Accommodation Reference Guide for Faculty

Below are descriptions and related policies and procedures of accommodations approved by the Office of Accessibility. If you have questions or concerns related to accommodations listed on your student's Letter of Accommodation, please contact the OAS at access@geneseo.edu or call 585-245-5112. 


Accessible Course Materials: All course materials must be accessible, including course readings and handouts. Electronic text is necessary for all printed materials. Please post materials on Brightspace. If you need assistance with making your course materials accessible, please make a Document Remediation Request

Adaptive Materials: The student may require specialized adaptive materials for classes/labs. OAS will coordinate directly with the student and instructor. 

Alternative Class Participation: Due to the nature of the student's disability, it may be difficult for the student to participate verbally during class. Please avoid 'cold calling' and communicate with the student to identify an alternate method to assess this portion of the student's grade (e.g., email summary, pre-recorded presentation), unless doing so would be a fundamental alteration to the course.

Accessible Textbooks/Audio Books: Textbooks need to be provided in an accessible format that can be used with a screen reader or text-to-speech technology. OAS will coordinate directly with the student. 

Audio Recording: The student is permitted to audio-record classroom lectures/labs using a laptop/tablet computer, mobile device, handheld recorder, or other assistive technology. The student has agreed to utilize these recordings solely for their own personal educational use and to not distribute them to others in any form. The student will submit an Lecture Recording Agreement to the OAS.

Breaks/Food Class: The student may need to take occasional breaks or eat during class and tests for medical reasons.

Calculator for Exams: Use of a calculator during exams is allowed as long as hand calculations are not essential to the learning outcomes of the course.

Captions/Transcripts: All videos/films/auditory media must be captioned and/or a transcript provided. OAS will coordinate live captioning services and edit captioned material if needed. 

Class Slides/Notes: Make course slides and notes available to the student or post them to the course Canvas page.

Distraction Reduced Environment: Tests and quizzes should be given in a distraction-reduced environment. Students with this accommodation may take their quizzes/exams in the OAS Testing Center. Students should make an appointment three business days in advance. 

Dictation Software: Students may use dictation software for essay tests. The OAS will facilitate this accommodation at the Testing Center.

Enlarged Font: All printed course materials/handouts, as well as tests, must be printed with enlarged (>14-point) font. Please contact the OAS for assistance if needed.

Extended Time 50% additional time: Extension of time allowed for completing in-class and timed online tests and quizzes. Applies to any assessment with a discrete time limit, and in any test format (e.g., paper-and-pencil, or online). Please refer to the Testing Center Procedures for Faculty page for instructions on applying extended time in Brightspace.

Extended Time 100%: Extension of time allowed for completing in-class and timed online tests and quizzes. Applies to any assessment with a discrete time limit and in any test format (e.g., paper-and-pencil, or online). Please refer to the Testing Center Procedures for Faculty page for instructions on applying extended time in Brightspace.

Extended Time Lab: Please allow the student extra time to complete in-class lab assignments, as educationally reasonable.

Flexible Due Dates: Please allow reasonable flexibility of your due date policy as educationally practicable. It remains understood that the student is responsible to progress through the course in accordance with the schedule of learning activities as scheduled in your course syllabus. A Modified Attendance Agreement must be completed for this accommodation to be activated. Please refer to the Modified Attendance Policy for more information.

Flexible Classwork Due Date: Please allow the student extra time to complete in-class work, as educationally reasonable.

FM System: The student uses an FM system, which requires that you wear a microphone provided by the student. The OAS will coordinate this with you and the student.

Hard Copy of Exam: Please provide a paper copy of online exams or quizzes. The OAS can assist you in coordinating this. 

Laptop in Class Notes: Please allow the student to use a laptop computer for taking notes in class.

Laptop Tests: The student is allowed use of a laptop provided by the OAS for essay tests and quizzes.

Lab Assistance: Please provide/allow assistance for any tasks involving fine motor movement.

Modified Attendance: Due to the episodic nature of this student's condition, please allow flexibility with your class attendance policy (as educationally practicable). The student is still responsible for all course information and to progress through the course in accordance with the schedule of learning activities in the syllabus. A Modified Attendance Agreement must be completed for this accommodation to be activated. Please refer to the Modified Attendance Policy for more information.

Makeup Tests: Due to their condition, the student may miss a test or quiz. Please be flexible in your policy for make-up tests and quizzes. It remains understood that it is the student's responsibility to notify their faculty as soon as possible when in need of a make-up test. A Modified Attendance Agreement must be completed for this accommodation to be activated. Please refer to the Modified Attendance Policy for more information.

No Color: The student cannot be given tests/maps/assignments in color. Please label colors on maps/graphs/pie charts/etc. All writing on whiteboards must be in black and chalkboards in white.

No Scantrons: Please provide an alternate format for recording test questions (for example, allowing the student to circle answers on the test itself).

Peer Notetaker: Another enrolled student in the course is hired by the OAS to share their notes for the student with the approved accommodation (it is an anonymous process). The OAS coordinates this accommodation via our data management system, Accommodate.

One Test per Day: The student can only take a single test on a given day. Please allow reasonable modification of your testing times and dates policy, as educationally practicable, when the student has two or more exams scheduled on the same day. It remains understood that the student is responsible to take tests in a reasonable time frame and to progress through the course in accordance with the course syllabus.

One Question/Test page: Please format paper/pencil exams to include one test item per page.

Preferential Seating: Reserve a seat for the student in their preferred location in the classroom, as necessary.

Repetition of Audio Test: The student is allowed an extra repetition of audio test items.

Scribe Test: The student will have a scribe for tests and quizzes in the Testing Center. This may include a person or assistive technology.

Standing in Class: Due to their condition, this student may need to stand during class, and should be allowed to do so when necessary.

Scrap Paper: Due to the nature of the student’s disability, the student should be allowed to use (extra) scrap paper for tests.

Spelling Excluded: The student should not be penalized for spelling on in-class tests and assignments unless spelling is a fundamental requirement of the test or assignment.

Allow Tardiness: Please allow flexibility in your tardiness policy, as the student may be late for class on occasion for disability-related reasons. The student is still responsible for accessing course/lecture material and meeting participation requirements.

Tests Read Aloud: Test/quiz directions and questions may be read aloud to the student, either by a person or by speech-to-text software in the Testing Center.