Equipment Loans

Qualification of student need for equipment 

Most often, students with either hearing loss or vision impairments will need additional equipment to be able to engage in class. Oftentimes, the equipment needed can be expensive, so we have secured the equipment and can loan it out to students for a semester at a time. The process of determining if and which equipment is needed will be the same as how we determine accommodations: what is the barrier, and what would be a solution to remove the barrier?

Examples: 

• Deaf student using a virtual interpreter: their device microphone cannot pick up the audio from the professor due the classroom echoing or the microphone not working in the classroom. Solution: provide one of our microphones for faculty to wear and provide a direct audio feed to the student's device. 

• Student with low vision in a science lab: most microscopes can zoom in well but it may not be strong enough for the student to see with clarity. Solution: a digital microscope that will provide a high-definition picture of the specimen for the student to analyze.  

Types of Equipment

We have equipment that can assist with hearing amplification, virtual interpreters and captioners, visual access, etc. For a full inventory list, see myDSS. 

• microphones 

• FM systems 

• digital microscope 

• lens magnifier 

• visual stethoscopes 

• iPads for virtual interpreters & captioners 

• recorders 

Management of Equipment

All equipment should be included in the master inventory list in myDSS. Each entry must include the serial number, value at the time of purchase, and a list of items included with the equipment (ie., charger, case, etc.). The inventory should be checked at least once a term to ensure that all equipment is accounted for. If anything is missing, we need to locate what happened to it. If it's still in the student's possession, we need to make every effort to get it back, otherwise, we need to put a hold on their account in Colleague. 

Checking out/Checking in equipment  

1. Whenever it is time to check out the equipment to a student, open their profile and navigate to the equipment tab. 

2. In the top right, click on check out equipment 

3. Enter the serial number or name of the equipment. 

4. Identify which one you are providing the student and click on it

5. Change the status to "checked out", enter the due date (last day of classes before finals week), add any notes, and select yes to email the checkout receipt. Click "check out". 

The student will receive an email explaining that the equipment is now in their possession for the semester, that they are financially responsible for the equipment, and that they must return it at the end of the term. 

1. At the end of the term, when the student returns the equipment, open their profile and navigate to the equipment tab. 

2. Navigate to the equipment that needs to be returned and select "view"

3. Scroll down to the checkout status tile and change the following: 

   1. Status: Returned 

   2. Return date: enter the date of return

4. Select update. 

Reminders for Equipment Return

The reminders should be automated at the end of the term based on the due date. Each student will get at least 3 reminders to prompt them to return the equipment. If the equipment is not returned, it needs to be marked as missing & we need to place a hold on the student's account using the PERC page in Colleague.