Procedures for Accommodations that Require Advance Preparation

Students who receive an Alternate Format Test accommodation require adjustments on their exams for accessibility purposes. Commons adjustments include:

• Increased font size
• Increased line spacing
• Use of a specific font type

Specifications for a student’s Alternate Format Test accommodation will be communicated in the initial accommodations notification email. SAS staff are available to support faculty in making these adjustments.

Communication Access Realtime Translation (CART)  is a captioning service for deaf and hard-of-hearing students provided in-person or remotely by a qualified captioner who takes notes in real-time. This service ensures that students with hearing impairments have equal access to educational materials and can fully participate in their courses. Using a laptop and a microphone, the captioner live-streams the text, which the student can view through an internet browser in real-time and may also receive a transcript afterward. Faculty, SAS, and students who receive this accommodation must work collaboratively for this accommodation to succeed. SAS will contact and meet with the faculty prior to the start of the semester to discuss the nature of the class and determine the best ways to support the student with a hearing impairment. 

In-Person Captioning Services

In-person captioning services involve the presence of a captioner in class who provides real-time notes for students with hearing impairments. For students to use this service to the fullest extent we ask that you consider the following:

• Allow the CART captioner to sit where they can hear you and the student clearly.
• Be prepared to wear a microphone for audio clarity, which the student will provide. 
• Due to a potential one-to-four-second delay in translation and text display, permit extra time for the student with hearing impairment to respond when called upon.
• Speak directly to the student, not the captioner.
• Provide the captioner with copies of the syllabus, handouts, and readings in advance, preferably at the start of the class.
  • Please note: The student and captioner will arrive early to class to ensure that all technology and equipment for captioning are set up prior to the start of the lecture.
• Contact IT support if any technical problems arise and kindly inform SAS accordingly.

Remote Captioning Services

Remote captioning services involve a captioner who takes notes for the student from a remote location. The student will utilize an online meeting platform such as Zoom, to facilitate the captioner’s access to the speaker’s voice. For students to use this service to the fullest extent we ask that you consider the following:

• Expect a wireless microphone from the student five minutes prior to class for the captioner to hear the lecture.
• Make sure to speak clearly into the microphone for optimal noise clarity.
• Return the microphone to the student at the end of class.

Students who are blind or have low vision have the right to an equal opportunity to learn and succeed academically. When course materials are not designed in an accessible format, SAS assists by either converting documents in-house or sending them to an external vendor to be converted. Sending them to an external vendor may be done at the student’s request or due to the complex nature of the course material.

It is common for visually impaired students to request that their course materials be transcribed into Braille, a tactile writing system of raised dots that allows such students to read with their fingers.

To ensure that course materials are transcribed into Braille in a timely manner, it is crucial for faculty to provide SAS with access to texts, quizzes, and readings well in advance, ideally months before the semester begins. This allows SAS to send these materials to a vendor for conversion, ensuring compliance with legal requirements to provide all course materials to students on the first day of class. Having early access to the faculty's syllabus would be highly beneficial, as it enables SAS to be informed about deadlines and course content.

SAS recommends that faculty provide materials in Microsoft Word format instead of PDFs, as many Braille devices only accept documents in WORD. For materials already in PDF format, faculty can collaborate with SAS to convert them into WORD format. SAS requests that faculty submit these materials at least two weeks before they are needed to allow sufficient time for conversion.

During the semester, SAS requests that faculty submit materials at least two weeks in advance if there are only a couple of texts to convert. However, if a large volume of materials is being sent to SAS for conversion, two weeks will be insufficient, and additional time will be necessary to ensure proper conversion. The length of time needed is dependent on several factors, such as the nature of the course and the length of the course materials.

Students approved for a note-taker accommodation can either recommend a student to SAS to fill the position or receive assistance from SAS in finding one. If a student elects for SAS to find a note-taker for them, SAS will contact the faculty member teaching the course and request an anonymous announcement be made through one of the three platforms: during class, via Moodle, and/or through email to the class in order to fill the position. Please note: It is essential for faculty to make the announcement promptly to facilitate the timely implementation of this accommodation.

In the event that no students already enrolled in a particular course are available to serve as a Note-Taker, it is possible that the position will be filled by a student not enrolled in the course. This ensures that the registered student receives their approved accommodations in a timely manner, as required by federal law.

Students who are approved for testing accommodations and choose to take their exams with SAS must provide a 5-business day notice of their exam by completing and submitting a Test Proctor Form. This time is required to reserve a seat within the Testing Center, secure a proctor to monitor the exam, and obtain needed information from faculty in order to administer the exam. 

SAS cannot guarantee that an exam can be proctored if a Test Proctor Form is submitted with a less than 5-business day notice. All forms submitted after the 5-day notice will be assessed on a case-by-case basis. If more information is needed that is not already provided on the Test Proctor Form, an SAS staff member will contact faculty directly, regarding exam information.   

Alternate Testing Date/Time

It is typical for registered students to begin their exam at the same time as their classmates; however, there are occasions in which an alternate testing date and time will need to be set.

This is the case if a student has back-to-back classes and their additional testing time will interfere with another class time. An alternate testing time and/or date must be indicated on the student’s Test Proctor Form, along with the faculty member's approval of the proposed alternate testing time and/or date for the exam.

SAS is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m.- 5 p.m. A student whose testing time (with or without extensions) falls outside those working hours will need to schedule the exam at an alternate date and/or time.

During the Exam

The exam will begin at the time indicated on the test proctor form. If a student arrives late, they must complete the exam in the time allotted. No additional time will be allowed. Time may be given back if the delay was outside the student’s power (e.g., faculty delivered the exam late) or due to a disability-related reason. If the student is late for any other reason and requests to be given their time back, it must be approved by the faculty member. SAS will attempt to contact the faculty member in these cases.

Students are only allowed to have the items indicated on the Test Proctor Form by faculty on their desks. Thus, faculty are asked to carefully review the list of items outlined on the Test Proctor Form to ensure all permitted items are indicated. Faculty approval is needed to utilize a laptop during testing. Additionally, students are not permitted to bring notes, textbooks, and any other forms of memory aid, unless specifically authorized by faculty to utilize during the exam.

Any violations or irregularities that occur during testing will be immediately reported to the Director of Student Accessibility Services and the faculty member for possible sanctions according to the Whittier College Academic Policy & Procedures.