Accommodations are determined case-by-case based on the design of the course and the
student’s needs. Some accommodations may not align with course activities or may fundamentally
alter the course objectives.
Please contact our office if you believe certain accommodations wouldfundamentally alter a course or do not eliminate barriers. We are always available to consult on specific student
issues as well as accessibility issues for all students. We encourage you to speak
with the student or with this office if you have other ideas regarding how to create
more access in your course.
If you believe that an accommodation creates a fundamental alteration in your class,
the Office for Student Access Services (SAS) will request that you work with your
Department Chair and/or Dean to complete the Faculty Petition for Reiew of Reasonable Accommodation Request form. This porcess is intended to better understand the objectives of the course, the
concerns of the faculty meember and to reach a timely resolution fo r the student's
access needs. The form must be submitted within 3 business days of the receipt of
the Course Accessesilbty Letter.
Course Accessibility Letter (CAL) Information
The student decides which, if any, of their accommodations they will need to use for
each course they are taking.
SAS strongly encourages students to meet with professors during office hours and/or
arrange a meeting time so that there is sufficient time to discuss the CAL and how needs will be met in the class and for exams.
The Office for Student Access Services collaboratively works with both students and course instructors to ensure
accessibility. By collaborating with you, we ensure students experience access in
their coursework through accommodations or other outcomes. Information in the CAL
is CONFIDENTIAL and should be protected and not disclosed to a third party without
the expressed written permission of the student. Interactions in the classroom should
not designate a student as having accommodations.
Students with testing accommodations maybe proctored by you, your department or SAS.
Students being proctored by you or your department do not need to complete any paperwork
with SAS. You and the student will work out details for each exam.
Proctoring with Student Access Services
Student Access Services (SAS) offers quiet and semi-private space for testing when
proctoring is requested by a student. You will receive a jotform from each student
scheduling with SAS, this is for your records, no action is required on your part.
Instructors are required to fill this form out each semester for exams with students
using accommodations. It is an option to upload all tests or quizzes for the semester
at once if all exam dates are established. If dates are not known, you will complete
one form for each exam (not per student). Pleaes complete an additional form for finals.
NOTE: For alternative format exams please ensure the exams are accessible per the
accommodation before sending to SAS. If you need assistance with formatiing, please
contact access@nmt.edu at least 72 hours before the exam.
Explanation of Classoom Accommodations
Absences Related to Disability
Students that cannot adhere to an attendance policy because of circumstances directly
related to a disability may seek an accommodation. As with all accommodations, the
process for students to initiate a request for attendance accommodations is through
Student Access Services (SAS). When you see Absences Related to Disability on a Course
Accessibility Letter (CAL), we ask you to consider the role attendance plays in the
design of your course. Please go through these guiding questions, and contact the
SAS if you’d like us to work with you on this
What is the course policy regarding attendance?
Is the attendance policy applied consistently? Are there exceptions to the policy
made for extenuating circumstances, such as athletics or religious observation?
How much interaction is there between the instructor and students and among students
during class?
Do student contributions constitute a significant component of the learning process?
Does the design of the course rely on student participation as a significant method
for learning?
To what degree does a student’s failure to attend class compromise the educational
experience of other students in the class?
If an accommodation is determined to be reasonable, the SAS can work with you and
the student to clearly specify:
How and when the student should inform you when he or she will miss class
How the student will make-up missed work
The number of absences that would be reasonable
Whether a late drop or grade of incomplete would be appropriate should absences become
unexpectedly excessive.
Please note:
An accommodation in attendance is not reasonable if regular attendance is essential
to the course and/or curriculum or the number of accommodated absences becomes excessive.
You should never waive essential academic components of the course.
Students who receive an attendance accommodation are responsible for all course work
and do not have blanket permission to miss class.
Requests for flexibility in assignment deadlines should be discussed separately and
may or may not be determined to be reasonable by SAS.
As always, if you have questions or concerns, please contact the SAS.
Access to multi media lecture capture
Please teach in a lecture capture ready room, to ensure the student has the benefit
of viewing the lecures after class. The student will complete the Student Multi Media Lecture Capture Agreement for each class/instructor per semester. The faculty/instructor will complete the
Faculty Multi Media Lecture Capture Agreementwithin 5 business days of receipt of the student's current semester Course Accessibility
Letter (CAL)
Accessible Chair
When accessible chair is listed as accommodations, we will ensure an accessible chair
is placed in your classroom. If another chair is needed, or the first one didn’t get
delivered, contact us right away.
Accessible table
When accessible table is listed as accommodations, we will ensure an accessible table
is placed in your classroom. If another table is needed, or the first one didn’t get
delivered, contact us right away.
