Overview

1. After a student generates their Letter of Accommodation for your course, you will receive their letter via email. You can also view and manage all accommodation requests in your courses using the Instructor Portal (COMING SOON!)
    
2. Review the letter for the student's accommodations. If unsure of your responsibilities for that particular accommodation, review the instructions on this page.
    
3. Collaborate with the student and our office to implement the accommodation in a timely manner. Consult with the student's Accommodation Consultant

How to Use the Instructor Portal

The Instructor Portal (COMING SOON) allows you to view and manage all student accommodations in your courses. 

Feasibility and Timing of Requests

Please view a student's accommodation letter as a conversation starter to determine how best to provide an accessible learning environment. If you have other ideas regarding how to create access for your course beyond what is listed in this letter, we encourage you to speak with the student to explore alternative modifications. You are also welcome to consult with our office to discuss course design, learning objectives and reasonable access options. 

If you have any concerns about the feasibility of an accommodation in your course, please contact us. We want to learn more about your course design and collaborate on a plan that works for everyone. Note: It is important to never deny a student's accommodation request without first consulting with our office. We have provided a Fundamental Alteration Worksheet to assist us in gathering the necessary information needed to consider the student's accommodation for your course.

Students can register with the DRC and/or request accommodations in a course at any time during the semester. However, students are expected to make proactive requests within a reasonable timeframe. Accommodations are designed to be implemented at the point of request moving forward. Retroactive accommodations are typically only given at instructor discretion. We encourage you to consult with us when considering retroactive requests. 

Shared Responsibilities Summary

Students are responsible for: 

• communicating with their instructors and our office throughout the semester
• requesting accommodations in a timely manner
• following accommodation procedures and expectations (as outlined in the DRC website)

You (as the instructor) are responsible for: 

• communicating with students and our office throughout the semester
• implementing accommodations in a timely manner
• consulting with us when you have questions or concerns about requested accommodations
• maintaining student confidentiality

We (DRC) are responsible for: 

• approving/training registered students for using accommodations
• providing services and accommodations in a timely manner
• consulting with students and instructors on how to best implement accommodations.
• maintaining student confidentiality

Exam Accommodations

What qualifies as an "exam" for exam accommodations?

Exam accommodations apply to timed quizzes, midterms, and finals. More specifically, exam accommodations apply to any timed written assessment that is designed to be completed in a single sitting and is graded for accuracy.

Exam accommodations typically do not apply to lab work, homework/projects, untimed "take-home style" exams which students can complete over multiple days, dissertations, or Law school exams longer than 8 hours. If a student requests for their exam accommodations to apply to anything on this list, please refer the student to their Accommodation Consultant to discuss. 

Take-at-Home (Online) Exams

If your exam is designed for students to take at home utilizing Canvas or other virtual assessment method, then students will not schedule these exams at the DRC, and you do not need to complete a Testing Agreement. Instead, you will adjust the student’s time allotted, availability window, and/or due dates accordingly. 

Notetaking Support  

Use of Personal Notetaking Technology/Apps 

Notetaking technologies allow students with disabilities to more efficiently take notes in class. If you have a no-tech or no-recording policy in your course, please make an exception for students with this accommodation. Students may sign an agreement that recordings are for their personal use only and that they are not to share the recordings. They also understand that doing so would be against DRC procedures and a potential violation of the Code of Student Conduct.

Access to Lecture Slides in Advance  

This accommodation benefits a student's notetaking in two ways: (1) students can review the slides prior to class to prime themselves for the content, and (2) using the slides as an outline, students can focus their notetaking on adding on supplemental information from the lecture. With this in mind, please communicate with the student how they can receive advance access to the lecture slides.

Peer Notetaking Services (Synchronous Courses Only)

The purpose of a notetaker is to assist students in capturing real-time course content, such as in a traditional lecture. Therefore, you should only recruit a notetaker in your course if it has synchronous class meetings. Courses that are asynchronous (e.g. pre-recorded lectures) typically present no barriers for students to capture content independently. If a student is requesting a notetaker for your asynchronous course, please first consult with the DRC.

