Explanation of Accommodations in Faculty Notification Letters

Classroom

Absences related to disability

Students who believe that they cannot adhere to an attendance policy because of circumstances directly related to a disability may seek an accommodation. As with all accommodations, the process for students to initiate a request for attendance accommodations is through Disability Resource Center. When you see Absences Related to Disability on a Faculty Notification Letter, we ask you to consider the role attendance plays in the design of your course. Please go through these guiding questions, and contact the DRC staff if you’d like us to work with you on this

• What is the course policy regarding attendance?
• Is the attendance policy applied consistently?  Are there exceptions to the policy made for extenuating circumstances, such as athletics or religious observation?
• How much interaction is there between the instructor and students and among students during class?
• Do student contributions constitute a significant component of the learning process?
• Does the design of the course rely on student participation as a significant method for learning?
• To what degree does a student’s failure to attend class compromise the educational experience of other students in the class?

If an accommodation is determined to be reasonable, the DRC can work with you and the student to clearly specify:

• How and when the student should inform you when he or she will miss class
• How the student will make-up missed work
• The number of absences that would be reasonable
• Whether a late drop or grade of incomplete would be appropriate should absences become unexpectedly excessive.

Please note:

• An accommodation in attendance is not reasonable if regular attendance is essential to the course and/or curriculum or the number of accommodated absences becomes excessive.
• You should never waive essential academic components of the course.
• Students who receive an attendance accommodation are responsible for all coursework and do not have blanket permission to miss class.
• Requests for flexibility in assignment deadlines should be discussed separately and may or may not be determined to be reasonable.

As always, if you have questions or concerns, please contact the DRC.

Access to lecture capture system

Please teach in a lecture capture-ready room if at all possible, so the student has the benefit of viewing the lectures after class.

Accessible Chair

When an accessible chair is listed as an accommodation, we ask that academic departments provide the accessible chair. If the Faculty Notification Letter doesn’t specify what type of chair is needed, then please provide any office-type chair that fits under the table. The student will let you know if he/she has more specific needs (for instance, no arms on the chair). If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to contact us.

Accessible Table

When an accessible table is listed as accommodations, we will ensure an accessible table is placed in your classroom. If another table is needed, or the first one didn’t get delivered, call us right away.

Assistive Listening Device

To help the student hear the lecture, an ALD may be used. The student will give you a small transmitter and microphone for your use during lecture. Just turn on the transmitter, clip it on or put it in your pocket, and pin the mic to your shirt. Turn it off when you have private conversations that aren’t meant for the class, or when you visit the restroom. Return it to the student at the end of class.

Captioned videos

All videos shown in this class must have captions turned on. If you are unsure how to turn on captions or subtitles, aren’t sure if your media is captioned, or have questions, please call our Interpreter Coordinator at 501-916-6107.  Please note that automatic captions by YouTube are not adequate and should not be used.  Much more information about captions for videos are at this site.

Clear view for speech reading

In addition to seating at the front for the student, be aware of the need to face the class when talking, and not to block your mouth from view.

Copies of overheads and PowerPoints

Please provide copies of PowerPoint slides or overheads to the student. The preferred method is via email. For students for whom reading isn’t a barrier, print copies would be okay. Providing them in advance of the class is strongly preferred.

Front-row seating

Please assist if necessary to ensure the student has a seat at the front of the classroom.

Handouts in digital format

Provide the student with all handouts in digital format. Read more about best practices for handouts. If you need assistance remediating your documents, please contact the DRC, and we can assist you.

Help finding notetakers

For some students, taking handwritten notes in class presents some barriers. When this is the case, often note-taking is provided as an accommodation. The professor should collaborate with the student to facilitate access to quality notes. Here’s more information about notetakers.

Large-print handouts

Please provide handouts to the student in at least the font indicated on the Faculty Notification Letter. If no font size is provided, please check with the student. Read more about best practices for handouts.

May be late to class due to disability or illness

As a result of the student’s condition, the student may be late to some classes during the semester. The student has been informed to communicate with professors about being late, and that it is still the student’s responsibility to keep up in class. Professors have discretion over their tardy policy. Having this statement on a Faculty Notification Letter does not mean the student has permission to be late. If it is a critical element of the class, then that can be reflected in the class policy. If there can be flexibility, however, please take the student’s condition into consideration.

May have meds, food and/or drink in class

Due to a condition, the student may need medication, food, and/or drink in class. The student has been advised that drinks need a lid, and that food should be quiet to eat, and not fragrant, to minimize disruption to the other students.