Assistive Listening Device (ADL)
To help the student hear the lecture, an ALD may be used. The student will give you
a small transmitter and microphone for your use during lecture. Just turn on the transmitter,
clip it on or put it in your pocket, and pin the mic to your shirt. Turn it off when
you have private conversations that aren’t meant for the class, or when you visit
the restroom. Return it to the student at the end of class.
Captioned videos
All videos shown in your class must have captions turned on. Best practice is to use
only closed captioned videos in your course. If you are unsure how to turn on captions
or subtitles, aren’t sure if your media is captioned, or have questions, please contact
us right away. Please note that automatic captions by YouTube are not at all adequate,
and should not be used.
Copies of instructional materials
Please provide copies of PowerPoint slides, lab slides, class notes and other course
materials to the student. The preferred method is via email. Providing them in advance
of the class is strongly preferred.
Extended deadline for assignments
Due to the student’s condition, when there’s an exacerbation of the student’s symptoms,
the student may miss assignment deadlines.
Front row seating
Please assist if necessary to ensure the student has a seat at the front of the classroom.
For some students, taking handwritten notes in class presents some barriers. When
this is the case, often note-taking is provided as an accommodation. The professor
should collaborate with the student to facilitate access to quality notes.Here’s more information about notetakers.
Large-print handouts
Please provide handouts to the student in at least the font indicated on the Course
Accessibility Letter If no font size is provided, please check with the student.Read more about best practices for handouts.
May be late to class due to disability or illness
As a result of the student’s condition, the student may be late to some classes during
the semester. The student has been informed to be in communication with professors
about being late, and that it is still the student’s responsibility to keep up in
class. Professors have discretion over their tardy policy.
May have medication, food and/or drink in class
Due to a condition, the student may need medication, food, and/or drink in class.
The student has been advised that drinks need a lid, and that food should be quiet
to eat, and not fragrant, to minimize disruption to the other students.
May need to stand/sit/walk/take breaks as needed
The student may need to occasionally leave the classroom for a brief period in order
to attend to personal medical needs, or simply to alternate sitting and standing,
or to move around a bit. The student has been asked to speak with you to determine
how this may impact the student’s daily participation in your course and how such
a situation might be addressed should the student need to leave the class on the day
of a quiz, exam, or other required in-class activity. It is recommended that a plan/agreement
be in place prior to the need to leave the classroom conflicting with course activity.
Oral interpreters
The purpose of this accommodation is to provide communication access. The interpreter
will silently mouth what you and the other students say (and will add facial expression
and gestures to clarify meaning), and may voice for the student. Please provide the
interpreter with any handouts given to all other students in the class. The student
or interpreter may request a specific placement in the class for optimal viewing and
participation. Please speak with the student directly, just as with any other student.More information about working with interpreters can be found here.
Physical assistance in labs
Sometimes students need assistance in labs to either physically manipulate objects
or to verbally describe them. The SAS will hire lab assistants to work with the students.
If there are any questions, don’t hesitate to contact the SAS.
Read environmental allergies statement to class
This student has environmental allergies.
Record Lecture
The purpose of this accommodation is to give students the opportunity to review course
material in full when typing or effective pen and paper note taking is not sufficient.
The student may present a number of different devices (digital voice recorder, Smart
Pen, computer technology) for recording.
When course discussion is such that confidentiality is required of all students, faculty
are encouraged to discuss the matter with SAS to identify acceptable alternatives.
Reduced and/or more predictable participation
Please consider either calling on this student less frequently, and/or to give some
notice (such as “first I want to hear from ‘student 1’ and then ‘student 2′ will be
next,” which would give ‘student 2’ a moment to collect his/her thoughts.
Seating Location
This student may benefit from sitting in the front or back of the class, near a door,
or near a window. Upon request, please work with the student to secure optimum seating
for the course.
Sign Language Interpreters
The purpose of this accommodation is to provide communication access. The interpreter
will sign what you and the other students say, and may voice what the student signs.
Please provide the interpreter with any handouts given to all other students in the
class. The student or interpreter may request a specific placement in the class for
optimal viewing and participation. Please speak with the student directly, just as
with any other student.
Speech to text transcription
The purpose of this accommodation is to provide communication access. The transcriber
will type or re-voice into a steno mask what you and the other students say, and may
voice what the student signs. Please provide the transcriber with any handouts given
to all other students in the class. The student or transcriber may request a specific
placement in the class for optimal viewing and participation. Please speak with the
student directly, just as with any other student.
Syllabus/handouts in advance when possible
Having the syllabus and any handouts in advance will help remove a barrier for the
student, and will enable better participation in class.
Use of laptop
The purpose of this accommodation is to give students a more efficient and independent
option for taking notes than is possible with pen and paper. It is not a reasonable
accommodation for the student to use the laptop for Internet searches, social networking
sites, or other uses not directly applicable to the course.
