UNISA Information for Students with Disabilities

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UNISA Information for Students with Disabilities

UNISA Information for Students with Disabilities. UNISA ONLINE EXAMINATIONS – STUDENTS WHO HAVE APPLIED FOR SPECIAL EXAMINATION ARRANGEMENTS

The Examination Administration Department (EAD)DSAA supports students with Special Needs, Mobility or Physical Disabilities and makes “reasonable accommodations/ adjustments” in terms of Special Examination Arrangements.

Disclosure of a Disability

A student with mobility or physical disability that will require a special accommodation must inform the University accordingly on registration.

Reasonable Accommodation for students with mobility or physical disability

What accommodation can be offered?

The main types of reasonable accommodation include technical solutions, assessment arrangements, training measures and awareness-raising measures.

The technical solutions might include:

  • computer screen magnifiers
  • Braille or similar terminals
  • real time interpretation via telecommunications

Other cases of reasonable accommodation relate to

  • awareness raising measures so that people with disabilities can perform their assessments.

Who decides on reasonable accommodation?

Decisions on whether a change is reasonable can only be made on a case-by-casebasis. Students seeking reasonable accommodation must discuss their needs with the University to establish if such special requirements can be accommodated.

The University distinguishes between students with a permanent disability and a temporary disability.

Permanent Disability (UNISA Information for Students with Disabilities)

A permanent disability is a mental or physical illness or condition that affects a major life function of a person over the long term. The following range of disabilities/special needs are included as a permanent disability as approved by Senate on 04 May 2015:

Reg Code

Disability

02

Visually Impaired (Blind)

03

Visually Impaired (Not Blind, difficult to read printed text)

06

Hearing Impairment (Deaf, hard of hearing and deafened students)

07

Learning Impairments: Dyslexia and other similar learning disabilities that has a

disabling effect and diagnosed as such

08

Communication and speech impairment that have a disabling effect and medically

diagnosed problems such as stuttering

09

Physical Impairment (Cerebral palsied, amputations)

10

Physical Impairment (Quadriplegic)

11

Physical Impairment (Paraplegic)

12

Epilepsy

13

Muscular/skeletal/joint/limb impairment and deficiencies/disease such as polio

and muscular dystrophy that has a disabling effect

14

Neurological impairment diseases, such as multiple sclerosis

Reg Code

Disability

17

Stroke/Brain disorders that have a disabling effect on the Student and diagnosed

as such

18

Mental/Psychological

impairment

and/mental

disorders/phobias/chemical

imbalances/psychiatric illness diagnosed conditions that have an disabling effect

and diagnosed as such

20

Serious chronic diseases such as Multiple Sclerosis, kidney diseases that have

various disabling effects

Temporary Disability (UNISA Information for Students with Disabilities)

A Temporary Disability refers to a condition from which a person recovers, and this may be caused by illness or injury, and may last for up to two years. Examples of temporary disabilities may include, but are not limited to broken limbs, hand injuries, pregnancy, or short-term impairments following surgery or medical treatments.

A student with a temporary condition would, on presentation of a medical certificate from a registered medical practitioner, defer their assessment to the next official on-lineassessment opportunity.

NB. A medical certificate from a Medical Practitioner, registered with the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA), including a Psychiatrist, Psychologist or an Occupational Therapist, must be submitted in support of all applications for Special Examination Arrangements for students with a Permanent or Temporary disability. Students with a permanent disability will only be required to submit the abovementioned certificate when applying for the first time. The University will make the same arrangements for the student for the duration of their term of study with the University.

The following table outlines the current and future arrangements for examinations for students who falls under the Special Needs/Disability categories as mentioned above

Venue Based Examination

Online Examination Arrangement List

Arrangement List

Separate Venue

∙ At home with own laptop/computer

Students make use of the Computer

∙

Internet access required

Laboratories geared for students with

special needs.

