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The Accommodations Triad
CURRENT: Accommodations for Online/Remote Courses
Faculty Handbook - UPDATED April, 2020
Presentation on Providing Accommodations
ADA Syllabus Statement - UPDATED 9/17/2020


The Accommodations Triad

The Office of Accessibility Services works closely in conjunction with both students and faculty to build a mutually supportive "triad" that works collaboratively to facilitate accommodations and promote access on campus. 

Using an interactive process, the OAS facilitates relationships and roles of all three parties in the triad through multiple steps and processes. Please download this infographic (in PDF format) to see all the ways this triad paradigm supports both faculty and students. 


Accommodations for Online/Remote Courses at FSU

As Florida State moves courses content online, please be aware that some students with disability accommodations may be disproportionately impacted by the transition. The Office of Distance Learning is working with the Office of Accessibility Services to identify accommodation needs that instructors should be aware of when delivering course content remotely. Below are accommodations students may need along with suggested appropriate way(s) to address these needs in the online environment.

Alternative testing

If you have proctored exams, see this support article for online alternatives to in-person proctored exams.

Extension on assignment due dates

See this support article to meet accommodations for extended due dates for assignments, discussion boards, and quizzes.

Attendance accommodation

Follow the same attendance accommodation policy as your in-person course when conducting online synchronous lectures and discussions.

Notetaking services

For notetaking accommodations, live synchronous lectures can be recorded in Zoom. You can also record a lecture offline and then upload it to Kaltura. If you use Kaltura, the lecture will be automatically machine captioned at the 75% accuracy level. Once created the captions will need to be reviewed and corrected in the Kaltura caption editor.

Ability to audio record lectures

For lecture recording accommodations, live synchronous lectures can be recorded in Zoom. You can also record a lecture offline and then upload it to Kaltura. Both will provide lecture audio for the student.

Breaks during class sessions

Follow the same breaks during class sessions as your in-person course when conducting online synchronous lectures and discussions.

Alternate text formats

To ensure course material can be used by students who use assistive technology, such as the computer reading course material out loud, be sure your course material is in text format and follows accessibility guidelines. You can request to have Ally enabled in Canvas. Ally will review your course material and give you feedback as to how accessible the material is and what can be done to improve course material accessibility. Contact Dewel Lindsey to have Ally activated in your Canvas courses. For help with course material remediation, contact Dr. John Crow at the Office of Distance Learning or the Office of Accessibility Services.

Provide copies of instructor notes and/or handouts

Notes, handouts, slides, and other materials can be uploaded into Canvas and shared with students to access at any time. It is best to do this before the class or lecture if possible.

Extra time for in-class written work

To meet accommodations for extra time for in-class written work, see the support article for extending due dates for assignments, discussion boards, and quizzes.

Supplemental notetaking assistance, especially when absent

For supplemental notetaking accommodations, live synchronous lectures can be recorded in Zoom. You can also record a lecture offline and then upload it to Kaltura. If you use Kaltura, the lecture will be automatically machine captioned at the 75% accuracy level. Once created, the captions will need to be review and corrected in the Kaltura caption editor.

Clarification of expectations and instructions

Instructors should use the Canvas announcement tool, detail assignment descriptions, and/or create short explanation videos using Kaltura to clearly articulate assignment instructions and expectations.

Adaptive technology

To ensure course material can be used by students who use adaptive technology, such as the computer reading course material out loud, be sure your course material is in text format and follows accessibility guidelines. You can request to have Ally enabled in Canvas. Ally will review your course material and give you feedback as to how accessible the material is and what can be done to improve course material accessibility. Contact Dewel Lindsey to have Ally activated in your Canvas courses. For help with course material remediation, contact Dr. John Crow at the Office of Distance Learning or the Office of Accessibility Services.

Do not call on student unless the student volunteers

For students who have an accommodation to not be called on unless volunteering, follow the same policy as your in-person course.

Instructor to work with student on modifying public speaking/presentation

For students who have an accommodation for modifying public speaking/presentations, follow the same policy as your in-person course, being flexible to give students suitable alternatives.

Leniency with spelling and grammatical errors

For students with accommodations for leniency with spelling and grammatical errors, instructors should follow the same policy as your in-person course

Ensure accessibility of web-based content

To ensure course material can be used by students who use adaptive technology, such as the computer reading course material out loud, be sure your course material is in text format and follows accessibility guidelines. You can request to have Ally enabled in Canvas. Ally will review your course material and give you feedback as to how accessible the material is and what can be done to improve course material accessibility. Contact Dewel Lindsey to have Ally activated in your Canvas courses. For help with course material remediation, contact Dr. John Crow at the Office of Distance Learning or the Office of Accessibility Services.

Provide copies of directions and/or instructions in auditory format (read information on the board)

For students who need assignment instructions read out loud, instructors can create short videos and then upload the video to Kaltura to discuss assignment directions, expectations, and instructions. An alternative is to have Ally activated in your course as Ally can convert textual documents into speech in MP3 format. See the support article for more information on Ally’s text-to-speech conversion capabilities. Contact Dewel Lindsey to have Ally activated in your Canvas courses.

Instructor to face class when speaking

For students who read lips when people are talking, it is important to remember to face the camera and ensure your full face is visible when you speak when you deliver online course lectures.

Closed captioned films, videos, and/or YouTube

All recoded videos provided to students by instructors are required to have correct captions that fully match the speech of the people in the video. Usually films and videos have captions files. This requirement also applies to YouTube videos and instructor-created videos. Because YouTube captioning is generally not accurate, review YouTube video captions to ensure they are correct, especially if test content is coming from the videos. Machine captions are created for content uploaded to Kaltura and are easily editable by the content creator. If you have media that is missing captioning options or you need live captioning/transcription during synchronous course delivery, please contact the Office of Accessibility Services.

Provide lecture/instructor notes, PowerPoints, and/or handouts prior to class

Notes, handouts, slides, and other materials can be uploaded into Canvas and shared with students to access at any time. Some accommodations require that the student receive copies of the material prior to the class.

Closed captioning

All recoded videos provided to students by instructors are required to have correct captions that fully match the speech of the people in the video. Usually films and videos have captions files. This requirement also applies to YouTube videos and instructor-created videos. Because YouTube captioning is generally not accurate, review YouTube video captions to ensure they are correct, especially if test content is coming from the videos. Machine captions are created for content uploaded to Kaltura and are easily editable by the content creator. If you have media that is missing captioning options or you need live captioning/transcription during synchronous course delivery, please contact the Office of Accessibility Services.

Provide class schedule of due dates for assignments, quizzes, and exams

It is important to add due dates to Canvas assignments, quizzes, and exams, especially when students have accommodations requiring a class schedule of due dates for assignments, quizzes, and exams. Due dates will appear under Course Summary on the Syllabus page of the Canvas course site, on the student’s Canvas dashboard, and in the Canvas calendar.

Alternate assignment format – writing

If your student has an accommodation to receive assignment instructions and materials in writing on paper, instructors are asked to contact the Office of Accessibility Services for assistance.

Provide all course materials/information in accessible electronic format

To ensure course material can be used by students who use adaptive technology, such as the computer reading course material out loud, be sure your course material is in text format and follows accessibility guidelines. You can request to have Ally enabled in Canvas. Ally will review your course material and give you feedback as to how accessible the material is and what can be done to improve course material accessibility. Contact Dewel Lindsey to have Ally activated in your Canvas courses. For help with course material remediation, contact Dr. John Crow at the Office of Distance Learning or the Office of Accessibility Services.

Use of sign language interpreter

For students who require sign language interpretation, instructors are asked to contact the Office of Accessibility Services for assistance.

 

Thank you for helping ensure that students have the best possible learning experience. For general questions about accessibility, please contact Dr. John Crow at the Office of Distance Learning or the Office of Accessibility Services. For technical assistance, please contact ODL Technical Support at 850-644-8004 or canvas@fsu.edu or submit a support ticket.


Faculty Handbook

Please download our faculty handbook, which contains all the information you can find here on our website as well as copies of forms used by the OAS.
[Word (.docx) version

Providing Accommodations

Unsure of your role in providing accommodations? Check out this link for a set of instructions on providing our most common accommodations, such as note taking and testing at the OAS. 

Request a Presentation

Looking for opportunities to educate and inform your colleagues, peers, or students on the services offered by the office or on a plethora of topics regarding accessibility? Search no further and request a presentation by our staff! 


Presentation on Providing Accommodations
Now Available

Image of powerpoint from the SDRC’s seminar for faculty and staff, Providing Academic Accommodations to Students: It’s More than Just Letters

[click to download powerpoint presentation]

This powerpoint presentation is from the OAS’s seminar for faculty and staff, “Providing Academic Accommodations to Students: It’s More than Just Letters.”

It will assist faculty in gaining an understanding of the role and purpose of the OAS, and improve their ability to discuss the rights, responsibilities, and needs of students with disabilities. The PowerPoint lists strategies for working with students who have disabilities describes actions that individuals and departments can take to ensure that students with disabilities have educational opportunities that are equal to those of their non-disabled peers, and discusses strategies for working with students who have disabilities. Free and available for download by clicking on the image above or one of these links:

PowerPoint (.pptx): Providing Academic Accommodations PowerPoint.
PDF: Providing Academic Accommodations PDF

SEMINAR SESSIONS FOR 2021:

  • TBA

To sign up, click here! You will be asked to pick a date during registration.


ADA Syllabus Statement - UPDATED 9/17/2020

Florida State University (FSU) values diversity and inclusion; we are committed to a climate of mutual respect and full participation.  Our goal is to create learning environments that are usable, equitable, inclusive, and welcoming. FSU is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for all persons with disabilities in a manner that is consistent with academic standards of the course while empowering the student to meet integral requirements of the course.

To receive academic accommodations, a student:

  1. must register with and provide documentation to the Office of Accessibility Services (OAS);
  2. must provide a letter from OAS to the instructor indicating the need for accommodation and what type; and,
  3. should communicate with the instructor, as needed, to discuss recommended accommodations. A request for a meeting may be initiated by the student or the instructor. 

Please note that instructors are not allowed to provide classroom accommodations to a student until appropriate verification from the Office of Accessibility Services has been provided.

This syllabus and other class materials are available in alternative format upon request. 

For more information about services available to FSU students with disabilities, contact the

Office of Accessibility Services

874 Traditions Way
108 Student Services Building
Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL 32306-4167
(850) 644-9566 (voice)
(850) 644-8504 (TDD)
oas@fsu.edu

https://dsst.fsu.edu/oas

 

The OAS encourages faculty and staff to help bridge the gap as Florida State works toward universal accessibility in all areas for students. Please explore the references we have available here (links below) or contact us directly at oas@fsu.edu with questions.