Resources for Internship and
Capstone and Practicum Sites

Services Offered

Eligibility: Services are available to all students with disabilities at Marshall University, whether full or part time.  Students are required to provide documentation or their disability to the office before services can be provided.

The program staff will work with students to individualize the type and level of services to be provided.  The following is a summary of the services available:

Pre-enrollment Assessment: All new students with disabilities are expected to meet with the DSS staff prior to their first enrollment at Marshall.  At this meeting the DSS staff and the student will discuss and begin preparing for academic accommodations, campus accessibility, assess study skills, and determine any other services the student might need.

Notetaking Services: Experience has shown that the best notetakers in a course are other students in the class.  These students understand the "language of the professor," have taken necessary prerequisites, and are more than motivated to take accurate and complete notes because the notes are also their own.  Usually the student and instructor working together can identify a competent notetaker.  Copy facilities are available through the DSS program.  If a notetaker can not be found in the class, DSS will hire a peer helper.

Test Proctoring and Accommodations: Students who may need adaptive testing procedures include learning disabled, visually impaired, and physically disabled students.  Time extensions, private locations for testing, oral testing, use of a proctor, or other procedures may be used.  The course instructor has the final determination as to the method of evaluation.  The student should meet with the instructor to agree on a testing procedure.  The DSS program will verify that the student has a disability that justifies test accommodations.  Requests for test proctoring must be made at least one week in advance.

Taped Textbooks: Students are encouraged to utilize Recordings for the Blind and Dyslexic (RFB&D) to acquire commonly used textbooks for free of charge. Due to RFB&D's policies, students should interact directly with them for assistance.  Assistance will be provided to students applying for services from RFB&D. This is an excellent resource, but due to frequent delays in getting books from RFB&D, we suggest that students plan ahead.

Reader Services: Readers may be provided for visually impaired and learning disabled students who are unable to use regular printed textbooks or tapes from RFB&D.  Please note the readers are not professionals and will need direction from the student in order to be successful, as well as a copy of the book/materials to be read.

Tutoring: Tutoring is available to students with disabilities through the Tutoring Office, located in the lower level of the Community and Technical College Building.

Lab and Library Assistants: As with other services, the need for these assistants is individually determined, and the services are provided as required.

Liaison with Faculty: Upon request, the DSS program staff will contact instructors and discuss with them the student's appropriate classroom accommodations.

Advising: The DSS staff is available to advise students in areas such as classroom accessibility, residence hall concerns, academic goal setting, program offerings, and referral to other campus services.  The program has found over the years that situations are best addressed before they become a crisis, so wise students should discuss concerns early.

Early Registration: Students with disabilities are afforded early registration privileges.  Students with disabilities may present approved schedule  to the Registrar during a special advance registration.  Students must register during this early period or wait until their regularly assigned time.  The DSS staff can consult with students regarding course selection, but this does not replace the mandatory advising requirements within some colleges.

Equipment: The DSS program has a limited equipment inventory available to loan to students on a semester basis.  Equipment currently on hand includes manual wheelchairs, electric scooter, tape recorders and players, and a laptop computer.  A Braille printer, large print screen computers, and scanners are available in the Study Center of the Drinko Library.  There is also a CC TV located in Prichard Hall.