Visual media described
Please provide a verbal description of items that are projected, drawn or otherwise
shared with the class.
Explanation of Testing Accommodations
Brailled tests
Students may need tests and quizzes in Braille. If so, the professor should contact
the DRC to make arrangements to have the test converted and embossed in Braille. Please
allow at least 3 business days for this conversion.
Calculator
Please permit the student to use a calculator, unless the purpose of the exam is to
assess skills that can only be measured without the student’s use of the calculator.
Extended Time
For some disabled students, the traditional method of testing presents a barrier,
and so they receive extended time for tests and quizzes. Time and a half (1.5 time)
means the student gets half again as much time as the rest of the class. For instance,
if the rest of the class has 60 minutes to take an exam, the accommodated test would
be 90 minutes. The extended time applies to timed in-class exams and timed on-line
exams only and NOT to untimed take home exams).
Laptop for exams
The need for a laptop may be due to manual dexterity issues on the student’s part,
or due to the student using adaptive technology (AT), such as JAWS (software that
reads aloud to the student what is on the screen), voice dictation software or MAGic
(software that magnifies computer screen up to 36 times).
Large print for exams
Please provide exams in at least the font size indicated on the Course Accessibility
Letter. If you need assistance with this, contact SAS well in advance of the test.
May need to stand/sit/walk/take breaks during tests
The student may need to alternate sitting and standing, or to move around a bit during
tests. In addition, the student may need to leave the testing site for a brief period
in order to attend to personal medical needs. The student has been asked to speak
with you to determine procedure for stepping out of the testing site. It is recommended
that a tentative plan/agreement be in place prior to the first test.
Scribe
A person has been identified to serve as a scribe for the student for exams. Please
meet in advance with the student and the scribe to discuss expectations.
Seperate/Private proctoring
For some disabled students, the traditional method of testing presents a barrier.
Students with this accommodation must test in an environment that is as free from
visual and auditory distractions as possible. Testing Services has ample reduced-distraction
space for testing. There are situations where the student needs to test in the academic
department (such as sign language tests or oral exams). If testing in the academic
department, please note that at minimum the student needs to test with no one else
in the room, other than a proctor or professor; with a door that can be closed; with
a sign on the door indicating testing is progress, and with the absence of any loud
equipment, such as a printer. It is a good idea to let the student check out the room
in advance of the first test, so that any problems can be identified before test time.
The SAS staff are available to consult on this as well.
Sign Language Interpreter
The purpose of this accommodation is to provide test questions in the student’s native
language so that the test is measuring the student’s mastery of the material, not
their comprehension of written English.
We’re building a community where all people who learn and think differently can feel
supported. Our free resources give people the tools they need to thrive — while helping
them understand they’re not alone.
There are many effective teaching methods for those with different learning challenges.
Below are a few simple strategies that have been shown to be effective when teaching
students with learning disabilities, ADHD, and autism.
1. Break down learning tasks into small steps. Introduce each learning task one step at a time, only proceeding once each step
or concept is mastered. This is a progressive way of learning and teaching that will
not overwhelm the student.
2.Modify the teaching approach. Adjust the method of teaching to make the information more memorable. Lengthy verbal
directions and abstract lectures are usually ineffective when it comes to an audience
retaining information, instead try presenting information in a "hands-on" or demonstrative
way. By reenacting an abstract idea or planning a small activity that students can
participate in or observe, it is more likely that the necessary and important information
is retained.
3. Use visual aids such as charts and/or graphs. This is useful as it both provides an example for the work expected as well as the
behaviors that are expected.
4.Provide direct and/or immediate feedback. This enables the student to make a connection between their behavior and the teacher's
response, as well as adjust their work with an understanding of WHY it should be fixed.
A delay in providing feedback makes it difficult to form connections between cause
and effect, because of this the learning point may be missed.
More resources
Adcet.edu.au- “The Australian Disability Clearinghouse on Education and Training (ADCET) is funded
by the Australian Government Department of Education under the Higher Education Disability
Support Program and is hosted by the University of Tasmania. ADCET’s mission is to
contribute to the improvement of the educational experiences and to the successful
outcomes for students with disability in post-secondary education.”
NIMH.NIH.gov- “The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) is the lead federal agency for
research on mental disorders. NIMH is one of the 27 Institutes and Centers that make
up the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the largest biomedical research agency
in the world.”
NACDD.org- “The National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities (NACDD) is the
national membership association for the 56 State Councils on Developmental Disabilities
(SCDD or DD Councils) across the United States and its territories. The DD Councils
receive federal funding to support policy change and programs that promote self-determination,
integration, and inclusion for all people in the United States with intellectual and
developmental disabilities.”