarians with
Disabilities Act (2005) is to make Ontario accessible by 2025 through the
development of accessibility standards. In addition to customer service,
development of standards in other key areas is underway, including:
•
information and communications
•
built environment
•
employment
•
transportation
Accessibility Standards for Customer
Service
The Ontario
government has developed a customer service standard, known as the
Accessibility Standards for Customer Service, Ontario Regulation 429/07, under
the Accessibility for Ontarians with
Disabilities Act. The customer service standard came into force on January
1, 2008, and applies to all people or organizations, both public and private,
that:
•
Provide goods and services either directly to the
public or to other businesses or organizations, and
•
Have one or more employees in Ontario
Definition of Disability
The AODA uses
the Ontario Human Rights Code definition
of disability. It includes disabilities of different severity, visible as well
as non-visible disabilities and disabilities of which the effects may come and
go. It also includes sensory disabilities (e.g., hearing and vision), learning
disabilities and physical disabilities.
AODA defines a
disability as:
a) any degree of physical disability,
infirmity, malformation or disfigurement that is caused by bodily injury, birth
defect or illness and includes diabetes mellitus, epilepsy, a brain injury, any
degree of paralysis, amputation, lack of physical coordination, blindness or
visual impediment, deafness or hearing impediment, muteness or speech
impediment, or physical reliance on a guide dog or other animal or on a
wheelchair or other remedial appliance or device,
b) a condition of mental impairment or
a development disability,
c) a learning disability, or
dysfunction in one or more of the processes involved in understanding or using
symbols or spoken language,
d) a mental disorder, or
e) an injury or disability for which
benefits were claimed or received under the insurance plan established under
the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act,
1997.
Barriers to Accessibility
A barrier is
anything that keeps someone from fully participating in all aspects of society
because of his or her disability. Barriers can be visible or non-visible. Furthermore,
while barriers are often unintentional, they can restrict access to goods and
services. Common barriers include:
Attitude
This barrier is about what we think
and how we interact with persons with disabilities. It is perhaps the most
difficult barrier to overcome because our attitudes – based on our beliefs,
knowledge, previous experience and education – can be hard to change. For
instance, some people don’t know how to communicate with persons with
disabilities – they may assume that someone with a speech problem also has an
intellectual disability. Some people worry about offending someone by offering
help and deal with this by ignoring or avoiding persons with disabilities.
Architectural
or structural
Architectural or structural barriers
may result from design elements of a building such as stairs, doorways, the
width of hallways and room layout. These barriers may also occur through
everyday practices, such as when we store boxes or other objects in hallways,
obstructing accessible pathways.
Information or
communication
Information or communication
barriers – like small print size, low colour contrast between text and
background or not facing the person when speaking – can make it difficult to
receive or convey information.
Technology
Technology, or the lack of it, can
prevent people from accessing information. Common tools like computers,
telephones and other aids can all present barriers if they are not set up or
designed with accessibility in mind.
Systemic
Systemic barriers can result from an
organization’s policies, practices and procedures if they restrict persons with
disabilities, often unintentionally, as in the case of making a full course
load a requirement for eligibility for campus services such as residences,
scholarships and honours listing.
Customer Service Standard
Requirements
The customer
service standard outlines a series of different requirements for service
providers across Ontario. To achieve compliance with the standard, universities
must:
•
Establish policies, practices and procedures on
providing goods or services to persons with disabilities
•
Train everyone responsible for developing these
policies, practice and procedures on accessible customer service
•
Ensure that the university’s policies, practices and
procedures are consistent with four principles: independence, dignity,
integration and equality of opportunity
•
Have a policy for people’s use of their own assistive
devices
•
Communicate with a person with a disability in a
manner that takes into account his or her disability
•
Permit persons with disabilities to bring their
service animals onto campus
•
Allow persons with disabilities to be accompanied by
their support persons while on campus and let them know what, if any, admission
will be charged for support persons
•
Provide notice of temporary disruption to facilities
or services that persons with disabilities may use or access
•
Establish and make publicly available a process for
receiving and responding to feedback about accessible customer service,
specifying the actions to be taken if a complaint is received
•
Train anyone who interacts with the public on behalf
of the university on accessible customer service
Most
universities have policies, practices and procedures that relate to customer
service for persons with disabilities. Examples include policies on
accommodating students with disabilities, procedures on booking assistive
listening devices, room reservations and residence admissions policies. While
some of these are formal, documented practices, others are unwritten and
informal.
Principles of Accessible Customer
Service
Under the
customer service standard, each university must ensure that its policies,
practices and procedures address the requirements of the standard, and use
reasonable efforts to ensure they are consistent with the following principles:
Dignity
Providing service with dignity means
the customer maintains his or her self-respect and the respect of other people.
Dignified service means not treating persons with disabilities as an
afterthought or forcing them to accept lesser service, quality or convenience.
Independence
Ensuring people are able to do
things on their own without unnecessary help, or interference from others.
Integration
Integration means providing service
in a way that allows the person with a disability to benefit from the same
services, in the same place and in the same or similar way as other customers.
Equal
Opportunity
Equal opportunity means having the
same chances, options, benefits and results as others. In the case of services,
it means that persons with disabilities have the same opportunity as others to
benefit from the way you provide goods or services.
Disruptions in Service
Universities
must provide notice to the public when there is a temporary disruption to their
facilities or services. This notice is important to persons with disabilities
because they often go to a lot of trouble to access your services.
This applies
whether a temporary disruption is planned or unexpected, as in the following
examples:
•
Elevators out of service
•
Cancelled classes due to illness
•
Building shutdowns
•
Changes in building access due to construction
The standard
requires universities to provide notice of temporary service disruptions using
a variety of methods that can include:
•
Posting in a conspicuous place
•
Sending an email message
•
Posting on a website
•
Any other reasonable method under the circumstances
The notice
should also include information about:
•
The reason for the disruption
•
Its expected duration
•
A description of alternate facilities or services, if
available
Feedback Process
Good customer
service for persons with disabilities also includes a process for receiving and
responding to feedback. The standard requires universities to establish and
implement a process for receiving and responding to feedback about the way they
provide goods or services to persons with disabilities.
The process
must allow people to give feedback in a number of ways:
•
In person
•
By telephone
•
In writing
•
By email
•
On disk
•
By other methods
Using a variety
of methods ensures that you take into account the varying communication needs
of persons with disabilities.
The standard
also requires universities to specify the action that staff, faculty or other
respondents will do if a complaint is received.
Finally, the
standard requires universities to make information about the feedback process
readily available to the public.
Council of Ontario
Universities
Accessible Customer Service eLearning
Module 2 Summary
Communicating
with Customers with Disabilities
Who are customers on campus?
Universities have all kinds of customers, including
full-time and part-time undergrad and graduate students, city residents,
visiting alumni and faculty, students’
parents and other relatives, and representatives from other organizations,
e.g., universities, ministry, business
partners.
What kinds of
disabilities are there?
Disabilities can be both visible and non-visible: while some
disabilities are immediately recognizable, others are not.
When you interact and communicate with
persons with disabilities:
•
Be respectful.
•
Dismiss your stereotypes and avoid
making assumptions about a person’s disability or capabilities. Many persons with
disabilities often talk about being frustrated with people assuming what they
can or can’t do.
•
Speak directly to the person with a
disability and not their support person, companion or interpreter. While this
can sometimes be challenging, ignoring or talking over the person with the
disability is patronizing and an affront to their dignity.
•
Be patient – sometimes communicating
with someone with a disability can take a bit longer, requiring you or the
other person to repeat yourselves several times.
•
Avoid touching or interacting with a
service animal.
•
Think of the assistive device as an
extension of the person’s personal space – touch these only if you are asked
to.
•
When you don’t know what to do, it’s
always best to ask the person with a disability.
Learning
Disabilities
The
term “learning disability” describes a range of information processing
disorders that can affect how a person acquires, organizes, expresses, retain
and understands verbal and non-verbal information. Examples include dyslexia (difficulty understanding
written words), dyscalculia
(difficulty solving arithmetic problems and grasping math concepts) and auditory or visual processing disorders
(difficulty understanding language despite normal hearing and vision.
When communicating
and interacting with someone with a learning disability:
·
Speak naturally, clearly and directly
to the person.