Extended deadlines for assignments

Due to the student’s condition, when there’s an exacerbation of the student’s symptoms, the student may miss assignment deadlines. Detailed guidelines are provided that include the responsibility of DRC, student, and faculty member.

May need to stand/sit/walk/take breaks as needed

The student may need to occasionally leave the classroom for a brief period in order to attend to personal medical needs, or simply to alternate sitting and standing, or to move around a bit. The student has been asked to speak with you to determine how this may impact the student’s daily participation in your course and how such a situation might be addressed should the student need to leave the class on the day of a quiz, exam, or other required in-class activity. It is recommended that a plan/agreement be in place prior to the need to leave the classroom conflicting with course activity.

Oral interpreters

The purpose of this accommodation is to provide communication access. The interpreter will silently mouth what you and the other students say (and will add facial expression and gestures to clarify meaning), and may voice for the student. Please provide the interpreter with any handouts given to all other students in the class. The student or interpreter may request a specific placement in the class for optimal viewing and participation. Please speak with the student directly, just as with any other student. More information about working with interpreters can be found here.

Peanut allergy

A student in your class has a dangerous peanut allergy and we are asking for your help. Peanut residue from anyone using your classroom could pose a serious health risk for this student. To avoid that scenario, a sign needs to be posted so everyone who uses the classroom knows that peanuts and peanut products are not allowed. 

Physical assistance in labs

Sometimes students need assistance in labs to either physically manipulate objects or to verbally describe them. The DRC will hire lab assistants to work with the students. If there are any questions, don’t hesitate to contact the DRC.

Read environmental allergies statement to class

This student has environmental allergies. Please read the following statement to students in your class:

Perfume and scented hair spray contain trace amounts of chemical irritants, which may trigger an immune response or illness in persons with environmental allergies. Please refrain from wearing perfume, aftershave, or other scented products to this class. Thank you for your consideration.

Record lecture

The purpose of this accommodation is to give students the opportunity to review course material in full when typing or effective pen and paper note-taking is not sufficient. The student may present a number of different devices (digital voice recorder, Smart Pen, computer technology) for recording. When course discussion is such that confidentiality is required of all students, faculty are encouraged to discuss the matter with DRC to identify acceptable alternatives.

Reduced and/or more predictable participation

Please consider either calling on this student less frequently, and/or giving some notice (such as “first I want to hear from ‘student 1’ and then ‘student 2′ will be next,” which would give ‘student 2’ a moment to collect his/her thoughts.

Room temperature

If possible, keep the classroom temperature in the range listed on the Faculty Notification Letter, to help accommodate a student’s condition. If it is not possible to regulate the temperature in the classroom that will be used, contact the DRC as soon as possible so other arrangements can be made.

Seating location

This student may benefit from sitting in the front or back of the class, near a door, or near a window. Upon request, please work with the student to secure optimum seating for the course.

Sign Language Interpreters

The purpose of this accommodation is to provide communication access. The interpreter will sign what you and the other students say, and will voice what the student signs. Please provide the interpreter with any handouts given to all other students in the class. The student or interpreter may request a specific placement in the class for optimal viewing and participation. Please speak with the student directly, just as with any other student. More information about working with interpreters can be found here.

Syllabus/handouts in advance when possible

Having the syllabus and any handouts in advance will help remove a barrier for the student and will enable better participation in class.

Use of laptop

The purpose of this accommodation is to give students a more efficient and independent option for taking notes than is possible with pen and paper. It is not a reasonable accommodation for the student to use the laptop for Internet searches, social networking sites, or other uses not directly applicable to the course.

Visual media described

Please provide a verbal description of items that are projected, drawn or otherwise shared with the class.

Testing

Brailled tests

Students may need tests and quizzes in Braille. If so, the professor should contact the DRC to make arrangements to have the test converted and embossed in Braille. Please allow at least 3 business days for this conversion.

Calculator

Please permit the student to use a calculator, unless the purpose of the exam is to assess skills that can only be measured without the student’s use of the calculator.

Extended Time

For some disabled students, the traditional method of testing presents a barrier, and so they receive extended time for tests and quizzes.  Time and a half (1.5 time) means the student gets half again as much time as the rest of the class.  For instance, if the rest of the class has 60 minutes to take an exam, the accommodated test would be 90 minutes. Here is information about providing accommodated exams.