How to Recruit a Notetaker: 

1. Make note of the name and email address of the DRC-registered student who made the request. You will need to reference this information after identifying a notetaker. 
    
2. If there is not already an established notetaker in the class, make an announcement to the class (both during class and via email/Carmen) to recruit a notetaker. Please do NOT reveal the name of the student with a disability. We suggest saying: "Disability Services is recruiting a volunteer to be a notetaker for this course. Being a notetaker is an opportunity to help Disability Services provide equal access to a college education for all students.  If you are interested, please contact me as soon as possible."
    
3. Select a notetaker within 3 business days.
   • If you get one volunteer: please select them.
   • If you get no volunteers: please make a second announcement at the next class meeting. If you still get no volunteers, please notify the student’s Accommodation Consultant listed on the letter of accommodation. 
      
4. Provide the notetaker with the name and email address of the DRC-registered student who made the request. It is ok (and necessary) for the note-taker at this point to know the identity and contact information of the SLDS-registered student so that they can coordinate logistics. 
    
5. If you receive any more peer notetaking requests in this course, the same notetaker should be assigned to all requesting students. 

Flexibility with Attendance and Due Dates

Due to unpredictable flare-ups of their disability, this student is approved for a reasonable amount of flexibility with excused absences, make-up exams, deadline extensions, and participation points. Each course has its own unique design and learning outcomes. Therefore, this accommodation requires careful consideration and an open dialogue between the student, instructor, and DRC. This accommodation is NOT intended to provide unlimited flexibility nor be automatically applied to all assignments. 

If this is your first experience with flexibility accommodations, please review our instructor guidance. All instructors are welcome to consult with us about the particulars of your course and what level of flexibility makes sense. All instructors are welcome to consult with the accommodation consultant noted on the students letter of accommodation about the particulars of your course and what level of flexibility makes sense.

Creating an Flexibility Plan for your Course

1. After receiving your first flex plan request, complete the online flexibility with attendance form or flexibility with due dates form. You only need to complete 1 form per course (or 1 per course section, if your syllabus policies vary between sections). Instructors may choose to fill out the form proactively at the beginning of the semester.
2. As you receive Letters of Accommodation for students in your course, please individually forward the flex plan confirmation email to each student who requests a flex plan. Do NOT send the plan to multiple students at once, as this would violate student confidentiality. 
3. Students may follow up with you with questions or contact DRC if they need individualized adjustments to the flex plan. 

Example of Accommodation Limits

• Attendance (if graded): 50% additional excused absences 
• Participation (if graded): Asynchronous opportunity to make up points (e.g. written contribution, reading summary) 
• Quizzes/Exams (if date-specific): Makeup opportunity within 1 week 
• Deadlines (for solo assignments): Extend up to 3 days 

Parameters for Flexibility Plans 

• Troubleshooting/Conflict: Under no circumstances are students solely responsible for the resolution of conflicts arising from disability-related absences. Please contact the DRC if a conflict or disagreement occurs. 
   
• Documentation and Communication: The need for a student’s flexibility needs have been documented through Disability Services; no additional medical documentation is needed. If your course policy requires medical documentation for an excused absence, make-up exam, etc., the student's Course Accessibility Letter should serve as sufficient documentation. The student is still expected to maintain prompt and regular communication with you as flare-ups occur throughout the semester. While proactive notice is strongly encouraged, that may not always be possible given the nature of a student's acute episode. It is permissible to require notice within 24 hours of the missed class/assignment.
   
• Makeup Exams: Makeup exams of equivalent difficulty must be offered to students with flex plans, even if the course policy is to drop the lowest exam or offer a comprehensive makeup exam at the end of the semester. While a student may choose to opt-in to these alternative options, an equivalent makeup exam must be on the table. 
   
