Faculty Guide to Supporting Academic Accommodations

The Office for Students with Disabilities provides alternative testing accommodations to students with disabilities that significantly affect or limit their ability to take exams in a traditional setting and/or format. Alternative testing accommodations are a means of providing conditions that minimize the effects of a particular disability in order to ensure the student is able to demonstrate their knowledge or mastery of a course adequately. These conditions are not intended to alter the fundamental nature or requirements of any course.

Providing Exam Accommodations

Please note: this webpage is still being developed and new content is still being added. Please check back later for updates.

The Office for Students with Disabilities is here to support faculty in providing students accommodations for their exams. The information below is designed to equip faculty with the knowledge to provide students accommodations during exams. We encourage all faculty to use the NEW OSD Instructor Portal to access the Alternative Testing Agreements. 

Faculty must submit the Alternative Testing Agreement form, included in the Notification of Academic Support Services (in the red box), so that the student can meet our scheduling deadline. 

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact our office at 323-343-3140 or [email protected]. 

Accommodation Explained

There are a variety of accommodations that a student may need during an exam. Below is an explanation of what the most common accommodation looks like for both in-person and online exams.

Extended Time

Students with an extended time accommodation will need either 1.5x or 2x the class quiz/exam time.

For example, if the class is taking an exam that is 50 minutes, a student with 1.5x will have 75 minutes for the exam, and a student with 2x will have 100 minutes.

Extended time can be added to Canvas exams in the modify quiz/exam section of Canvas. Adjust the student’s additional time by following these directions: CANVAS webpage adjusting for extra time.

• NOTE: you do not have to upload or email us the exam since you are facilitating them online.

OSD Alternative Testing Center 

The OSD's Alternative Testing Center, located in Student Services Building room 1320, is a resource available to faculty who are unable to provide exam accommodations themselves. Our testing center features:

• Limited distraction environment accommodation.
• Extended time. 
• Computers with Assistive Technology

To use our testing center, students must schedule their exams at least one week (seven days) in advance, and three weeks in advance for final exams. Once students schedule their exams, faculty will be able to upload a copy of the exam to our system so that we can proctor it to the students.

• Our scheduling blocks do not apply to exams in an online format. Students requiring alternative testing should be given access to the exam at the same time as other students in the class. For example, if an exam begins at 9:30 a.m., the student will schedule for 9:30 a.m. rather than our original 10 a.m. time block.
• If the class is given an exam online, utilizing Canvas or another online platform, then the student should also take the exam online. If the student needs assistance with assistive technology for the online exam, please have them contact [email protected] immediately to consult with our Assistive Technology Coordinator, provided the exam is during business hours.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact our office at 323-343-3140 or [email protected]. 

ITS Digital Accessibility Services for Faculty

Get ahead of accommodation requests by letting ITS Accessibility create accessible versions of your course materials right now! Below, we will review how Ally in Canvas alerts faculty to inaccessible course materials and how faculty can initiate ITS Accessibility remediation services to get their content remediated with minimal effort.

Overview of Ally in Canvas

Request Document Remediation or Video Captioning of course content

Additional faculty support visit, Center for Effective Teaching and Learning.

• As you create your online instruction platform, please be cautious of inaccessible PDFs as they have become problematic for those students who use screen readers such as JAWS, Fusion or Kurzweil.

If you assign textbooks during the remaining of the semester:

• If you recommend a new print textbook that will need to be converted, students can still submit the requests to OSD, who will work with students to determine their best options.
• However, due to the timeframe of the semester, new textbook requests may not be processed in a timely manner.

Follow-up Student Support

• Please encourage your students to email [email protected] if they encounter any issues with assistive technology or accessing any instructional materials.

Role of a Sign Language Interpreter

An interpreter's role is to facilitate communication between signed and spoken languages. Interpreters sign everything that is spoken and voice everything that is signed. 

