Navigating Classroom Accommodations Examples

Why it matters: Supports students with processing delays, anxiety, or fatigue.

How it typically works:

1. Undergraduate students may request to take the exam in our OSA Testing Center (located under Smith Hall)

• Submit your exam request through Accommodate at least 5–7 days before your scheduled exam.

• Late Exam Requests: Exam proctoring requests must be submitted by 12:00 p.m. (noon) at least 48 business hours before the exam (e.g., by Thursday at noon for a Monday exam and by Friday for a Tuesday exam). Requests submitted after the deadline will not be approved, and you will be expected to take the exam with the class without accommodations.

2. Law and Graduate Schools please see information for processing exam accommodations on our website.

3. Faculty may provide the accommodation for undergraduate and graduate school (i.e. stay late while the student with extended time takes their exam, relocate the student to an office or conference room near the professors office, etc.). Testing with the faculty should be prearranged and communicated ahead of the exam date typically 5-7 days in advance, or the time the faculty suggests.

OSA communicates testing procedures to students via the website and direct outreach. Faculty are encouraged to check in with students early in the semester to confirm plans for using exam accommodations.

Why it matters: Students with print-based disabilities access course materials equitably.

How it works:

• Use SensusAccess and OSA to provide materials in large print, audio, Braille, EPUB, and accessible PDFs.

• Students schedule service requests through OSA.

More information is located under the “Accessible Education Material (AEM)” tab under Faculty Resources. Rebecca Brooks, Associate Director of OSA, currently coordinates AEM and assistive technology for print disabilities.

Why it matters: Aids students with auditory processing, memory, or motor challenges.

How it works:

• Options: faculty provided notes, shared peer notes, and digital notes. For additional information please read, “Overview of Approved Classroom Notetaking Methods”.

• Faculty are encouraged to discuss effective note-taking strategies in class and can include what role it plays in student learning, and what good notes look like.

Why it matters: Essential for students using assistive technology (e.g., text-to-speech).

How it works:

• OSA provides a locked-down computer.

• Personal devices allowed with faculty approval and specified guidelines.

Why it matters: Helps students with attention, sensory, or anxiety needs.

How it works:

• Access quiet space with minimal distractions.

• Use of technology or readers as needed.

Why it matters:
Supports students with learning disabilities, ADHD, or language-based processing differences by ensuring assessment reflects content knowledge rather than spelling or grammatical accuracy under time-limited, impromptu conditions.

How it works:

• Applies to in-class, unedited writing (e.g., short-answer or essay responses during class or exams).

• Grading focuses on content, structure, and comprehension, not spelling or grammar mechanics.

• Not applicable in courses where grammar/spelling are core learning outcomes (e.g., foreign language, English composition focused on mechanics).

• May require instructor collaboration to determine appropriate implementation in context.

Why it matters: Ensures equitable curricular access for students with specific cognitive or sensory disabilities.

How it works:

• Approved substitutions that align with major requirements and learning objectives.

• Why It Matters:
  This accommodation supports students with chronic health conditions, mental health disabilities, or other cyclical or episodic disabilities that may occasionally interfere with their ability to meet standard assignment deadlines. It aligns with the ADA’s mandate to provide reasonable modifications to policies and procedures to ensure equal access.

  How It Works:

  • Flexibility with assignment deadlines provides a limited adjustment to standard due dates when disability-related symptoms prevent timely completion.

  • Students are expected to establish a shared understanding with their instructors at the beginning of the semester regarding how flexibility will be implemented in each course.

  • The agreed-upon flexibility must not compromise essential course requirements or fundamentally alter the nature of the academic program.

  • This accommodation is not intended for ongoing extensions or indefinite delays and does not apply to exams or time-sensitive assessments unless otherwise specified.

  • Students should notify instructors as soon as reasonably possible when they need to use this accommodation for a specific deadline.

  • The Office of Student Accessibility (OSA) is available to assist in facilitating discussions between students and faculty to ensure mutual understanding and appropriate implementation.

• Why It Matters:
  This accommodation supports students with disabilities that are chronic, episodic, or cyclical in nature (e.g., autoimmune disorders, migraines, mental health conditions) that may occasionally prevent them from attending class. Under the ADA and Section 504, postsecondary institutions are required to provide reasonable accommodations that ensure equal access to education without fundamentally altering course requirements.

  How It Works:

  • Flexibility with attendance allows for a limited number of disability-related absences beyond what is typically permitted under a course’s attendance policy.

  • Students are encouraged to connect with instructors at the beginning of the semester to discuss how this accommodation will be applied in each course.

  • The accommodation does not eliminate attendance requirements but modifies them when appropriate and when doing so does not fundamentally alter essential course components.

  • Instructors and students should collaboratively determine the number of flexible absences that can be reasonably granted while maintaining the integrity of the course.

  • Students must notify instructors as soon as possible when a disability-related absence occurs or is anticipated.

  • This accommodation is not retroactive and does not apply to absences unrelated to the student’s documented disability.

  • The Office of Student Accessibility (OSA) is available to facilitate a discussion between students and faculty to determine how flexibility can be appropriately implemented.