∙

Computer Laboratories /ARCSWiD

Computer Facilities

Enlarged Print (A3 Size)

Magnifier is a feature which allows you to zoom in to

A3 size print is provided to accommodate

view items on your screen without having to change

other settings. See below:

students with poor vision which arrange

for good readability and assist to reduce

eye strain.

∙

Press

Win

+

+

to bring up Magnifier (you

also type magnifier into Start and

⊞

can

then click Magnifier to open it).

∙ Click – to zoom out to a maximum of 100%.

∙ Click + to zoom in to a maximum of 1600%.

∙ Place the cursor in one of the screen’s

corners to pan across the screen.

Extra Time

Extra

Time is recommended by a medical

Extra Time is recommended by a medical

practitioner/professional person registered with the

HPCSA. A record is created on the Student System

practitioner/professional person

for every student for whom extra time during an

registered with the HPCSA. A record is

examination has been approved, and it will be

created on the Student System for every

accommodated in the time allocation for every online

student for whom extra time during an

examination.

examination has been approved. The

student is accommodated at the exam

Unisa has allocated an extra 15 minutes before the

venue with the approved time allocation

commencement of examination session for

for every examination session. Students

downloading of the examination question paper and

must submit the letter from Unisa granting

signing of the declaration as well as 30 minutes at

the extra time to the Chief Invigilator.

the end of the examination to upload the examination

The suggested guidelines for the

responses (over and above the extra time allocated).

The suggested guidelines for the provision of

provision of extra time as prescribed in

the DSAA(EAD) Standard Operating

additional extra time as prescribed by the EAD

Procedure for Special Needs Students is

Standing Operating Procedure for Special Needs

followed.

Students is followed.

Computer

Students type answers on a Computer

Students may use a computer (internet access

and save the answers on a Blank USB

required) with software such as NVDA screen reader

(free, open source) to translate visual information

(Disabled Separate Venues). A Chief

verbally, or Zoom Text Magnifier and Screen Reader

Invigilator ensures that the USB (typed

for the visually impaired to assist them with:

answers) is collected at the end of the

exam session and couriered to the

∙ downloading the examination question paper

Examination Administration Department

∙ reading the questions

for processing.

∙ formulate and type their responses

∙ upload their responses after the examination

Needs Acrobat Adobe Reader to access PDF

documents/download Question papers in PDF

Format.

Blank USB Flash Drive

∙ Question papers are downloaded in PDF

Students type and save answers on

format

∙ Students are reading the questions

Blank USB. USB with answers is

collected (end of exam session) and

∙ Formulate and type their responses

couriered to the Examination

Administration Department for

∙ Upload their responses after the

processing.

examination.

∙ These processes are completed on a

computer available to the student.

Question paper in Audio Format/MP3

The Examination Question paper is in Audio

Question papers are downloaded in PDF format.

Format and saved on an USB. The students

Students can make use of special software

listen to questions and records oral

programmes such as Daisy and Dragon Speech

answering or type answers by means of a

software to listen to the questions.

Speaking the

computer

text aloud in your own voice enables Dragon to

accurately transcribe the audio using

the Dragon profile attuned to your voice.

Making use of Microsoft Office Word, answers

can be recorded as follows:

∙ Open the Word Document

∙ Click on Blank Document

∙ Click Dictate on the far-right corner

∙

Chose English (US/UK)

∙ Click on dictate and a red circle will

appear

∙

Dictate your answers

∙ Click on dictate again to stop dictating

answers.

∙ Email your answers to your Primary

Lecturer (Make sure that your Student

No and Module Code is indicated on the

document).

QP in Braille

Students may type answers by means of a

Students may type answers by means of a

Braille writer or by means of a computer with

computer with special software programmes

special software programmes such as NVDA

such as NVDA Screen reader (free, open

or JAWS.

source) to translate visual information verbally,

or Zoom Text Magnifier and Screen Reader for

the visually impaired to assist them with:

∙ downloading the examination question

paper

∙

reading the questions

∙ formulate and type their responses

upload their responses after the

examination