The causes and degrees of hearing loss vary across the deaf and hard-of-hearing community, as do methods of communication, and attitudes toward deafness. In general, there are three types of hearing loss:
- Conductive loss affects the sound-conducting paths of the outer and middle ear. The degree of hearing loss can be decreased through the use of a hearing aid or by surgery;
- Sensorineural loss affects the inner ear and the auditory nerve and can range from mild to profound; and,
- Mixed loss results from both a conductive and sensorineural loss (Disability Services, U of Minnesota, 1995).
Persons who have hearing impairments may have different communication preferences and rely on residual hearing, lip-reading, captioning, or perhaps an English-based or American sign language. Available services are designed to provide communication access for deaf and hard-of-hearing students attending the university.
- The documentation must be from a qualified professional (e.g., certified Otologist, Audiologist);
- The documentation must identify an actual diagnosis of an impairment;
- The documentation must discuss functional limitations in an academic environment which are caused by the impairment;
- The documentation should recommend accommodations to compensate for identified functional limitations.
Accommodations are decided on a case by case basis and may include but are not limited to or completely inclusive of the following:
- Real-time captioning
- Sign language interpreting (ASL, PSE, and signed English)
- Cued speech transliterating
- Volunteer note taker
- Preferential seating
- Assistive listening devices (ALDs)
- To register for services at the beginning of each semester.
- To request additional accommodation(s).
- When unable to work out ODS approved accommodations with faculty.
- When accommodations do not seem to be helping.
- When there is a problem. Be honest with ODS staff and faculty. We cannot help if we do not know a problem exists.
Each semester, students receiving interpreting services or real-time captioning/computer assisted note taking, must complete and submit one of these agreements.
Request for Services Documentation Packet - Accessible PDF
Request for Services Documentation Packet - Word for PC
At the end of the semester, or on an as-needed basis, ODS requests that students receiving interpreting services or real-time captioning/computer assisted note taking evaluate the service providers.
Interpreter Evaluation Form - PDF
Known previously as the Post-secondary Education Consortium (PEC), PEC was established in 1983 as one of four regional model programs for students who are deaf and hard-of-hearing. In 1996, the PEC was named one of the four regional centers on post-secondary education for individuals who are deaf and provided extensive personnel development and technical assistance activities across the region; these efforts continued when the project was funded for the 2001-06 cycle. The Southern Region has a long history of collaborative efforts, and the PEC has become an integral part of many of these efforts. For more information, please visit the PEPNet South Website.
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