Disability Services Student Support Services

IMPORTANT INFORMATION & KEY DATES FOR SEMESTER 2, 2012

ANNOUNCEMENTS 1. Online Request System All students are reminded to use the online request system to access their adjustments and support services. If you are using the system for the first time you must read and acknowledge the Use of Disclosure of Personal Information form. Also read the Disability Information form and acknowledge if appropriate. How Do I Access the System? Visit http://sydney.edu.au/disability/assist and login with your UniKey. How Do I Lodge a Request? Once you have logged in, click on the Add New Service Request link on the right hand side of screen. Choose the service that you need from your listed eligibilities, and fill in the details. Please note: You will receive updates about your Service Requests from the online system. These updates will be sent to your University email address from MAILER-DAEMON@... These emails will contain important information about your Service Requests and any action required. They are NOT SPAM. Please read them. For further information on accessing services through this system, visit sydney.edu.au/disability or email disability.services@sydney.edu.au 2. Service Request Submission Changes Students will now be required to submit their academic adjustment requests (exams/assignments) earlier than previously advised (except in the case of an unpredicted exacerbation); Assessment Adjustments should be submitted at least 1 week prior to the due date. In-Department Examination Adjustments should be submitted at least 3 weeks prior to the date of the exam/test. 3. Lecture Support (Notetaking / Lecture Recording) Pilot Program Semester, 2, 2012 Due to recent feedback from students (quality of notes; delay in receiving notes) and faculty, Disability Services is reviewing the lecture support (ie notetaking and lecture recording) options. As such we will be undertaking a pilot program in Semester 2, 2012 in order to develop a more efficient lecture support process. In Semester 2 when we receive a request for either Notetaking or Lecture Recording, Disability Services will automatically implement the following process: 1. In the first instance, a request for Lecture Recording will be sent to the unit coordinator (even if the request was for Notetaking). 2. If the request is declined, Disability Services will then attempt to recruit a notetaker. 3. If a notetaker cannot be found by Week 5, students will be directed to contact their Disability Officer to discuss options. Lecture Recording is a more efficient and accurate form of lecture support. However, we understand that the impact of some disabilities may mean that working from hardcopy notes is more appropriate. Please contact your Disability Officer to discuss if this is a concern for you. 4. New Service Request for All Students Ask a Disability Officer a Question Due to the high volume of emails received by Disability Officers, a new process has been established whereby students can submit their queries via a service request instead of sending an email. This will ensure that your query is attended to promptly and efficiently, and you can keep track of the progress of your query. Please note that not all profiles have been updated yet with this eligibility as they will need to be done manually. The next time you contact Disability Services, your profile will be updated and your query will be automatically submitted on your behalf through this new service request.

SEMESTER 2 DEADLINES FOR SERVICES Please note below some of the Semester 2 service request deadlines you may need to be aware of: Timetable Modifications: Eligible students have previously been contacted and reminded to submit their timetable modifications requests. The deadline has now passed. Urgent requests can still be submitted, however it is important to note that there may be a delay in receiving a response and that the request may not be possible. You can also utilise the timetabling queues on campus up to the end of Week 1. Texts / Alternative Formatting / Captioning: Eligible students requiring alternative formatting of texts or captioning of audio-visual material must submit their requests no later than the beginning of week 3 (Monday, 13 August). The Assistive Technology Specialist, Jason, has already emailed eligible students directly please refer to his email for more information. Disability Notification Letters: If you would like to provide your teaching staff with advice regarding your registration with Disability Services, we can provide you with a Disability Notification letter. Students with specific impairments that require support and assistance from lecturers and tutors, such as hearing and vision impairments, are advised to utilise this letter. We encourage you to organise this as early as possible. Academic Plans: If you enrol in any units of study offered by the Sydney Law School, the University of Sydney Business School, or the Faculty of Health Sciences, you will need to request an Academic Plan by the end of week 2 (Friday, 10 August). These Faculties expect that students know and plan for their needs at the commencement of the semester and have these arrangements in place early. It may be difficult to provide some adjustments if Plans are received later than this. Please also remember that the Business School has a different assessment policy for assignment extensions, which may be different to your current eligibility. Please refer to your Disability Officer if you need further guidance. Lecture Support (Notetaking / Lecture Recording): Please refer to announcement on page 1. Eligible students will need to submit their lecture support requests no later than the end of Week 1 (Friday, 3 August). **Please note that lecture support is not a guaranteed service. Assignment Extensions (Assessment Adjustments): Extension requests must be made no later than 1 (7 days) week prior to the assignment deadline, except in the case of an exacerbation of your condition. Exam Adjustments (In-Department): Adjustments must be submitted a minimum of 3 weeks prior to any exam/test. Eligible students can plan their assessment requirements ahead of time by submitting assignment and exam adjustment requests at the beginning of semester. IMPORTANT Please check your disability information in MyUni. Log in to the MyUni portal, select the MyAdmin tab, and click on Demographic and disability information. Please note that you do no have to update this information to remain registered with Disability Services. Updating your information on MyUni is voluntary. OTHER USEFUL INFORMATION Student FAQs: http://sydney.edu.au/stuserv/disability/faq.shtml Study Load & Cut-Off Dates: The withdrawal-without-penalty deadline is 31 August. Students are encouraged to review how they are managing their study load before this date to determine if they will be able to meet the requirements of their studies throughout semester. A good rule of thumb is that if you are not coping at this time (by the end of week 4), it is unlikely to become any easier, and you should consider reducing your study load. Managing Your Studies: Studying at University requires independent learning, which involves taking responsibility for organising your own study. Please visit http://sydney.edu.au/stuserv/disability/managing_your_studies.shtml for helpful information on managing your academic requirements at the University.

If you are having difficulties managing your academic requirements make an appointment to see a Disability Services Officer to discuss a plan to better assist you in managing your studies. The Learning Centre: The Learning Centre provides a range of free learning resources and ongoing assistance throughout the year via workshops. For more information visit http://sydney.edu.au/stuserv/learning_centre/index.shtml Counselling & Psychological Services (CAPS): If you are experiencing personal difficulties that are impacting on your studies the Counselling Service have a range of services that they can offer including individual counselling, workshops and website resources. For more information visit <http://www.sydney.edu.au/counselling>. Library Assistance: Each faculty has a Faculty Liaison Librarian assigned to assist their students. You can contact your librarian for any type of library-related assistance. For more information visit http://www.library.usyd.edu.au/contacts/subjectcontacts.html Attendance: If you have difficulty meeting your attendance requirements, review your study-load and consider reducing it to a more manageable level, as Disability Services will not be able to provide any adjustments to your attendance requirements. As with all students, you will need to address absences through Special Consideration or direct liaison with your Faculty. Special Consideration: Should you miss an exam or other assessment, you will need to address this through Special Consideration to your Faculty, providing the relevant medical documentation to support your application. Disability Services cannot contribute to special consideration applications. Please ensure you are aware of your facultys special consideration policy. ______________________________________________________________________________________ Contact Disability Services Level 5, Jane Foss Russell Building G02 The University of Sydney NSW 2006 T +61 2 8627 8422 E disability.services@sydney.edu.au W sydney.edu.au/disability