Information for Instructors

Accomodations

Because the most prevalent disabilities on college campuses (40-45% of all disabilities registered) are related to learning disabilities, the accommodations suggested most frequently relate to those syndromes. Students with attention-related problems often benefit from the same accommodations.

It is the role of faculty to implement appropriate accommodations as specified by the Office of Disabilities Services. The web pages of that office should be seen for information on this topic (www.emory.edu/EEO/ODS).

Despite the needs of students to receive appropriate accommodations, it is important to recognize the right of the university to establish and maintain academic standards in keeping with its role and mission. This right has been verified through the courts, which consistently have upheld the institution’s right to define the learning goals of its programs and to determine the essential components of its curriculum. Therefore, accommodations are designed to allow flexibility to students in how they acquire information and demonstrate mastery of the curriculum.

The most frequent accommodations are:

• Extended time for graded tests
  
• Separate setting for tests
  
• Notetakers
  
• Taped textbooks
  
• Extended breaks during tests
  
  
• Extended Time/Separate Setting
  
  This accommodation is so frequently requested that many instructors have developed ways of evaluating students that do not rely on timed tests. They offer options of take-home exams, projects and class participation to evaluate performance.
  In larger classes where tests are given during class time, students who receive an extended time accommodation may take their tests with the class and then continue in another setting (an office space) to complete it.
  
  Because moving from one setting to another might be disruptive, some instructors provide space in a private setting, such as an office,for the entire test where the instructor is available to answer any questions. If office space is not available, another option is to request the Office of Disabilities Services to arrange a space and have a representative of that office proctor the exam. Discuss the options with the student and determine what will allow the fairest assessment of what you are intending to measure.
  
  The reason for these accommodations is to ensure that the assessment is valid and measurement error is minimized. For students with disabilities, the error margin increases without accommodations. The test may be measuring disability more than capability. This is the case when a student with a slow processing speed (in reading, writing or retrieval) takes an exam and completes the first questions well and has to race through the others to finish or does not complete the exam.
  
  
• Notetakers
  
  This accommodation is often requested for students with learning, attention, physical (mobility in the upper regions) or hearing disabilities. This service is administered through the Office of Disabilities Services but is paid out of department budget lines.
  
  In most cases, a notetaker is chosen from the class by the instructor's requesting a volunteer. It is helpful to check on the quality of the notes before authorizing the volunteer as a permanent notetaker. In order to protect the confidentiality of the student with a disability, the instructor should solicit notetakers without revealing fthe identity of the student. These notes may either be brought to the ODS for copying to be picked up later by the student or, with the student's permission, the notes may be given directly to the student by the notetaker at the end of class. Carbonless copy paper is available through ODS for this purpose.
  
  
• Taped Textbooks
  
  In order to provide this accommodation, instructors should respond to the Office of Disabilities Services request for a syllabus and course materials. The ODS contracts with readers to provide the taped text. This accommodation is often difficult to implement because faculty frequently develop or revise their courses over breaks, adding and deleting materials ntil just before the starts of classes. It is helpful to the ODS if the instructor requests an additional desk copy of the books they are using and provides this to the ODS for its use.
  
  Allowing lead time for on-line reserves is also important for students with reading difficulties. These may need to be read to the student using the text to speech software technology. Therefore, arrangements should be made in advance.
  
  
• Test Breaks
  
  Often students with learning, attention and fine motor problems benefit from extended breaks during tests. This will allow the student to relax and recompose him/herself. Even a short break during a long period of intense effort can be helpful. Because the student may wish to move around during the break, a separate setting is often required to implement this accommodation.
  
  
• Other Accommodations
  Other accommodations are designed to allow students with more severe disabilities gain access. These might include: reduced course load, a text reader, a scribe, a sign language or cued speech interpreter for the hearing impaired, a transcriber who can do real-time captioning, assistive technology, such as a Kurzweil reader or other text to speech software as well as a speech to text transcriber or an enlargement feature for text. Alternative test formats are necessary for students with physical and sensory impairments.

How Accommodations are Determined

Accommodations are recommended based on what is known of the course requirements and an understanding of the disability. Previous use of accommodations is also taken into consideration. Not all students who qualified for accommodations in high school will meet the ADA standards for accommodations.

If the accommodation requested does not seem appropriate in your course and might alter your understanding of the student’s mastery of the course material, the disabilities specialist should be consulted. As the person most knowledgeable about the course of study, your input can be very helpful in designing a truly appropriate accommodation.