Providing Academic Accommodations: Frequently Asked Questions

When students activate academic accommodations for your course, you will receive an e-mail notification to log in to Accommodate to view and acknowledge their academic accommodation letters. One of the benefits of the portal is that it allows you to view all accommodation letters for your course(s) in one place. Your role is to honor the accommodations that are listed in the letters and required for equal access, and to work with the Student Success Center (SSC) to facilitate testing accommodations. Students may activate their academic accommodations at any time; however, they are not retroactive.

In most cases the Student Success Center coordinates academic accommodations.  However, there may be occasions when faculty members are called upon to provide them directly.  For example, the SSC may consult with faculty to provide note taking assistance for particular students.  Faculty may also need to ensure that course materials are accessible.

If you have questions or concerns about any student, academic accommodation, or the Accommodate portal, please contact Jonathan Gomes (jgomes3@providence.edu) or Molly McKeon (mmckeon6@providence.edu) in the Accessibility Services unit of the SSC.

A student requesting any academic accommodation must first meet with a staff member in the SSC.  After reviewing medical documentation and confirming that a student is eligible to receive accommodations, the SSC will send written notification through Accommodate, our online accommodations portal.  This letter will list all of the accommodations for which the student has been approved.

Once approved by the Student Success Center, accommodations must be provided to students, whether by faculty or staff.  Members of the faculty and staff should not provide any academic accommodation or modification until the SSC officially notifies them of a student’s eligibility.  Questions regarding approved accommodations should be directed to Jonathan Gomes (jgomes3@providence.edu) and Molly McKeon (mmckeon6@providence.edu) in Accessibility Services.

Within the Student Success Center disability information is handled under guidelines of confidentiality like other medical information. In the state of Rhode Island, the law classifies disability information as confidential health information.  As with any health information – whether related to a student or employee – access is strictly limited on a need-to-know basis.  Similarly, the ADA stipulates that disability information should be collected and maintained on separate forms and kept in secure files with limited access.  Under these guidelines, faculty cannot demand access to disability documentation — which may include medical conditions/diagnoses, results or scores on psychological or medical tests, and dates or names of professionals providing such documentation — nor can they require students to disclose the specific nature of their disabilities.

Access to such information could also lead to unconscious bias, positive or negative, which could result in differential treatment.  For example, knowledge of a student’s language processing disorder could lead faculty to change the way they grade papers or exams.  Penalizing or rewarding on the basis of a diagnosis is considered discriminatory.  

While students are not obligated to provide faculty with particulars about their disabilities, some students may choose to do so.  In those cases, please remember the importance of maintaining strict confidentiality.  The confidential nature of disability-related information has been an overarching principle of nondiscrimination since the passage of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. 

It is important to remember that the SSC is the clearinghouse for all academic accommodations at the College.  Centralization of this process helps to ensure that requests are handled consistently and equitably – not only for the student’s sake, but for the sake of the faculty and the institution.  To help maintain consistency, faculty must refrain from offering accommodations that have not been approved by the SSC.  If a faculty member were to provide an accommodation without prior approval, that faculty member could legally obligate others to provide the same. 

Faculty must also refrain from making independent decisions about the kinds of accommodations that should be disallowed or modified, especially when those accommodations have already been approved by the SSC. Denying or even deterring students from using approved accommodations is improper, and it could result in a claim/grievance or legal action against the College or individual faculty.

Some students require materials to be in an accessible format (i.e., large font size, compatibility with a screen reader or e-reader, closed captions for videos).  If a student contacts you to request this accommodation, please contact Jonathan Gomes (jgomes3@providence.edu) or Molly McKeon (mmckeon6@providence.edu). One of them will work with you and the student to ensure timely delivery of materials.

To make your course materials more accessible, you can run documents through SensusAccess, a free program available to all faculty, staff and students at Providence College.

There are many techniques that can be built into a course to improve learning outcomes for all students, not just those with documented disabilities. Listed below are several tips to consider:

1. Be mindful of your speaking pace. Record/post live lectures and/or allow students to record for later review.
2. Present material in multiple ways (i.e., combination of text, video, images).
3. Provide a variety of options for students to demonstrate learning (i.e., discussions, written responses, presentations, different types of exam questions).
4. Avoid using PDF documents, which can be difficult to access through screen reading software. If using PDF documents, you can convert them into accessible formats.
5. Select videos with closed captions and/or transcripts.

