Approximately 40 of 2,400 students at the Medical College of Georgia have requested accommodations due to diagnosed learning disorders, while 10 students require accommodations for temporary or permanent physical limitations such as hearing, vision, or mobility issues. The college seeks to provide accommodations like extended testing time and quiet environments to students in accordance with the ADA and Section 504. Assistive technologies available include text-to-speech through the Alternate Media Access Center and remote captioning for deaf students. No-tech accommodations also help remove barriers through adjustable exam tables and parking.

1. Assistive Technology for Students at the Medical College of Georgia Dale Hartenburg M6 – Assistive Technology 13 June 2010

2. Demographic Overview Approximately 40 of 2,400 student have requested accommodations due to a diagnosed learning disorder 10 students are provided with accommodations for a temporary or permanent physical limitation. Limitations include hearing, vision and mobility issues. Students are spread among the schools of Allied Health, Dentistry, Graduate Studies, Medicine and Nursing

3. Demographic Overview MCG seeks to provide students will accommodations for learning and physical limitations in accordance with the ADA and Section 504. All students must be able to successfully complete “technical requirements” without accommodation for professional licensure.

4. Learning Disorders (LD) The primary learning disorders diagnosis (dx) among students is ADHD. Most common secondary dx include anxiety disorders and difficulty with reading comprehension. All students are part of the normal classroom (inclusion) and extended time for tests and quiet testing environments are usually provided for all cases.

5. Assistive Technology for LD MCG holds a membership with the Board of Regent’s Alternate Media Access Center (AMAC). AMAC provides text based materials in an electronic or audio format to assist those with print-related disabilities. AMAC can also produce Braille text AMAC leverages the needs of the entire University System to provide value and reduce duplication of effort by the individual disability services providers at each campus.

6. Assistive Technology for Physical Limitations Remote Captioning Service – For students with hearing difficulty, a wireless microphone captures room conversation and transmits them via an internet connection to a transcriber. The transcription is then returned back to the students laptop in real time allowing them to follow and participate in classroom discussion.

7. No/Low-Tech Assistive Devicesto Remove Barriers Provision of a stool for use during procedures which require standing for long periods of time. Adjustable height exam / procedure tables Parking provided close to facilities which student will utilize. Provision of tests and other assignments in a large print format.

8. Notes The aforementioned overview of services and statistics are taken from the general report for the disability services office at the Medical College of Georgia. Full Disclosure – I am the administrative officer for the disability services section at MCG.

9. References Alternative Media Access Center - http://www.amac.uga.edu/ Medical College of Georgia Disability Services - http://www.mcg.edu/students/campuslife/disability/ The Postsecondary Education Programs Network (PEPNet) - http://www.pepnet.org/resources.asp AHEAD Best Practices - http://www.ahead.org/resources/best-practices-resources