Greetings Mountaineers,

As the Division for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, we are responsible for ensuring students and employees with disabilities have equal access to all aspects of the University which makes us an integral part of the disability community. We are joining with various organizations dedicated to improving the lives of individuals with intellectual disabilities by joining the national campaign called “Spread the Word to End the Word.” This campaign is an ongoing effort by two organizations, Special Olympics and Best Buddies, to raise the consciousness of society about the demeaning and hurtful effects of the word “retard(ed)”. The campaign asks people to pledge to stop saying the R-word as a starting point toward creating more accepting attitudes and communities for all people.

This national campaign has reached our campus. President Clements and wife, are featured on the video linked below to discuss the importance of joining this effort. You will also see Coach Huggins speaking in support of the campaign. As the Chief Diversity Officer for West Virginia University, I invite you to join with my staff and I to take the pledge “To Spread the Word To End the Word.” It is just one easy step; please click here” http://www.r-word.org/r-word-pledge.aspx”: http://www.r-word.org/r-word-pledge.aspx and sign the pledge and submit. Also, please take the time to view the video with President Clements and Coach Huggins and see some other friends from the campus as well. Spread the Word to all of your Mountaineer family members and friends and ask them to take the pledge as well. You can view the video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sAokKdNSCms.

Thank you so much for your support. I know that together, we can stop the hurtful use of the R-word.

Warmest Regards,

David M. Fryson, Esq.
Chief Diversity Officer

West Virginia University

The Office of Disability Services is very excited to announce starting in the Spring 2013 semester, faculty accommodation notifications for students with disabilities will be sent via email.

The new email format of the letters will contain not only the individual accommodations a student needs for a course, but also suggestions of how these accommodations can be provided to the student.

In the very near future online training videos and instruction documents will be available to assist students in learning how to request accommodations online. Students who are eligible for their academic accommodations will need to make an appointment with their Office of Disability Services counselor at the start of the upcoming semester to insure they receive their needed accommodations.

Accommodation Letters and Emails

The Office of Disability Services is very excited to announce starting in the spring 2013 semester faculty accommodation notifications for students with disabilities will be sent via email. This will allow our office to better serve our students with disabilities as well as improve the efficiency of providing students their needed academic accommodations.

The new email format of the letters will contain not only the individual accommodations a student needs for a course, but also suggestions of how these accommodations can be provided to the student. Rebecca Berger, the Assistant Director of the Office of Disability Services, believes that, “The new process of email notification of accommodation letters will save time and is more eco-friendly. More importantly, it will notify faculty of a student’s accommodation needs in a more timely fashion which will ensure the implementation of accommodations for each student is an easier process.”

To learn more about the new faculty accommodation notification process please visit: http://disabilityservices.wvu.edu/faculty-resources/accommletters. You can view an example of the new email notification of disability-related accommodations at http://disabilityservices.wvu.edu/r/download/148684 .

Do not hesitate to contact the Office of Disability Services at access2@mail.wvu.edu or 304-293-6700 for assistance.

West Virginia is a land of outdoor activity. We are surrounded by rolling hills, glistening streams, and deep wooded forests. It is a place to be explored.

In an effort to provide more inclusive programming options for students at WVU, we are interested in developing outdoor recreational opportunities that are more accessible for students with disabilities.

As a person with a disability, we are interested in learning about activities in which you may be interested. What activities do you want to do? Please respond to this survey to help us make determinations about future programming. With your help, we hope to schedule future recreational opportunities.

You can access the survey at:
http://simpleforms.scripts.wvu.edu/socjust/OutdoorRecreationSurvey/

Read & Write Gold Software

You can contact your Disability Services Counselor to request access to Read & Write Gold literacy software. It can empower students with tools for reading, writing, studying and research. Learn more about what Read & Write Gold can do through these online tutorials.

http://www.texthelp.com/videotours/rw10marketing/intro/intro_stream_us.html

OR

http://mits.cenmi.org/VideoList/VideoPlayer/TabId/1585/VideoId/268/1-Read-Amp-Write-Gold-Overview.aspx

Read and Write Gold Overview Video 1

This first video introduces Read and Write Gold. The first video explains how to dock the toolbar on the computer and what each tool does without a lot of detail.

Daisy Books Video 2

This second video introduces daisy books and how this tool is used through Read and Write Gold. It also explains how you can open books with this tool and close the books.

Read Books Video 3

This third video explains how to use the reading functions. These functions include the play button, stop button, and rewind and fast forward buttons. This tool can be used to read books bought through a website but also PDF’s and websites.

Reading Settings Video 4

Video four explains how to set up personal settings when using the reading tools. The user can decide to read by word, sentence, or paragraph depending on their preference.

Navigating Daisy Video 5

Video five explains how to open books from other locations, such as websites or books saved to your computer. It also explains all the functions that the daisy reader has while reading the book. The user is able to determine whether or not they want to search for specific words within a book or specific pages.

Speech and Display Settings Video 6

Video six explains how the user of the product can make their own settings for Read and Write Gold. This includes choosing voice speech selection and speed. The user can also change colors and features.

Bookmarks and Find Video 7

Video seven explains how to place bookmarks within the daisy reader. It also explains how to find terms or chapters within a book.

PDF Aloud Video 8

This video explains how to read PDF’s aloud. When opening a PDF it is possible through Read and Write Gold to have the toolbar appear in the PDF Viewer making use of the reading tool much more accessible.

Speech Maker Video 9

This video explains how the user can convert text into an MP3 or other audio files.