We encourage you to consult the following if you would like to learn more:

How to Implement Universal Design for Learning

Students are approved for flexible deadlines when disability-related barriers may have an impact on timely submission of assignments.  Most often, students approved for this accommodation experience disability/medical symptoms that are cyclical and unpredictable in nature.  

When a student is approved for this accommodation, both the student and faculty member receive guidelines for determining flexible deadlines through Accommodate. The student and faculty member are advised to meet early in the semester to determine appropriate extensions, and to outline expectations for communication when extensions are warranted.  The SSC encourages faculty and students to make the agreement in writing, and to submit a copy to the SSC to be kept in the student’s file. 

Faculty are also encouraged to connect with the SSC to discuss what “reasonableness” looks like for their specific courses. For example, deadlines for group projects may not be appropriate to extend because timing is essential to the progress of the group, whereas it may be appropriate to extend the due date for an individual essay by several days.  In general, flexibility is determined by the objectives and nature of assignments in the course.  

Students are approved for this accommodation when disability-related barriers may have an impact on attendance. Most often, students approved for this accommodation experience disability/medical symptoms that are cyclical and unpredictable in nature.

When a student is approved for this accommodation, both the student and faculty member receive guidelines for determining flexible attendance in Accommodate. The student and faculty member are advised to meet early in the semester to determine appropriate flexibility, and to outline expectations for communication when absences are necessary. The SSC encourages faculty and students to make the agreement in writing, and to submit a copy to the SSC to be kept in the student’s file.

Faculty are also encouraged to connect with the SSC to discuss what “reasonableness” looks like for their specific courses. For example, flexible attendance may not be reasonable where in-class discussion and group work are significant components of the learning objectives for the course. However, these determinations must be made in consultation with Accessibility Services.

Over the past two decades, staff in the SSC have seen a steady increase in the number of students with documented disabilities coming to Providence College. In 2005, there were approximately 150 students with disabilities registered with the OAS (Office of Academic Services); there are now close to 600 students registered with the Student Success Center. 

The increase is consistent with the national average. In 2017, the Digest of Educational Statistics reported that 11% of college students nationwide were known to have documented disabilities; by 2020, that number had risen to 20%. As greater numbers of students with disabilities come to Providence College, faculty will naturally have a greater percentage in their classes, and federal law (i.e., the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 the Rehabilitation Act) requires the College to provide them with reasonable accommodations. 

It is also important to know that staff in the SSC do not diagnose students with disabilities; they coordinate accommodations for students who come to the College with documentation from licensed healthcare providers.  Before making any determinations about eligibility for accommodations, members of our staff read that documentation closely and engage in an interactive process with each student . Once those determinations are made, the SSC notifies faculty and either provides accommodations directly, as in the case of extended time testing, or works with them to arrange accommodations in the classroom.  

Recognizing the need for a more efficient platform to manage the number of accommodation requests, the SSC transitioned to the Accommodate system in Fall 2022.  The Accommodate system streamlines several functions by providing a centralized hub for case management, communication, and record keeping. 

One key advantage of Accommodate is its efficiency in delivering accommodation letters.  Rather than requiring students to hand deliver their letters, Accommodate sends them directly to your inbox, upon student request, ensuring a higher delivery rate.  Another key advantage of the system is its capacity to manage our testing operations.  As the number of exams proctored each year rose into the thousands, it became increasingly more challenging to operate sustainably.  Accommodate has helped to alleviate this concern.  And, because Accommodate is a secure system, it not only protects the confidentiality of student data, but also helps to safeguard the integrity of exams for our faculty.  

Jonathan Gomes (jgomes3@providence.edu) and Molly McKeon (mmckeon6@providence.edu) are available to consult with you regarding individual student concerns. You may also call Accessibility Services at 401-865-2494. Please contact us to discuss any other concerns that you may have.

Extended time accommodations apply to all timed classroom assessments, including exams and quizzes. Students approved for this accommodation receive twice the amount of time (or “double time”) allotted to their classmates.

It is also important to remember that there are two components to this accommodation: extended time AND a distraction reduced location. This second component is equally critical in accommodating students who, for example, may have difficulty processing language or focusing their attention and who may lose precious minutes to the natural diversions that occur in a more densely populated classroom  (e.g., classmates shuffling papers, typing on computers, getting up to go to the restroom or to hand in exams when they are finished).  Even if you are able to provide extra time in your classroom or your office, those spaces may not provide the same distraction-reduced environment as the testing room in the SSC.  Our testing room is designed to reduce distractions and ensure that students with disabilities have appropriate conditions to demonstrate proficiency and achieve their full potential.

