Institutional Policies

All employees and students in need of disabled parking accommodations must obtain a disabled parking permit through Georgia Tech; state issued permits are valid only in visitor lots.
Employee and Visitor requests for disabled parking are handled by the Office of Human Resources’ Disability Services Coordinator (894-9411).
Student requests for disabled parking are handled by the ADAPTS Office (894-2564).

No other office or campus department is allowed to determine eligibility or approve disabled parking requests.

Documentation

Persons with chronic disabilities must supply medical documentation supporting the requirement for disabled parking. This documentation must be on doctor’s letterhead and must be recent within 5 years of when they originally applied for disabled parking. A copy of this documentation will remain on file in the appropriate office. The only types of disabilities eligible are those in which the daily life functioning pertaining to ambulatory availability is severely affected. For the purposes of this regulation the definition for the term disability is the one used in the American’s with Disabilities Act.

Procedures

Once documentation is approved, notification will be given to a designated person in parking who will be responsible for issuing the disability permit allowing individuals to park in disabled parking spaces on campus. All employees and students are required to purchase a campus permit for the area in which they will be parking and pay the associated fees according to the particular lot fee schedule. The Georgia Tech disabled permit and the campus permit must be displayed together at all times while parking on the Tech campus. Both of these decals must be renewed annually by following the same procedures as listed above.

Temporary Disabilities

Students and employees with temporary disabilities must follow the same procedures stated above, but will be issued a temporary permit with an expiration date. Only the ADAPTS Office (for students) or the Disability Services Coordinator (for employees and visitors) is allowed to determine eligibility or approve temporary disabled parking requests. Stinger and Stingerette services can be provided for students and employees in times of temporary disability.

Stingerette Service

Students with chronic disabilities needing the use of the Stingerette are approved and referred from the ADAPTS Office to the Transportation Office. Schedules are determined in the beginning of the term and those schedules take priority over additional requests for Stingerette service. For more information, or the hours of operation, go to www.parking.gatech.edu.

Animals in Institute Buildings

In the interest of the welfare and safety of faculty, students, staff, and visitors, it is the policy of Georgia Tech that animals not be permitted in Institute buildings. This policy DOES NOT apply to service animals such as guide dogs. Service animals must meet the following requirements:

Dogs must be licensed in accordance with county regulations and wear a vaccination tag.
Other types of animals must have vaccination appropriate for that type of animal.
Animals must be in good health, well-groomed, clean and free of fleas, ticks, and other pests.
Animals must be on a leash at all times.
The handler must be in control of the animal at all times.
Disruptive and aggressive animals may be asked to leave Institute facilities.

Library Service

The Georgia Tech Library offers accommodations to disabled students presenting the appropriate documentation. Only students presenting documentation that they are a registered student with the ADAPTS Office will be eligible for the accommodations listed below. Employees may receive documentation through the Office of Human Resources.

The following accommodations are offered through the Georgia Tech Library system:

Book/Journal retrieval, and
Book and Photocopy Orders (cost is passed on to the student/employee)
Adaptive computer room (located on the 6th floor)

For more information, or to utilize these services, contact the Library at 404-894-4511 (V), 404-894-0230 (TDD), or delivery@library.gatech.edu.

ADAPTS Procedures

Testing Procedure

Professors required to provide testing accommodations to their students with disabilities should have received an ADAPTS accommodation letter from the student near the start of the semester. The letter should state the student’s accommodations, including amount of extended time. Professors may give the exams to the students, provided that the accommodations are met (i.e., if the student requires a quiet, non-distracting environment). Professors, and often students, utilize the testing facilities in the ADAPTS Office. The ADAPTS Office requires students to sign up for their exam, date and time, in advance. The professor is responsible for getting the exam to the office prior to the student taking the exam. The exam may be faxed, e-mailed, walked over, or given to the student with the disability in a sealed envelope. However, the preferred method is for the exam to be hand delivered by the instructor or responsible party to Room 210. The ADAPTS Office places the student in a testing room, makes sure the student has only the required materials with them in the room, and monitors their time. The exam is then sealed with an official ADAPTS sticker and returned to the office or mailbox specified by the professor as soon as possible. All exams that were proctored through the ADAPTS Office are sealed upon their exit; please contact the ADAPTS Office as soon as possible if you receive an unsealed exam.

Confidentiality

It is the policy of the Federal Government (see section on ADA of 1990), the Georgia Institute of Technology, and the ADAPTS Office that persons with disabilities are not to be discriminated upon this factor. The confidentiality of a person with a disability is also covered by this anti-discrimination clause and must be abided to at all time. The student is not required to show documentation of their disability to any person or office at Georgia Tech other than the ADAPTS Office. The ADAPTS Office retains the students file and determines the student’s accommodations with respect to their individual disability and need. A student is not to be asked about the specifics of their disability nor is their disability to be shared with anyone other than those needing to accommodate the student.

Equipment Available

The ADAPTS Office has equipment available for Tech students with disabilities. This equipment is lent out according to accommodations, on a course specific basis. Please contact the ADAPTS Office if you (the professor) need to provide a student with adaptive equipment so that they are accommodated for your class. Examples of equipment available are:

Laptop computers,
Microcassette recorders,
Four track player/recorders,
Compact portable TDD,
Assistive Listening Device,
Signaling devices (for resident students),
Caption decoder (for class videos),
Spell checkers,
The following software programs are available in the Assistive Technology Lab (Student Services Room 265) for ADAPTS students: JAWS, ZOOMTEXT, Dragon Dictate, INSPIRATION, and ViaVoice. Any student in ADAPTS may use our computer lab M-F 8-5pm.
Computers equipped with large screen monitors and scanners that can be used in the Assistive Technology Lab (Student Services Room 265).

Text Conversion Procedure

Students who have severe visual impairments or blindness may need to have their textbooks and course materials converted into a cassette tape or electronic format for use with their text to speech software. Students approved for this service should contact their professors at least one semester in advance requesting the course syllabus. The course materials and texts require at least 12 weeks to be converted into an alternate format. Students must provide the ADAPTS Office with the syllabus and student purchased texts and/or materials one semester prior to the course. Course materials and text will be converted to an electronic format and will be available on the ADAPTS FTP server which is accessible with a password. (The purchased course materials will be returned to the student unbound after the conversion process).

Note: Please be aware this policy depends on the readiness of your syllabi. Your inability to provide a syllabus upon request delays the conversion process and may result in you failing to accommodate the student.

Notetaking

Students with supporting documentation and ADAPTS approval may need assistance with notetaking in a course. Students eligible for this accommodation must provide the ADAPTS Office with their course schedule before the last day for late registration and schedule changes posted in the OSCAR. The ADAPTS Office will e-mail each professor with a brief announcement to be read to the class explaining the process for applying. Interested students who apply and have the ability will be hired by the ADAPTS Office as a notetaker for that semester. Class notes can be copied in the ADAPTS Office and prepared for student pickup. The notetakers are paid a stipend through the ADAPTS Office.

Note: Notetakers are expected to take excellent class notes and be present for every class meeting.