DESCRIPTION
Evaluate the extent of support and accommodation provided to students with special disability-related needs and whether it is equally supported in-person on-campus and virtually at a distance.
QUALITY INDICATORS
1. Students can request academic accommodations.
2. The institution offers new student intake appointments.
3. The institution provides academic accommodations.
4. The institution provides assistive technology access.
SUGGESTED PRACTICES
- All students are fully informed of services and accommodations provided by the school.
- Intake processes are convenient and respectful of student disabilities and sensitivities.
- Standards and policies focus on the information and communication needs of users with disabilities rather than on specific technological or performance issues.
- Accessible design practices are established, monitored and enforced for all instructional materials, documents and LMS course design. This is to include:
- Providing extra time or attempts in quizzing or related assessments.
- Implementing Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles. http://www.udlcenter.org/aboutudl/udlguidelines
- Using text in pdf documents.
- Captioning or transcriptions of all audio and video materials.
- Using Microsoft’s Accessibility Checker to check for accessibility issues in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
- Software and hardware assistive technologies should be provided to students. This is to include:
- Screen readers
- Voice to text software
- Alternate screen navigation tools
- Notational interpretation software
- Augmentative and alternative communication devices
EXAMPLE
State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota: The Disability Resource Center implemented a web-based technology solution that allows students to initiate the academic accommodation request/intake process, upload relevant documentation, and access approved accommodation memos.