If/when you do invite students with extended time to take tests/quizzes in class, please be clear that they always retain the option to take them in the SSC. While your invitation to take a quiz/exam in class may be well-intentioned, it may have the unintended consequence of deterring students from exercising their right to take the exam in our quiet location. Deterring or dissuading students from using their academic accommodations, even if unintentionally, could be the basis for an ADA/504 complaint. 

In past years there may have been some latitude to offer double time to all students in the class, accommodating students with disabilities in the process. However, legal precedent has made it clear that this approach does not meet ADA standards/regulations, even when the assessment is designed or intended to take less than the full class period.  For example, if a faculty member designs an exam for 45 minutes but gives all students in the class 90 minutes to complete it, then students with disabilities who are approved for extended time should be allowed 180 minutes (not 90) to take the exam. 

If a student requests to take your quiz/test with accommodations in the SSC, that student must complete an online request at least four days in advance of the scheduled quiz/test date. You will receive an email notification to upload your exam to our secure Accommodate system, an online portal that is available through Single Sign On (SSO) using your PC credentials. You may also choose to hand deliver a secure copy of your quiz/test to the SSC.

However you choose to deliver your exam/quiz, please aim to do so at least 24 hours before the scheduled start time. If we do not receive your exam 24 hours in advance, we may not be able to accommodate your student.  In those instances, you and the student may need to make alternative arrangements.

Extended time and distraction-reduced setting accommodations apply to any timed assessments, including quizzes. We recognize that it can be challenging to accommodate short quizzes in class and encourage you to contact Accessibility Services for individualized consultation and support.

Please note that students may choose to forgo quiz accommodations. However, when they request extended time for quizzes, we must find means to accommodate them.

Notes on Canvas/ TopHat

Some DWC faculty have found other creative solutions using TopHat, including the following: Set up an alternate class site (ex:DWC-102 alt) and copy quizzes on the regular site to that parallel one. Then, double the time on the alt site by editing each question. Have one of the non-lecturing instructors run that site, usually at the same time as the main quiz. Since the students can see the full quiz on their phones, those using the alternate site do not need to watch the main screen with the main quiz on it. For quizzes that start class, ask students to log in early; for classes that end with a quiz, ask them to stay a few minutes later. That way, they take the quiz at largely the same time as the other students, but with the additional time.

You can view this walkthrough to extend time for Canvas tests/quizzes.

TopHat, commonly used in DWC, provides instructions on how to facilitate extended time accommodations in their platform; you can also contact Accessibility Services to consult and identify a solution that will work for your class.

The most common solution is for students to submit a testing request through their Accommodate portal. Then, faculty can submit a PDF version of the TopHat quiz to the faculty Accommodate portal or bring a printed copy to the SSC. Students frequently come to the SSC 10 minutes before class to take their quiz.

There are several reasons why the SSC asks professors to deliver the exam at least 24 hours ahead students’ actual testing times.  The SSC proctors numerous exams each day, and staff strive to create an environment that minimizes distractions. Receiving the exam early gives us time to ensure that we have the correct version, that the exam copy is complete, and that it is printed and ready when the student arrives. These measures help to keep the testing room operating smoothly and alleviate any additional confusion or stress for students. 

The SSC employs a variety of measures to maintain integrity in our testing room. Use of the secure Accommodate system for exam delivery and return is one such measure.  Only faculty and Accessibility Services staff have access to the exam delivery/return system; students do not have access to this feature.  Faculty who are not comfortable uploading exams to Accommodate may also choose to hand-deliver and pick up exams in the SSC.

The SSC also provides students with disabilities a written reminder of their obligation to maintain integrity regarding exams that are administered in the SSC testing room.  Faculty will be informed as soon as possible if a student is caught cheating on an exam or sharing exam content with other students.  

In the testing room itself, strict procedures are followed.  A proctor – either a professional staff member or trained graduate assistant – is always present.  Students are required to stow phones and other devices or personal belongings in their bags and place them on the floor at the front of the room.  Any parameters that faculty set for the exam – for example, permission (or lack thereof) to use notes, open books, or a calculator – are followed to the letter.  And, if a student needs a computer to take an exam, the SSC can provide laptops that are equipped with a lockdown option. 

These are just a few of the key measures we have in place to ensure exam integrity.  Members of the SSC staff are available to discuss additional security measures that may help to preserve the integrity of exams and other types of performance assessments.

