UAC

University Accessibility Center welcomes your child to Brigham Young University. We realize that having your child leave home and attend a large university may be as traumatic for you as it is for your son or daughter.

Both of you may have heightened concerns and wonder what can be done because your son or daughter has a disability. We at UAC hope this handbook will address some of your concerns and provide you with information for advance planning and preparation.

ANSWERS TO IMPORTANT QUESTIONS

— In the admissions process, is special consideration given for students with disabilities?

All students, regardless of disability, are evaluated on the same criteria. There are no specific exceptions for students with disabilities. Disability law states that students with disabilities must be "otherwise qualified" to be admitted to the program of their choice. In keeping with the law, there is not a place on the BYU application to indicate if the student has a disability. However, if you feel that there are extenuating or special circumstances which the admissions committee needs to know about, your child can write this in his/her letter of intent (which is part of the application process). If you require further information about the admission process, please call the admissions counselors at (801)422-2507.

You should be aware that students with disabilities may be able to receive accommodations for taking the standardized entrance exams (ACT or SAT). The application for accommodations should be made to the testing companies. Their phone numbers can be located on their testing information or through your local high school guidance counselor.

— For the on-campus housing waiting list, can students with disabilities be given priority over students without disabilities?

No. Students with disabilities are put on the same list as all other students and are given consideration according to when they sign up. We encourage students to inform on-campus housing of their specific needs for accessible housing as soon as possible after acceptance. A student does not have to be accepted to BYU to be put on the on-campus housing waiting list, but they must be accepted before living in BYU housing.

There is a selection of accessible housing at BYU. For dormitory living, a student can live east of campus at Deseret Towers or west of campus at Helaman Halls. At Deseret Towers, wheelchair-accessible accommodations are found in S and T Halls for women and R and V Halls for men. In Helaman Halls, wheelchair-accessible dormitories are located in Hinckley Hall for women and Budge Hall for men. Also there are accessible apartments at Wymount, the married student complex. The waiting time for an apartment at Wymount is currently one year. We advise students to place their information on the list as soon as possible. For those students who are not in wheelchairs there are other apartments in Heritage Halls, which are located east of campus. Heritage has apartments for men and for women.

In both Deseret Towers and Helaman Halls there are large cafeterias where the students dine. Students can request help from cafeteria employees if they are unable to manage unassisted in the dining area. This request can be made directly through the Housing Department, the cafeteria, the head resident of the particular dormitory, or the resident assistant. If you have any concerns please call the Housing Office at (801) 422-2611.

— How do we locate a personal care attendant? Can BYU help?

Under disability law, a personal care attendant is a personal responsibility. Therefore, BYU does not recruit or train personal care attendants. Getting an attendant is the responsibility of the student and/or family. BYU Housing expects that if the student requires a personal care attendant, the student will arrive on campus with one in place. The student with the disability cannot rely on roommates, other students, or staff in the dormitories to fill these personal needs. There are several nursing agencies in the Provo/Orem area that can help you. To advertise for an attendant there is a campus newspaper and other local papers. Staff at UAC would be happy to brainstorm with you in order to find additional places to advertise.

— My child's disability is such that he/she has seizures, or blackouts, or has difficulty getting around. Are there student volunteers who can accompany him/her to class or check on him/her at nighttime?

No. Under disability law, such requirements are considered personal and may not be reasonable. All students are responsible for their own well-being. At the same time, the student's safety comes first. If there is a serious concern that the student may have constant problems during the nighttime hours and will require frequent monitoring, then campus housing may not be an appropriate place for the student to live. He/She may be safer living with a relative or personal care attendant. While most roommates and friends desire to be helpful and will lend a hand in emergency situations, it is unfair to expect them to assume the responsibility of providing assistance they are untrained to give. Some students live with their care attendant (if the attendant is also a BYU student) in on-campus housing.

Of course there are the occasions where you as a parent would like more attention paid to your child, such as during illness. The head resident, resident assistant, and members from the campus wards are happy to visit and check on the student.

— What services are offered through the University Accessibility Center Office?

UAC serves individuals with all forms of physical, learning, ADHD, and emotional disabilities. Some accommodations are sign language interpreters, volunteer note takers, peer note takers, testing for learning disabilities, and ADD, CCTVs, adaptive computer technology, enlarged computer screens, screen magnifiers, scanner, braillers, braille printer, voice-activated computer dictation, accommodative study room, and advising.