·
Provide information in a way that works
best for that person. For example, even if you have written notes, it may be
helpful to verbalize the information too. If you are not sure, gently ask the
person if there’s a different way you can provide the information that would be
helpful.
·
Be patient and willing to explain
something again.
·
Extra time to complete a task is often
helpful. As some students with dyslexia may take longer to read and understand
written words, it is often helpful when they have extra time to complete an
in-class activity.
Mental Health
Disabilities
Mental health disabilities are usually not visible. Most of
the time, you will not know that a person has a mental health disability.
Sometimes, a mental health disability may present itself through “odd” or very
different behaviour although again, you may have no way of knowing for sure.
Mental
health disabilities cover a wide range of disorders and include depression,
obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic attacks and dissociative disorder.
When communicating
and interacting with someone you know who has a mental health disability:
• Treat the person with the same respect and consideration you
have for everyone else.
• Be patient. A person with a mental health disability may
have difficulty concentrating, mood swings, poor memory and lack of motivation.
• In situations where you think the person needs additional
help, be patient and calm.
• Familiarize yourself with any protocols in place at your
university for dealing with crisis situations involving mental health
disabilities.
• Make an effort to learn about resources available at your
university and in the community for assisting people with mental health
disabilities.
Intellectual or
Developmental Disabilities
Intellectual or developmental disabilities are those
characterized by significant limitations both in intellectual functioning and
in adaptive behaviours, which are required in many everyday social and
practical skills. Some people with intellectual or development disabilities
learn and process information more slowly and may have difficulty with abstract
concepts and subtleties of interpersonal interactions.
When communicating
and interacting with someone with an intellectual or development disability:
·
Remind yourself to be patient.
·
Speak more slowly and leave pauses for
the person to process your words.
·
Use plain language and avoid jargon.
·
Speak directly to the person.
·
Ask one question at a time, giving the
person time to formulate and give their reply.
·
Make sure the person understands what
you’ve said. You can be direct and ask, “Do you understand this?”
Hearing Loss
Many terms are used for hearing loss; here are a few
commonly used terms:
·
A person who is hard of hearing has a mild to profound hearing loss.
·
A person who is deafened has a significant hearing loss and may have lost their
hearing gradually or suddenly.
·
People who are deafened or hard of
hearing may use devices such as hearing aids, cochlear implants, FM systems or
they may rely on speech-reading (also known as lip reading).
·
A person who is deaf has little or no functional hearing and may depend upon visual
rather than auditory communication.
·
Oral deaf refers to a person who is deaf and
whose preferred mode of communication is verbal and auditory. The person may or
may not use sign language.
·
Deaf spelled with a
capital D is used to refer to people who are deaf or hard of hearing and who
identify with the culture, society and language of Deaf people, which is based
on Sign Language. Their preferred mode of communication is Sign.
When communicating
or interacting with someone with hearing loss:
•
If the person isn’t looking at you,
attract their attention before speaking with a discreet wave of your hand or a
gentle tap on the shoulder.
•
Speak clearly, pacing your speech and
pauses normally. You don’t have to shout, exaggerate or over-pronounce your
words.
•
If possible, find a quiet place to
converse – background noise can be hard to filter out.
•
Don’t stand in front of a window or
light as it shades your face – poor light and shadows can make it difficult to
speech read.
•
Don’t put your hands, glasses or other
objects such as a pen, in front of your face when speaking. This too can make
speech reading difficult.
•
If interacting with a person with an
interpreter, be sure to face and speak directly to the person, not the
interpreter.
•
If necessary, ask the person for
suggestion on how to improve the communication. He or she may ask you to move
away from the light, speak a little more slowly or perhaps even use a pen and
paper.
Vision Loss
Vision loss reduces a person’s ability to see clearly. Few
people with vision loss are totally blind. Some have limited vision, such as
the loss of side, peripheral or central vision. Some can see the outline of
objects, while others can see the direction of light.
When communicating and interacting with someone with a vision loss:
•
Don’t assume
the person cannot see you – few people with vision loss are totally blind.
•
Do not touch
the person without permission.
•
When offering
to guide someone with a vision loss, stand on the side they direct you and hold
out your elbow. When they’ve taken it, walk at a normal pace and the person
will usually walk a step behind. Announce handrails, doors (e.g., to the left,
right, push/pull to open) and describe the surrounding areas.