Interested faculty are welcome to schedule a tour of our testing room by contacting Deborah Frezza (dfrezza@providence.edu). 

In general, adjustments to the content or format (e.g., the order in which questions are asked and/or the level of difficulty) that result in an increased or decreased standard by which to measure performance, or that create a substantially altered test-taking experience for students with disabilities, must be avoided.  In other words, the content and format of exams for students with disabilities should be equal to that for all students in the class, as alterations may run contrary to the purpose of the accommodation.  Concerns about test security and academic integrity are not adequate reasons for faculty to create an exam for students with disabilities that is substantially different from the exam for all other students.

English as a Second Language does not qualify as a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act or Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act.  Therefore, ESL students should not be granted extended time or any other academic accommodation that is reserved for students with documented disabilities.  All students, including those who are ESL, must meet minimum language proficiency requirements to be granted admission to Providence College, and they should be able to do the required work in English.  If you have ESL students in your class who are struggling to complete assessments in the allotted time, or to produce work in English that does not meet minimum college-level standards, please refer them to the Student Success Center for support.  Among our many other services, the SSC does have an ESL support specialist on the staff.

In addition to proctoring exams for students with documented disabilities, the Student Success Center does offer proctoring for make-up exams – but only under certain conditions.  Because space in our testing room is limited, we must reserve make-up exam proctoring for “serious and verifiable” reasons, as defined by College policy.  Serious and verifiable reasons include the death of a family member, extended absences that are the result of a serious illness or injury, or travel to represent the College in an official capacity.  Students who meet one of these requirements should first make every reasonable effort to coordinate makeups with their professors. If a mutually convenient make-up time cannot be arranged, and if the professor’s own policy permits, students may request a make-up time in the SSC by filling out our makeup exam request form.

Audio recording as a form of note taking assistance can be an essential tool for providing equal access to course content.  Disability-related barriers that warrant permission to record may include, but are not limited to, weak processing or working memory, attentional issues, fine motor challenges, or hearing impairments. The SSC reviews each request for audio recording/note taking assistance on a case-by-case basis, including a thorough review of documentation and an intake interview with the student.  Students will only be eligible to record after you have been presented with a Faculty Accommodation Letter (via the online Accommodate Portal) that indicates “Permission to Record Lectures.” 

In the past, peer note taking was a more commonly used accommodation to meet the access needs of students due to disability related barriers. However, peer note takers were oftentimes unreliable and difficult to recruit or hire, placing the College at risk for ADA/504 violations.  Audio recording helps to ensure that students receive appropriate accommodation in a timely fashion and that the College is in legal compliance.  Unlike a peer note taker, recording also helps to guarantee that students take full and independent control of their own notes.  One of the main tools available through Accessibility Services is Glean, an audio notetaking app used at over 700 institutions. Staff in Accessibility Services are happy to provide demonstrations of Glean for faculty upon request.  

Students who receive this accommodation are provided with an orientation on appropriate use of audio recordings.  They must also sign a confidentiality agreement.  As part of this agreement, students must acknowledge that recordings are for their own exclusive use. Students may neither reproduce recorded material nor share the recording with any other person or entity. The agreement also includes clauses with protections against misusing, manipulating, or falsifying recordings.  The clauses within the confidentiality agreement follow the college’s Copyright Policy & Acceptable Use Policy, and students are subject to disciplinary procedures through Providence College’s Student Code of Conduct if they violate these provisions.  Finally, when students sign the agreement, they acknowledge that all recordings must be deleted at the end of the semester.  The SSC follows up at the end of each term with a reminder to delete all recordings.

The SSC encourages faculty to include a policy statement on recording devices in the classroom.  Below is a sample statement, which has been crafted with input from General Counsel and the Office of Academic Affairs.   

“To protect the integrity of what transpires in the classroom and the privacy of students and instructor, students are prohibited from recording (audio and/or video) any lectures, seminars, or other classroom activities without authorization from the Student Success Center’s division of Accessibility Services or the express permission of the instructor. Any authorized recordings (including those approved as an ADA/Section 504 accommodation through the Student Success Center) may not be used for any non-educational purpose or for any purpose unrelated to the course. Any information contained in the recording may not be posted, published, or quoted without the express consent of the instructor and any other individual speakers in the recording.”

A statement like this will serve to notify students that someone in the class may have permission to record, but without divulging that person’s identity. 

Faculty may also reserve the right to stop recording when they ask all students to refrain from taking notes because the discussion involves personal information or self-disclosure.