Laptop for exams

The need for a laptop may be due to manual dexterity issues on the student’s part, or due to the student using adaptive technology (AT), such as JAWS (software that reads aloud to the student what is on the screen), voice dictation software or MAGic (software that magnifies the computer screen up to 36 times). Accommodated exams that are taken separately from the rest of the class are detailed at this link.

Large-print tests

Please provide exams in at least the font size indicated on the Faculty Notification Letter. If you need assistance with this, please contact the DRC well in advance of the test.

May need to stand/sit/walk/take breaks during tests

The student may need to alternate sitting and standing, or to move around a bit during tests. In addition, the student may need to leave the testing site for a brief period in order to attend to personal medical needs. The student has been asked to speak with you to determine the procedure for stepping out of the testing site. It is recommended that a tentative plan/agreement be in place prior to the first test.

No Scantron

Scantron tests are not accessible for this student. Allow the student to test in a different manner that accommodates the disability, such as typing out answers on a computer, or filling out a paper exam.

Oral Testing / Test on tape

When possible, test this student orally, or let the student record test answers verbally for the professor to grade.

Out-of-room Quizzes

Due to the need for testing in a reduced-distraction environment, testing in the classroom is a barrier. The student should be allowed to test in a separate location. More information on reduced-distraction rooms is below.

Reduced-distraction room

For some disabled students, the traditional method of testing presents a barrier.  Students with this accommodation must test in an environment that is as free from visual and auditory distractions as possible.  Testing Services has ample reduced-distraction space for testing, and we recommend that all exams take place at Testing Services.  Sometimes, however, there are situations where the student needs to test in the academic department (such as sign language tests or oral exams).  We have information about providing accommodations in that environment as well.  If testing in the academic department, please note that at minimum the student needs to test with no one else in the room, other than a proctor or professor; with a door that can be closed; with a sign on the door indicating testing is in progress, and with the absence of any loud equipment, such as a printer. It is a good idea to let the student check out the room in advance of the first test, so that any problems can be identified before test time. The DRC staff are available to consult on this as well.

Scribe

A person has been identified to serve as a scribe for the student for exams. Please meet in advance with the student and the scribe to discuss expectations.

Sign Language Interpreter

The purpose of this accommodation is to provide test questions in the student’s native language so that the test is measuring the student’s mastery of the material, not their comprehension of written English. More information about working with interpreters can be found here.

Spelling dictionary

A spelling dictionary provides phonetic spelling and not definitions.  The student will bring this to the exam, not the professor.

Voice calculator

The student needs to use a calculator that takes voice commands, which he/she will bring to the test.

Voice-recognition software

The student will voice test answers using Dragon Naturally Speaking or a similar software that will translate the voice to typed text. Here is information about providing accommodated exams.

Web

Alternate format for tests

Tests must be posted in an accessible way (i.e. no PDFs).

Discussion Board instead of Chat

Chat features are not accessible. This student needs to participate using discussion board instead.

Extended Time for Tests (1.5 time)

Please set up tests in Blackboard with extended time. The directions are step-by-step, but please call the DRC or STaR with any questions you may have.

Interpreter for tests given on campus

The purpose of this accommodation is to provide test questions in the student’s native language so that the test is measuring the student’s mastery of the material, not their comprehension of written English. More information about working with interpreters can be found here.

Make Audio Track from Video Accessible

Provide captions or subtitles for all videos with a spoken component. For assistance on this, contact the Disability Resource Center well in advance of posting the video.

Make Visual Video Information Accessible

Provide description of visual elements of all videos. If a video has visual elements that are verbally described, then it’s not likely we’d need to add voice-overs. If, however, the video just shows the visuals with no audio description, then we’d need to add voice-overs, since the video itself isn’t describing what is being shown. For assistance on this, contact Justin Hicks in the Disability Resource Center well in advance of posting the video.

No lockdown browser

Lockdown browsers such as Respondis are incompatible with assistive technology that this student must have (such as screenreader software). Please test the student without the use of a lockdown browser.

Screen-reader Compatibility

Post exams in an accessible format. PDF can be accessible, but it depends on how you create it. If you scan a print document and save it as PDF, that is not accessible. If you create a document in, say, Word, and save it as PDF, that should be okay. You can tell if it’s accessible or not by selecting some of the text within the document. If you can’t, then it’s definitely not accessible. Word is accessible for the most part. Don’t use text boxes. For headings in a document, don’t just make them bold or a bigger font – set them as headings in the pull-down menu. That way a screen reader can navigate from heading to heading, which allows a blind student to browse a document much like a sighted user would. If you have a visual element, like a photograph, then underneath add a description of the image.