Working with a Sign Language Interpreter in-person: Some Tips 

• Provide the interpreter(s) with a copy of the course syllabus and/or other print materials for review and to follow as the class progresses. 
• Provide a location for the interpreter.  
  • The Deaf student needs to have a line of sight to view the professor or lecturer, overhead or PowerPoint presentations, and the interpreter. 
• Speak directly to the Deaf student, not the interpreter. For example, say, "Do you have your homework?" rather than "Does the student have their homework?" 
• Direct contact is valued particularly in one-to-one interactions, direct eye contact on the part of the Deaf individual is not always possible, as the Deaf student will need to look at the interpreter.
• Repeat other students' questions.  
  • This will allow the interpreter to ensure he/she does not miss the questions. 
• When there are audio-visual presentations, allow the Deaf student time to follow along with the presentation; the student will need time to look at the instructor, as well as to look at what is being displayed. If possible, provide a copy of the visual presentation to the Deaf student before the presentation. 
• Give the Deaf student sufficient time to read any written materials before you speak.  
  • Deaf students receive their information visually. If you speak while they are reading, they cannot watch the interpreter and read simultaneously. 
• Provide good lighting for the interpreter.  
  • If during the lecture you need to darken the room to view slides, videotapes, films, or overheads, auxiliary lighting is necessary so that the Deaf person can see the interpreter. If a small lamp or spotlight cannot be obtained, check whether room lights can be dimmed, or a door or window shade can be opened to provide enough light to see the interpreter. 

Working with a Sign Language Interpreter in Zoom:

For students who use sign language interpreting services, the Zoom platform is the most feasible to meet accommodation needs. Please follow these steps:

• Provide the Zoom meeting link to [email protected] along with the class subject, number, and section (i.e. COUN 1200.001).
• NOTE: If you set your class meeting to “reoccurring” in the settings, it will allow us to use the initial link (join URL) for all assigned interpreters for the remainder of the semester. By doing this, it will eliminate repetition of this step for you. —This is preferred.
  • Setting a reoccurring meeting so that there is one URL link for the class. This will only work if you choose the no fixed time option i.e., no days/times.
  • If you prefer or if reoccurring is not feasible, you can still initiate a new meeting link each time, please remember to send the new link to our DHH Services prior to the class meeting.

The DHH Administrative Support Coordinator will share the link with the interpreter assigned to your class, allowing the interpreter to join the meeting.

• There is no breach of confidentiality if other students can see the interpreter, as this would be the same experience for them if they were in the class. The student can communicate with the interpreter privately via chat if needed.

Role of a Real-Time Captioner

CART, also known as Communication Access Real-Time Translation, is a speech-to-text service that uses a professional captioner to provide a text format for auditory. The captioner will use the audio from the microphone to capture all spoken information and type in near-real time so that the student can read the lecture or class discussion on their laptop. 

Working with a real-time captioner in-person: Some Tips 

• Provide the service provider with a copy of the course syllabus and/or other print materials for review and to follow as the class progresses. 
• When setting up at the beginning of the class, the service provider and the individual using CART will work with you to figure out the best positioning for each, to ensure effective and comfortable communication. 
• Speak directly to the Deaf or hard-of-hearing student, not the service provider. For example, say, "Do you have anything you would like to add?" rather than "Does he/she have anything to add?" 
• Direct eye contact. While direct contact is valued particularly in one-to-one interactions, direct eye contact on the part of the Deaf or hard-of-hearing individual is not always possible, as the deaf or hard-of-hearing individual will need to watch the captioning screen. 
• Try to face the class when you speak. Some Deaf and hard-of-hearing students prefer to follow a lecture through lipreading and use CART as a backup when they cannot understand. 
• Ensure the Deaf or hard-of-hearing student's participation. Remember that the service provider is a few words behind the speaker. Therefore, allow time for the Deaf or hard-of-hearing student to obtain all the information and ask questions. 
• If possible, provide "advance copies" of the visual presentation to the deaf or hard-of-hearing student prior to the presentation. 
• Give the Deaf or hard-of-hearing student sufficient time to read any written materials before you speak. Deaf and hard-of-hearing students receive their information visually. If you speak while they are reading, they will not be able to watch the captioning screen and read simultaneously. 

Working with a Real-time Captioning in Zoom:

For students who use captioning services, the Zoom platform is the most feasible to meet accommodation needs. Please follow these steps:

• Provide the Zoom meeting link to [email protected] along with the class subject, number, and section (i.e., COUN 1200.001).
  • Setting a reoccurring meeting so that there is one URL link for the class. This will only work if you choose the no fixed time option i.e., no days/times.
  • If you prefer or if reoccurring is not feasible, you can still initiate a new meeting link each time, please remember to send the new link to our DHH Services prior to the class meeting.
  • The DHH Administrative Support Coordinator will share the link with the captionist assigned to your class, allowing the captionist to join the meeting. The captionist can identify themselves to you by writing CART next to their name.

