Learning Plus - Information for Prospective Students

- support services for students with documented learning disabilities and/or attention deficit disorder, at the University of Hartford.

GENERAL INFORMATION

Learning Plus (L+) is the academic support service available to any University of Hartford student who has submitted appropriate documentation showing evidence of a specific learning disability and/or attention disability. Please note that Learning Plus is not a comprehensive program. Service determination is made on a case-by-case basis, depending on semester standing, grade-point average, and course curricula. Learning Plus provides the following types of service:

1. Letter of Disclosure: The student and the Director develop this official document which identifies the student’s disability and lists the student’s learning strengths and weaknesses. The student uses this document to facilitate a dialogue with individual professors to discuss the impact of the student’s disability on his/her performance in a particular course and to request specific accommodations. Letters of Disclosure must be resubmitted each semester.

2. Direct Strategies: Students make an appointment to work with a Learning Specialist, a masters-level professional, for the entire semester. Direct instruction is provided in various metacognitive skills including time management and organizational strategies, as well as reading comprehension and written expression. The student and specialist meet once per week for 45 minutes. The Direct Strategies format is appropriate for 1st year students.

3. Check-In: Students schedule appointments on alternate weeks to work with a Learning Specialist who will provide monitoring and assistance with organizational strategies. The check-in format is appropriate for returning students.

4. Drop-In: Students may access Learning Plus on an “as needed” basis. Students contact the Director at the beginning of the semester to obtain a Letter of Disclosure. A student who utilizes “drop-in” hours does not have a regularly assigned Specialist but may work with one when assistance is needed and appointments are available.

5. Coaching: Students meet with a Coach/Specialist once per week for a total of 45 minutes. The purpose of coaching is to help students develop and strengthen their time management and organizational skills. This service is most appropriate for students who have attention disabilities.

6. Test Accommodations: Eligible students may qualify for extended time, a scribe or reader, assistive technology, and/or a low-distraction environment.

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LEARNING PLUS POLICIES

1. Appropriate documentation of the student's learning disability/attention deficit disorder must be on file with the Learning Plus office prior to the provision of any services or accommodations. (Please see Documentation Guidelines.)

2. Students must meet with the Director within the first three weeks of each semester to obtain copies of the Letter of Disclosure to submit to professors. This official document verifies the student’s disability and suggests specific accommodations.

3. Students who choose to disclose their disability to a professor should arrange to meet individually with the instructor at the beginning of the semester. Students should bring the Letter of Disclosure with them to this meeting to explain the features of the disability that might impact performance in that discipline and to request specific accommodations. Please note: reasonable accommodations are mandatory, however, they are subject to negotiation.

4. Students who choose not to disclose their disability to a professor, then change their minds as the semester progresses, must allow at least two weeks for accommodations to begin. There will be no retroactive consideration, or adjustment to grades.

5. Students who choose NOT to disclose their disability to professors, forfeit all academic accommodations, including test accommodations. However, students who have appropriate documentation on file in the L+ office may still access L+ tutorials.

6. Students whose documentation supports test accommodations must make arrangements with their professors and complete all necessary paperwork at Learning Plus at least one week in advance. Possible test accommodations include:

extended time (either 1.5 times or twice what the rest of the class is given). Extended time does not mean unlimited time.
an environment with minimal distractions.
the provision of a scribe and/or a reader.
the use of a word processor and/or a calculator when appropriate

7. Students who schedule time to meet with a learning specialist or ADHD coach, should call L+ (x4312) if they are unable to keep their appointments. Three absences from scheduled appointments will result in removal from the weekly Direct Strategies schedule. In this event, students will be invited to utilize "drop-in" hours at Learning Plus.

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LEARNING PLUS
DOCUMENTATION GUIDELINES

To receive services and academic accommodations, students must:

Submit a type-written report of a comprehensive evaluation which has been administered, scored and interpreted by a qualified, licensed professional such as a psychologist or learning disabilities specialist.

The report should be sent directly to Learning Plus, not Admissions, after the student has been accepted to the University

The report must include:

the name, title and professional credentials of the evaluator

the evaluator’s area of specialization

the evaluator’s place of employment including the state/province in which the individual practices

test scores with an accompanying narrative

clear evidence that the disability currently and substantially limits a major life activity

a statement identifying the disability and, when appropriate, the DSM-IV classification

suggested accommodations and a rationale for the recommended accommodations.

