Accommodations

The provision of accommodations for students with disabilities is intended to ensure equal access, not to guarantee success in academics. Academic requirements may be accommodated, as necessary, to ensure that they do not discriminate against qualified students with disabilities. The accommodations coordinated through Disability Support Services, shall neither affect the substance of the educational program nor compromise educational standards.

Accommodations are not retroactive. They begin only after:

• Appropriate documentation has been received and accepted by the Coordinator of Disability Services
• Letters of Accommodation have been requested and prepared
• The Letters of Accommodation have been picked up by the student and delivered to his/her instructors

NOTE: Academic requirements that are essential to programs of study (e.g., grade point averages, specific prerequisite courses, sequence of courses, and deadlines) cannot be accommodated.

Typical Possible Accommodations

• Extended test time
• Testing in a quiet, non-distracting environment
• Being allowed to use a calculator
• Preferential seating (usually at front of classroom)
• Being allowed to record lectures
• Not being called on to read out loud in class
• Being allowed to use a computer for all written assignments
• Quizzes and exams in an electronic format
• Being allowed to use an electronic spellchecker
• Allowed access to copies of professor's lecture notes, PowerPoint slides and/or overheads if not already available on Blackboard or similar system
• Being allowed to circle answers on a test instead of filling-in a Scantron or similar form
• Advanced copies of syllabi, textbooks, course materials, assignments, etc.
• Reduced course load
• Changing location of a classroom
• Use of sign-language interpreter
• Use of assistive technology