Just Give Them What They Want? Service Delivery in the New Millennium

Tom Merrell-Director, Student Disability Services (SDS)Barbara Zunder- Associate Director, SDSCharlene Lobo Soriano- Part-time FacultyShona Doyle- University Advisor, Dean’s OfficeBrooke Bassett- Alumna, School of Nursing

Overview

• Service delivery process

• Identifying and building key alliances

• Self-care strategies

• Q & A

Who are we?

Service Delivery Process

Intake Procedures

• Building rapport

- Everyone has a story

- No Assumptions

- Meet students where they are

• Maintaining rapport

- No one approach

Take away: rapport building, trust, buy in

Eligibility

• New documentation guidelines

• Identify needs

Documentation: The “USF Approach”

• Gather what you can – but don’t over-rely on it

• We discriminate – in a good way

• Consider history of accommodations

• Consider giving provisional accommodations when

necessary/appropriate

• Follow through/follow up

Take Away: Documentation is one piece of a larger puzzle,

Don’t under-rely on clinical judgment

Determining Accommodations

• Gathering & sharing information as needed

• Barriers?

• Practical, common sense clinical judgment

• Foster full inclusion/getting back “in the game”

Take away: trust yourself as an expert

Why Believe Us?

Good for the student

• Mutual respect

• Self-advocacy skills

Good for the school

• Retention rates

Identifying and Building Key Alliances

• “Intentional Informality”

• Be consistently cheerful and “nice” i.e. the “Nordstrom

Way”

- Create an atmosphere of helpfulness and

professionalism

• FISH philosophy

Take Away: Begins with YOU. Attitude is everything.

Identifying and Building Key Alliances

• Practical strategies for working with faculty and staff

- Divide and conquer/relationship building

- Respecting expertise, responsibilities and processes

- Interact with them in other environments

Working with Faculty

• Honesty and openness

• Respect the process and build the relationship

• Have those “difficult conversations”

Faculty Approaches to Student Disability Services

How I Roll

• Teach

• Program Director

• University Advisor

Consultations with Student Disability Services

• Improve the Classroom Experience

• Cross Check Concerns

• Refer Students

Ease of Services and Seamless Collaboration

• Defines the experience

• Provides Context

• Models Relationship

Case Studies

• As a teacher

• As a Program Director

Return on Investments

Key Collaborative Areas

• Academic Departments

• General Counsel

• Counseling Center

• Housing

• Dean’s offices

• Financial Aid

• Judicial Affairs

Conflict Resolution

• Gathering/sharing information

• “Generous Transparency”

Self-care Strategies

• Personal

• Within the team (if applicable)

• Within the greater community

Self-Care Strategies: Personal

• Stay positive/cheerful (AGAIN??)

• Take pride in YOUR successes

• Take time for yourself

• Leave your work at work

Take away: Be cheerful – or at least fake it until you make

it. Get out of the office.

Self-care Strategies: Within the Team

• Weekly check-ins

• Group approach to difficult cases

• Book club/research/journal articles/case law

• Retreats

• Happy Hour

Take away: Support each other. And get out of the office.

Self-care Strategies: Within the Greater Community

• Finding “champions and allies”

• Realize that we are all on the same team

• Look outside the university

Take away: seek support wherever possible

In Conclusion…

• Service delivery and building alliances is an on-going

process

• Consistency + Good Habits = successful DS office

management

Thank you!

Questions?

Feel free to contact:

Tom Merrell: merrellt@usfca.edu

Barbara Zunder: bzunder@usfca.edu

Charlene Lobo Soriano: lobo@usfca.edu

Shona Doyle: doyles@usfca.edu

Brooke Bassett: