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1. What services and accommodations do you offer students with disabilities?
   
   
2. What is the application process to obtain services from the OSD?
   
   
3. How far in advance should students schedule services such as sign language interpreters?
   
   
4. Can faculty or staff request equipment or services for a student in their class?
   
   
5. How will I know if my classes are being scheduled in accessible classrooms?
   
   
6. Who are OSD's clients?
   
   
7. What kind of outside services, if any, does the office offer?
   
   
8. What are your office hours and location? Also, phone number.
   
   
9. Where can I get information on jobs/internships for students with disabilities? 
   
   
10. Where can I find out if there are scholarships for students with disabilities?

Question: What services and accommodations do you offer students with disabilities? 

Answer: The OSD provides services to students with disabilities that are currently enrolled at De Paul and meet the federal definition of a qualified individual with a disability. The OSD provides the following services: 

• Real time captioning 
• Adaptive equipment 
• Readers 
• Books on tape 
• Tape recorders 
• Physical access 
• Academic accommodations 
• Access to copy machines 
• Adaptive computer

Question: What is the application process to obtain services from the OSD? 

Answer: To apply for services from the OSD, students should: 

• Contact the Office of Students with Disabilities
• Complete a Needs Assessment Form and meet with the OSD's staff.

Question: How far in advance should students schedule services such as sign language interpreters? 

Answer: 7-10 days. With less than 7-10 days notice the OSD will make a "best effort" to supply the requested services, but in these circumstances they cannot be guaranteed.

Question: Can faculty or staff request equipment or services for a student in their class? 

Answer. No. Students are encouraged to come to the OSD office and apply for services themselves. In this way, students develop self-advocacy and responsibility skills. 

Question: How will I know if my classes are being scheduled in accessible classrooms? 

Answer: If you respond to the letter OSD sends out in advance of each quarter and tell us which classes you are taking, OSD will contact the office that schedules classes and request accessible classrooms for you. 

Question: Who are OSD's clients? 

Answer: The OSD provides services to students with disabilities that are currently enrolled at De Paul and meet the federal definition of a qualified individual with a disability. 

Question: What kind of outside services, if any, does the office offer? 

Answer: The OSD partners with DePaul's PLuS program (to assist students with learning disabilities).

Question: What are your office hours and location? Also, phone number. 

Answer: There is a Loop office but it is not permanently staffed. If someone needs to meet at the Loop students should make an appointment. 

Office hours at the Lincoln Park office are: 

9:00 AM - 5:00 PM, Monday through Wednesday 
2:00 PM - 5:00 PM, Thursday through Friday 

The phone number is: 

Phone: 773-7290 TTY: 773-325- 7296

Question: Where can I get information on jobs/internships for students with disabilities? 

Answer: The OSD does not assist students to find jobs or internships. Please contact the DePaul Career Center (http://careercenter.depaul.edu/). The Career Center posts jobs for students available on campus and off-campus and updates postings daily. It offers students the opportunity to use massive online databases of full-time jobs, part-time jobs and internships also. Jobs for students with disabilities are not listed separately. 

Equal Opportunity laws such as the ADA, ensure that jobs are open to anyone regardless of disability. However, a recent Supreme Court decision (2002) has limited the definition of disability under the ADA law to "a substantial limitation on abilities that are central to everyday life and not to specific job-related tasks". This may cause a major obstacle to some individuals with disabilities who want to work and can do so, but need accommodations from the employer. 

Question: Where can I find out if there are scholarships for students with disabilities? 

Answer: Contact the DePaul Financial Aid Office (http://www.depaul.edu/admission/admfin/financial/index.htm) and search their site for "scholarships" for general information on scholarships, or contact the national organization for a specific disability.