Before the meeting

When you create your Zoom meeting, you need to designate an attendee to type real-time captions. In this case, it will be the professional captionist assigned through our office.

In settings:

1. Turn the “Closed captioning” and “Save Captions” toggles on.
2. These options allow you to give captioning access to them

At meeting time

Once the captionist has joined the meeting, assign them to provide captions by:

1. Clicking the Manage Participants icon at the bottom of the zoom meeting windows to display the participants’ list
2. In the participants' list window click the CART captionist’s name (who will identify themselves as such)
   • Click the more button, and then choose the option on the menu to “Assign to type Closed Captions.” Consider changing the caption size to large in the Zoom settings
     • The student can then click the closed caption option at the bottom of the main meeting window to view closed caption.
     • From a laptop or iPad, the closed caption option may be at the top or side bar

• There is no breach of confidentiality if other students can see the captionist as this would be the same experience for them if they were in the class. The student can communicate with the captionist privately via chat if needed.

OSD does not provide video captioning. For more information on video or live screen captioning of the lecture, please visit: Adding Video Canvas

NOTE: Even if you have a real-time CART captionist assigned to your zoom session, they will not provide captions for pre-recorded media, they only caption the audio of presenters and participants.

NOTE: The Zoom audio transcription feature may benefit everyone; however, this post-processing transcript does not substitute the need for real-time captions in a meeting for someone who is Deaf or Hard-of-hearing.

Make Materials Available in Advance 

Some of your meeting participants may join your meeting via the audio-only (call-in) option. There are several reasons why a participant would choose to join the meeting via audio call:

• Limited or no access to a computer or device
• Limited or no internet access
• A screen reader user who prefers to separate Zoom meeting audio from their screen reader audio to make it easier to follow along

To ensure that those participants who are joining your meeting via audio-only are still able to follow your Zoom meeting, you must make any materials or resources available online before the meeting. There are several ways that you can facilitate this access:

• In the Canvas LMS
• Cloud storage such as OneDrive
• As an email attachment

If you are sharing materials in a meeting, fully describe out loud the content while sharing your screen.

Provide access to shared resources outside of Zoom, and in advance of the meeting.

Consider the accessibility of documents/files:

• favor Word over PDF
• use the outline view for PowerPoint presentations
• caption videos
• provide transcripts for audio-only recordings

Allow participants to respond to polls or questions via multiple methods:

• Chat
• Audio
• Email
• If addressing questions from the chat window, speak aloud the initial question before answering to ensure everyone can participate, including those individuals who are attending your meeting via the audio-only call-in option.
• Place URLs referenced in the meeting within the chat window. Be prepared to share URLs outside of the zoom session while the meeting is in session.

• We provide note-taking assistance to eligible students for courses with synchronous lectures (in-person or via Zoom; attendance required) to assist them in analyzing and organizing the information presented during the class lecture.
• Students must still attend class regularly, as this accommodation is not a substitute for the student's class attendance or participation.

OSD Notetakers

• OSD Notetakers are typically student volunteers who provide their lecture notes in exchange for a monetary stipend, priority registration, and community service hours.
• OSD Note-taking Services will explicitly email the course instructor directly when they need them to recruit a volunteer notetaker.
• We will email the student and professor immediately after assigning a notetaker to any course.
• If we cannot recruit a volunteer with the assistance of the course instructor, we will email the student directly regarding the status of their request and any additional support we can provide them.

Note-taking in Zoom

• We provide note-taking services for courses that meet synchronously via Zoom.

Online Course Materials 

• If the course instructor is posting recorded asynchronous lecture content, other recorded content, course handouts, and notes online, the student already has access to these materials, and we do not ask notetakers to provide notes on this content.
• All students are expected to review online course materials on their own.
• If the student has other accessibility concerns, they should follow up with the course instructor or their OSD Support Specialist.

Notetaking Software

• If we cannot recruit a volunteer notetaker for a course or if the student prefers it, we also provide students access to a Notetaking Software.
• Notetaking Software: Messenger Pigeon is a third-party service provider that can provide notes to the student via audio recordings uploaded by the student.
• To access the notetaking software, the student must follow up with OSD Note-taking Services at [email protected].