The test battery must be comprehensive and

· reference adult norms

· been administered within the past three years

· include scores and narratives about:
Aptitude – the WAIS-III, or the WJR: Tests of Cognitive Ability
-AND-
Achievement – the WIAT, or the WJR: Tests of Achievement
-AND-
Information Processing

The Director of Learning Plus maintains students’ documentation in confidential files not only during the college degree years, but also for 10 years following graduation from the University.

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Documentation FAQs

Q: When do I submit my documentation re: my disablity (test results and reports [psychoeducational evaluation, neuropsychological evaluation])?

A: You should submit your documentation re: your disability AFTER you have been accepted to the University of Hartford and you have made a deposit. DO NOT submit your documentation with your application.

Q: Where do I send my disability documentation once i have been accepted to the University of Hartford?

A: Mail your disability documentation to:

E. Lynne Golden
Director, Learning Plus, A209
University of Hartford
200 Bloomfield Avenue
West Hartford, CT 06117

Q: Who is responsible for sending my disability documentation to Learning Plus?

A: The student is responsible for sending the documentation to Learning Plus.

In most cases, the student requests (in writing) that the high school guidance department or the department of special education services photocopy and mail the required documentation to Learning Plus. Please note, the University does not require a copy of an IEP (Individualized Education Plan), nor a 504 Plan. However, an IEP or a 504 Plan may provide additional information that might be helpful in determining the student's eligibility for services/accommodations at the University of Hartford. The University of Hartford will keep the confidential documentation for 10 years after whick time, the documentation will be shredded.

It is in the student's best interest to request a 2nd copy of his/her documentation to keep for his/her own personal records.

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LEARNING PLUS: MISSION STATEMENT

Learning Plus (L+) facilitates equal opportunities for academic achievement for students with diagnosed learning disabilities and/or attention deficit disorder at the University of Hartford. The mission of L+ is to help students who have disabilities learn how to manage their disabilities instead of being managed by them.

OBJECTIVES:

· To help students understand their learning strengths and weaknesses, and to use this information to guide their academic and career decisions

· To help students advocate for themselves

· To help students develop decision-making skills and accept the consequences of their decisions

· To provide students with learning strategies so they may function independently in the academic environment

· To furnish faculty and students with information regarding LD/ADHD including classroom accommodations and testing modifications, and legal rights and responsibilities.

· To serve as a liaison between students and faculty

· To facilitate appropriate testing modifications when needed

· To protect the confidentiality of student documentation

· To assist students in connecting with other resources on campus

IMPORTANT THINGS TO REMEMBER:

Learning Plus is voluntary.

-It is the student’s responsibility to initially contact L+ and to maintain contact.

Accommodations and services are not automatic.

-All modifications are determined on a case-by-case, course-by-course basis.

Learning Specialists are NOT content tutors.

-Learning specialists provide instruction in learning and metacognitive strategies. Mastering specific course material may necessitate that the student meet with a content-specific tutor: obtaining content tutors is the student’s responsibility.

It is the student’s responsibility to disclose his/her disability to professors.

-Learning Plus will provide the student with a Letter of Disclosure, which may be used to initiate the process. This promotes self-advocacy.

Taking tests/exams at Learning Plus is a privilege which must be arranged in a timely fashion.

-In order to utilize test accommodations, the L+ staff and the professor must be notified at least one week in advance of the test/exam through a specific process. Students who do not follow appropriate procedures may be denied testing privileges. L+ follows the University’s guidelines for academic honesty. Deviations from the stated guidelines will result in a loss of this privilege.

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Medications

Please refer all questions about medications, including prescription refills, to Mary Norris, Director of the University of Hartford Health Services. Mary’s contact information is: office phone #860.768.4716; email Norris@hartford.edu

University policy specifies that prescription medication that is mailed MUST be directed to Health Services, not directly to the student, nor to Learning Plus or the Office of Student Affairs.

Mail all prescription medication to:

University of Hartford Health Services

200 Bloomfield Avenue

West Hartford, CT 06117

Attn: Mary Norris, Director

Please be sure to include the student’s name and contact information inside the package (name, student ID, phone number). Upon receipt of the package, a representative of Health Services will contact the student. The student is required to pick up his prescription from Health Services Monday thru Friday between 9:00AM-4:30PM; Health Services is not open on the weekend.

Students are cautioned to:

· store all medication securely. Be aware that they may be held liable for any misuse of their prescriptions.

· take their medication responsibly. Mixing prescription medication with over-the-counter drugs (or other substances) may have life-threatening consequences.