•
Do not leave
the person in the middle of a room. Show him or her to a chair, or guide them
to a comfortable location.
•
If you need to
leave the person, let them know you are leaving and will be back.
•
Identify
yourself when you approach the person and speak directly to him or her, not to
his or her companion.
•
Don’t raise
your voice. Say your name even if you know the person well, since many voices
sound similar.
•
Give clear and
precise directions. For example, “a metre to your left” is better than “over
there”.
•
If you’re not
sure how to give directions, ask the person what would be most helpful.
•
Don’t be afraid
or embarrassed to use words such as “see”, “read” or “look”. People with vision
loss also use these words.
•
Do not touch or
speak to service animals. They are working and have to pay attention at all
times.
•
When giving
printed information, offer to read, summarize or describe it.
Deafblind
Most people who are deafblind have a combination of vision
and hearing loss. They usually have some useful but not always reliable vision
and hearing. People who are deafblind use many different ways to communicate
including sign language, tactile sign language, tracking, tactile
fingerspelling, Braille, speech and speech reading.
When communicating
and interacting with a person who is deafblind:
•
Don’t assume what a person can or
cannot do. Some people who are deafblind may have some hearing and/or vision.
•
If you are not sure how to begin, ask
the person what will be helpful.
•
Many people will explain what you need
to do, perhaps giving you an assistance card or note explaining how to
communicate.
•
Often people who are deafblind are accompanied
by an intervenor. Again, speak directly to the person with a disability and not
the intervenor.
•
Identify yourself both to the person
with the disability and the intervenor.
•
Some people who are deafblind use
service animals. Again, do not pet or interact with the animal.
•
You can give a gentle
touch on the arm to get the person’s attention. However, do not touch a person
who is deafblind on the shoulder or back as they may not have enough vision to
orient your location to them.
•
Suddenly touching a person
who is deafblind can be alarming and should only be done in emergencies.
Speech or Language Disabilities
A person with a speech disability is unable to produce
speech sounds correctly or fluently, sometime due to voice strength or aphasia.
Some people with speech disabilities have difficulties with articulation and
stuttering.
A person with a language disability has trouble
understanding others (receptive language) or sharing thoughts, ideas and
feelings (expressive language).
Some people with speech disabilities use a
communication board, symbols or cards to help them communicate. When asked, use
these devices as instructed.
When communicating and
interacting with someone with a speech or language impairment:
•
Don’t assume that because
a person has one disability, he or she also has another. Many people with
speech disabilities complain that because they can’t speak well, people treat
them like they are unintelligent or developmentally delayed.
•
Remember that anxiety can
often aggravate a speech disability – your being relaxed will help reduce the
other person’s anxiety.
•
Be patient and allow the
person to complete what they are saying without interruptions.
•
If the individual is
accompanied by a support person, follow the same guidelines as when an interpreter
is present. Speak to and look at the person with the disability and not the
support person.
•
If you don’t understand,
ask the person to repeat the information. Sometimes it is helpful to use “yes”
or “no” questions.
When communicating and
interacting with someone with a physical disability:
There
are many types and degrees of physical disabilities – not all require a
wheelchair. People who have arthritis, heart or lung conditions or temporary
disabilities may have difficulty with moving, standing or sitting. In many
cases, it may be difficult to identify a person with a physical disability.
·
When meeting a person using a
wheelchair or walker, do offer to shake their hand, even if they appear to have
limited use of their arms. This common action of personal contact creates a
warm environment for communication.
·
If the person uses a wheelchair and the
conversation is expected to last longer than a few moments, find somewhere to
sit down nearby. This enables you to make eye contact on the same level and
reduces neck strain for the person having to look up at you.
·
Don’t make assumptions about a person’s
capabilities. Some people can walk with assistance but use a wheelchair or
scooter to conserve energy or move around quickly.
·
Remember that the
person’s assistive device is part of his or her personal space. Don’t lean or
rest your foot on the wheelchair, walker or other equipment.
·
Don’t move items or
equipment, such as canes or walkers, out of the person’s reach.
·
Don’t move a person’s
wheelchair without permission – moving them without warning can cause the
person to lose their balance.