— How do students access services?

As soon as a student with a disability is informed of his/her acceptance to BYU, he/she is encouraged to notify the UAC office. There are services which require greater time than others to put into operation (such as books on tape). Therefore, the more lead time we have, the more effective services will be. Some students choose not to utilize our services. We realize it is an individual choice. Those students who would like to register with UAC should plan on making an appointment to visit with an advisor at UAC as soon as possible. If the student notifies the UAC staff of what disability he/she has, staff will set the appointment with the appropriate advisor. The student is required to provide the UAC office with current medical documentation of his/her disability. If the student does not have current documentation, the UAC office does have a standard documentation form for medical personnel. We will forward this letter to the student's physician or other health professional if needed.

— How will I know what class schedule is reasonable for my child?

Upon acceptance to BYU, the student will be sent literature explaining general education and other course requirements. The Admissions Office and the student's major advisement center are willing to discuss and suggest possible classes for the student's first semester. Suggestions are often based on the academic history of the student and his/her ACT scores. UAC's largest concern is for students who take too many difficult classes and find themselves overwhelmed and unable to cope. Occasionally students will take too many credit hours their first year. More often than not, we discover that it is the combination of classes chosen or having classes the student was not prepared for that cause problems. Full-time status is granted to undergraduates who take 12 credits or more. For graduate students it is 2.0 credit hours or more. Scholarships and Pell Grants require a higher number of hours.

The demands of classes and departments have increased over the years. In light of this fact, UAC is committed to helping students towards a timely graduation. We also understand that some students may require, as a reasonable accommodation, a reduced course load. UAC welcomes the opportunity, along with the advisement centers and other departments on campus, to discuss schedules with the student.

— Are there tutoring services on campus?

There are several options for obtaining tutors at BYU. An excellent volunteer program is the Tutoring Service in 2010 WSC (422-1277) through The Jacobson Center ( This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it ). Also, many of the general education classes offer labs where students can receive help free of charge from teaching assistants. Some departments also organize tutoring services. These tutors charge a fee, which is set by the tutor. The student requiring the tutoring pays for this service.

— What other sources of help are available for students?

* Academic Support Office (422-2723): Staff offer help and guidance on scheduling classes, a student's academic standing, assessment, information, and counseling. Information is available concerning study skills courses, workshops, deciding a major, and choosing a career.

* Open Major Advisement (422-3826): Staff offer help and guidance with registration, scheduling, clarification on general education and university requirements, and choosing a major.

* McDonald Health Center (MHC) (422-5156): Many students with disabilities come to BYU with a local physician already in place. For those students who require health care while away from home, the MHC provides a wide range of services including physiotherapy. Access to psychiatrists is available through both the MHC and the Counseling and Career Center.

* Counseling and Career Center (CCC) (422-3035): CCC offers personal, career, individual, and couples and group therapy to full-time students. Biofeedback and Stress Management Labs are offered also. All services at the CCC are free of charge to eligible students (i.e., full-time). For students who are not full time but may require similar services, CCC or UAC can give the student a list of agencies in the area which offer competent services and charge on a sliding scale.

— What is New Student Orientation or NSO?

NSO is an opportunity for all new and incoming transfer students to learn about the legacy, commitment, and expectations of being a student at BYU while engaging in a spirit of fun. There are many activities at NSO. The student visits with his/her major advisement center, learns his/her way around campus, and begins to be involved in college life. NSO occurs at the beginning of winter, summer, and fall semestersCthe largest of these gatherings being in the fall.

— Other Off-Campus Services

Vocational Rehabilitation is a government agency under the Utah Department of Education that provides to clients, upon meeting eligibility requirements, various services. These services are designed to assist those with physical or mental impairments which constitute a substantial impediment to employment or to gain employment in the work place. To see if your son or daughter might be eligible for Rehabilitation Services, call 801-374-7724 v/tty.

— Do you still have unanswered questions?

If you have any other questions or concerns please feel free to call us at the University Accessibility Center office (801-422-2767 v/tty), or if you are in the area, come by the office (1520 WSC). We look forward to getting to know your child in the upcoming years.