• Asynchronous Weekly Participation Assignments: While flex plans do cover deadline extensions for most types of homework, they do not typically apply to asynchronous weekly participation assignments. By that we mean short discussion board posts, 5 minute quizzes, or other coursework common to online classes which are open for the whole week and require very little time to complete. Students are expected to complete these assignments within their standard timeframes. However, if a student has extenuating circumstances (e.g. hospitalization), they should contact you and their Access Specialist so that we can discuss the situation on a case-by-case basis. 
   
• Falling Behind: If at any point students’ symptoms worsen to the point that they are falling behind and are unable to meet the terms of your flex plan, please contact the student’s DRC Accommodation Consultant. We can work together with the student to determine the best path forward. 

Note: Flex plans are NOT intended to provide...

• Unlimited flexibility. Almost all classes have a limit to the amount of flexibility possible, based on the course design.
   
• Automatic flexibility. Flexibility should only be applied in the event of a disability-related acute episode or essential medical treatment. 
   
• Flexibility for perfectionism, avoidance coping, executive functioning, or chronic limits on daily productivity (i.e. spoons theory). If these issues are impacting a student's academics, please refer them to their DRC Consultant to discuss alterative accommodations and available resources.

One-Off Flexibility as Needed; Remain-in-Class Plans 

With these new ADM options, no proactive plan is needed. A DRC Consultant will contact you in the event as student needs one-off flexibility (for a recently stable condition) or a remain-in-class plan (for a prolonged acute episode or medical treatment). 

Accessible Media  

Students approved for accessible media require course materials in alternative formats, such as electronic text or captioned videos. Our Accessible Media team is proactively working with instructors to ensure that print materials you provide to our team are made accessible.  We work with you to ensure that Deaf/Hard of Hearing students have captions for prerecorded videos and that interpreting/transcribing services are available for real-time class meetings. The team also proactively works with instructors of blind students to discuss accessibility strategies.

If you have students in your course who are utilizing accessible media, please notify our Accessible Media Team of any added materials by contacting John Caldora, Alternate Text Coordinator. You can also contact us with any questions or material conversion requests.

For tips on creating accessible courses in Canvas, visit the Center for the Enhancement of Learning and Teaching. 

 Deaf/Hard of Hearing Access  

Includes Interpreting/Transcribing Services, Assistive Listening Devices (ALDs), and captioned videos 

Upon student request, we will provide a sign language interpreter or transcriber for any real-time class meetings, regardless of modality. We will reach out to instructors to discuss best practices in utilizing interpreting and transcribing services in the virtual classroom setup. If you will be screen-sharing videos during class, or assigning videos to watch outside of class, these videos must include captions. Please contact drc@uky.edu with any questions or material conversion requests.

 Participation Access  

Includes alternative method for class participation or presentations; audio descriptions for visual content; breaks during class; food/water medicine in the classroom; lab assistant; spelling error flexibility; and voluntary contributions during class 

Accommodations in this group may modify how a student participates and contributes to the learning environment due to a disability-related barrier. Different modes of instruction can present different barriers and disability-related concerns for students. If a student requests this accommodation in your course, please reach out to them to discuss their specific concerns and how these accommodation/s could best be implemented. For questions or consultation, contact SLDS. 

Animals, Disability-Related

There are three types of disability-related animals that may accompany university community members on campus: service dogs, emotional support animals (ESA), and visiting therapy animals. Each type has its own distinct purpose and set of qualifications for being on campus.

• Service Dog Notification: This student has a trained service dog for their disability. While prior notice is not required, the student has opted to add this notification to their letter. A service dog is generally permitted to go wherever their handler (ie. the student) is allowed to go. Service dogs are trained to be attentive and non-disruptive. Please do not attempt to pet, talk to, or otherwise distract the service dog. Remember: the dog is working.  If you have questions or concerns about this notification, please contact us.
• Service Dogs in Training - There are student groups on campus that provide training for service animals. In most cases, KY state law requires these dogs to be given the same access as trained service animals. As will all other service animals, the dog in training cannot be disruptive and the handler must maintain control at all times.