·
If the person is accompanied by a
support person or companion, speak to the person directly. It is annoying and
frustrating not to be included in a conversation that involves you.
·
Familiarize yourself with the location
of accessible features located nearby, such as accessible entrances, washrooms,
elevators and lifts. Although a student who uses a walker, for example, may be
familiar with some parts of campus, he or she may still ask a faculty or staff
member the location of the nearest accessible washroom.
·
When hosting or planning an event, let
attendees know about the location of these features beforehand, for example in
event posters or other announcements.
Other Disabilities
Chronic health conditions, such as asthma, arthritis,
diabetes, lupus, sickle cell anemia and hemophilia, are disabilities that may
affect a person’s ability to move around, sit or stand or to do other things.
Many people don’t think of these health conditions as disabilities requiring
accessibility considerations but in some cases, they do. You will probably not
know that someone has a disability. Since universities have no way of
identifying all of the persons with disabilities who may use its services,
university employees should think more frequently and naturally about
accessibility in their activities, services and interactions.
Alternate formats
Alternate formats are simply ways of providing
information in ways other than it was originally produced.
Why are alternate formats important for persons with
disabilities?
Persons with disabilities receive, convey and make use
of information in a wide variety of ways.
·
Some persons with
disabilities may not be able to read print but can access the information using
other formats such as audio, Braille, enlarged text and screen-reading
software.
·
Although we often think
of people with vision loss needing alternative-to-print formats, many people
with learning disabilities also benefit from having access to information in
other formats. For example, some people with auditory processing difficulties
prefer written rather than spoken information.
·
Closed captioning, CART
(communication access real-time translation), sign language and text are all
different types of alternate formats that people with hearing loss use to
access information.
Some people with physical disabilities (such
as low upper body strength) may find it easier to access information using
audio formats as the effort to hold a book or sheaf of papers can be quickly
tiring.
Council of Ontario Universities
Accessible Customer Service eLearning
Module 3 Summary
Serving
Customers with Disabilities
What is a service animal?
A service animal is any guide dog,
signal dog or other animal individually trained to assist a person with a
disability.
What do service animals do?
Each animal is trained to perform
various tasks and provide a range of services.
·
A guide
dog serves as a travel aid for a
person with vision loss.
·
A hearing
or signal animal alerts a person with hearing loss when a sound occurs,
such as knock on the door or alarm.
·
Mobility assistance
animals may carry, fetch, open doors, ring doorbells, activate elevator
buttons, pull a wheelchair, steady a person while walking or help someone get
up after a fall.
·
A seizure
response animal warns a person of an impending seizure or provides aid
during a seizure such as going for help or standing guard over the person.
·
Therapeutic assistance
animals aid people with cognitive or psychological disabilities by bringing a
phone to the person in emergency, calling 911 or the suicide hotline, turning
on the lights, fetching medication, barking for help in emergency or assisting
a person with panic disorder coping in crowds.
What should you do when communicating and interacting with
someone who uses a service animal?
•
Do not request that the owner leave the
animal in different location, such as outside of your office or classroom.
•
Avoid petting or talking to a service
animal: this distracts the animal from its tasks.
•
Do not feed or offer treats to the
animal.
•
Avoid deliberately startling the
animal.
•
Remember not all service animals wear
special collars or harnesses. If you are not sure and it is necessary that you
verify, it is okay to ask the owner if it is a service animal.
•
Remember that the owner is responsible
for maintaining control over the animal at all time. You are not responsible
for cleaning up after it or feeding it. You may provide water if the owner
requests it.
Are there any locations on campus where service animals are
not permitted?
Under the standard, universities must
permit service animals in all areas
to which the public normally have access. There are only a few exceptions where
a service animal would be excluded by law, as in these examples.
·
The Health
Protection and Promotion Act (1990) does not allow animals in places where
food is manufactured, prepared, processed, handled, served, displayed, stored,
sold or offered for sale. However, the Act does contain specific exemptions for
service dogs only, allowing them to accompany their owners into areas where
food is normally served, sold or offered for sale.
·
In some unique situations where the presence of the animal presents a significant risk
for another person, say for example in cases of severe allergies, the
university is required to meet the needs of both persons in these situations
and would have to devise an accommodation plan that enables both persons to
access services and goods accordingly.
·
Some municipal by-laws restrict certain
breeds of animals or dogs from the municipality and these by-laws apply even if
the animal is acting as a service animal.
What is a support person?
A support person is someone either
hired or chosen to help a person with a disability. A support person can be a
personal support worker, a volunteer, a family member or spouse or a friend of
the person with the disability. A support person in some cases does not
necessarily need to have special training or qualifications.
Support persons may provide one or more
types of assistance.
·
Transportation
·
Guiding a person with a vision loss
·
Adaptive communication (e.g.,
intervenor for someone who is deafblind)
·
Interpretation (e.g., ASL/English
interpreter, LSQ/French interpreter)
·
Note-taking, scribe or reading services
(usually coordinated by Disability or Library Services Offices)
·
Personal care assistance
·
Support persons in the event of a
seizure (e.g., protect from falls)
·
Interpret and speak on behalf of
someone with a speech disability
Under the customer service standard,
universities must permit persons with disabilities to be accompanied and
assisted by their support persons while accessing its good or services.
When interacting and communicating with someone who has a
support person:
•
A person with a disability may not
always introduce his or her support person. If you are not sure, it is
appropriate to ask, “Is this your interpreter or support person?”
•
Although it can feel a little awkward,
speak to and look directly at the person with a disability even though the
message may be coming from the support person.
•
Address the person appropriately: “What
courses are you taking this year?” as opposed to “Can you ask him what courses
he is taking this year?”
•
Remember that support persons,
especially interpreters, tend to communicate everything to the person. Avoid
engaging in “side” conversations with the interpreter, thinking these won’t be
conveyed to the person with the disability.
•
Plan for the presence of support
persons, e.g., ensure seating arrangements accommodate support persons in
locations that will help facilitate communication.
•
Where possible, provide written
materials both to the person with the disability and the support person.
•
During event planning, note the
location of washrooms that will accommodate persons with disabilities and their
support persons.
What is an assistive device?
An assistive device is any device that
is used, designed, made or adapted to assist people in performing a particular
task. Assistive devices enable persons with disabilities to do everyday tasks
such as moving, communicating, reading or lifting.
Some persons with disabilities use
personal assistive devices. Here are a few examples.
· Wheelchairs
· Canes
· Walkers
· Assistive listening devices (FM systems)
· Laptops with screen-reading software or communicating
capabilities
· Smart phones (i.e. wireless handheld devices)
·
Hearing aids
·
Global positioning system (GPS) devices
Here are a few more examples of
assistive devices you may come across when communicating and interacting with
persons with disabilities on campus.
· Persons with vision loss may use a digital audio player to
listen to books, directions, art shows, etc.
· Some persons who are deaf or hard of hearing use
teletypewriters (TTY). This machine enables telephone-like communication using
text. Calls placed to or from a non-TTY user can be made through the Bell Relay
Service.
· Persons who are blind may use a white cane to assist with
safety, mobility and independence. The cane is used to check for objects in a
person’s path, changes in walking surfaces and dangers like steps and curbs.
· Some persons with breathing difficulties carry portable
oxygen tanks.
· Persons with learning disabilities or difficulties with
memory use personal digital assistants for storing, organizing or retrieving
personal, school or employment information.
· Persons with physical, learning or speech disabilities may
use laptops to access information, take notes or to communicate.
· Some persons with speech disabilities may use a variety of
communication devices, such as voice-output systems or pictures/symbols to
communicate.
The
customer service standard requires that faculty, staff members and student
leaders who act on behalf of the university are familiar with these devices and
can either provide assistance or know whom to contact about operating them upon
request.
Here are a few examples of assistive
devices that may be available at your university.
·
Adjustable
desks and workstations in classrooms or offices
·
Assistive
listening devices (e.g., FM systems)
·
Lifts
in stairwells
·
Manual
wheelchairs or power scooters
·
Teletypewriters
(TTY)
·
Adaptive
computer technology or software
A final requirement of the customer
service standard is that faculty, staff members and student leaders know what
do to if they encounter a person with a disability having difficulties
accessing a service or good on campus or if they observe something that may
interfere with accessibility.