Glossary of Terms

Basic Calculator: Provided by AS. A four-function calculator that is the only accommodated calculator that would need to be allowed during an accommodated exam. Most courses do not restrict the type of calculator that is used, but for the ones that do and/or courses that require a student to know how to calculate answers above and beyond addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division this is provided.

Breaks: Provided by instructor or AS. A predetermined amount of time determined by a student’s accessibility counselor that the student requires to take an exam during their accommodated time. Breaks are supervised by the proctor.

Class Time x 1.5: Provided by either instructor or AS. An accommodated amount of time that a student who has met with an accessibility counselor requires to access any quiz, exam, midterm, or final. Example: If a class receives two hours to complete an exam, this accommodation would allow for three hours.

Class Time x 2: Provided by either instructor or AS. An accommodated amount of time that a student who has met with an accessibility counselor requires to access any quiz, exam, midterm, or final. Example: If a class receives two hours to complete an exam, this accommodation would allow for four hours.

Computer for All Exams: Provided by AS or by the student for remote exams. This can be an accommodation for students with handwriting difficulties that are disability related, for students who are blind, etc. 

Computer for Essays: Provided by AS or by the student for remote exams. Essays are usually typed using Microsoft Word with the grammar correction feature turned off. Spelling correction will be turned off as well, unless the student also has the accommodation of an electronic speller/spelling dictionary.

Computer Software (for exams): Provided by AS or by the student for remote exams. This can be assistive technologies such as Kurzweil or JAWS (text-to-speech programs).

Electronic Speller: Provided by AS. A spelling device that assists with the spelling of words, but does not feature definitions.

Enlarged Exam: Provided by instructor or AS. An exam that is accessible because the text size (along with any other exam content such as graphs) has been increased for students with low vision.

Exam in Accessible Format: Provided by instructor or AS. An exam that is accessible because it is in an electronic format that can work in conjunction with assistive technologies such as text-to-voice software or that has enlarged content.

Lighting: Provided by instructor or AS. Refers to the type and level of lighting in the accessible testing environment.

Memory Aid for Exams: Requires instructor approval. One of the “agreement accommodations”, this helps to make exams accessible for students who have disability-level cognitive processing deficits by listing things that will help to prompt a student’s memory. It in no way lists the answers and must be approved by the instructor ahead of the exam. 

Reader: Provided by AS. This helps to make exams accessible because it is a person who reads out the contents of an exam to a student who has low to no vision or a learning disability. Often coupled with a scribe.

Room alone: Provided by instructor or AS. A proctored testing environment where the student is the only one present in a room. Readers/scribes can be present for students with that accommodation.

Room with Minimal Distractions: Provided by instructor of AS. A proctored testing environment where the student might be in a testing area with other students who are also being proctored.

Scribe: Provided by AS. This helps to make exams accessible because it is a person who writes only what is stated by the student as answers to an exam. Often coupled with a reader.

Spelling Reference Book: Provided by AS. A spelling book that features the spelling of words, but with no definitions. An alternative to the electronic speller.

Video Enlarger: Provided by AS. Also known as a CCTV, this assistive technology helps to make exams accessible by magnifying and/or changing the contrast of the physical copy.

Accessible Furniture: Provided by AS. Furniture in a physical classroom or laboratory environment that is reserved only for students with Accessibility Services who have that accommodation. This is not to be moved and will have a reserved sign attached to it with the student’s initials and days/times of use.

Advance Access to Course Materials: Provided by instructor. This is usually pre-made course notes or a supplement to course notes that has not yet been released to the class, but will be at some point in the term. This accommodation might be provided to students who, for example, have disability-related cognitive processing difficulties and would benefit from having a longer amount of time with course material. 

“Agreement” Accommodations: Provided by AS and instructor. These accommodations require collaboration with instructors, who must consider (but not necessarily approve) the following accommodations:

• Reasonable Extension of Assignment Due Dates
• Reasonable Modification of Course Attendance
• Reasonable Use of a Memory Aid for Exams
• Reasonable Modification of Assignment Format

Assistive Listening Device: Provided by student or AS. A piece of assistive technology that makes a course accessible by amplifying the sound in any environment.

Audio-Recording of Courses: Provided by student or AS. Using an audio-recording device, which can be anything from a smartphone to a more traditional recording device, to audio record a lecture, lab, or any other type of learning environment.

Breaks: Provided by instructor or AS. When a student, due to the nature of their disability, needs to momentarily leave either the classroom or testing environment.

Captioned Media: Any media that has an audio component to it (video, slideshow, etc.) that is made accessible by being captioned. 

Classroom Assistant: Provided by AS. This accommodation will be utilized when a course requires students to perform tasks or otherwise manipulate objects that the student would not otherwise be able to do. The classroom assistant will only follow the student’s instructions and will not perform any task of their own accord.

Conversion of Printed Materials: Provided by instructor or ITS. The conversion of any course material that is not a textbook falls into this category. Examples include readers and handouts that need to be converted into a format that can be read by a screen reader.

Course Notes: This is when a student will audio-record a course’s lectures and upload that audio recording to Notetaking Express, whose professional notetakers will listen to it and create sets of course notes based on that recording and whatever other materials (PowerPoints, etc.) that the student provides.

Extension of Assignment Due Dates: Provided by instructor after interactive process with student and accessibility counselor. Sometimes assignment due dates can pose a barrier to some students with episodic disabilities. If this is a possibility, the student will work with the instructor and accessibility counselor to request an extension of an assignment’s deadline.

Flexible Course Attendance: Students will work with the instructor and accessibility counselor to discuss the possibility of altering a course’s absence policy when students experience an exacerbation of their disability that is episodic in nature.

Fragrance Sensitivity: Some students have a sensitivity to certain fragrances that may result in irritation or an allergic reaction to some chemicals or combination of chemicals. Such students will discuss this with their instructors

Lab Assistant: Provided by AS. This accommodation will be utilized when a lab requires students to perform tasks or otherwise manipulate objects that the student would not otherwise be able to do. The lab assistant will only follow the student’s instructions and will not perform any task of their own accord.

Lighting: Provided by instructor. Some students are sensitive to certain types and levels of lighting in the classroom environment to the point of extreme discomfort and/or further decreasing their ability to see.

Modification of Assignment Format: Provided by instructor after interactive process with student and accessibility counselor. The specific format of an assignment may pose a barrier to a student with a disability and may not be essential to the fundamental objectives of a course. In such instances, it is important for the instructor, student, and accessibility counselor to engage in a collaborative process to determine the possibility of providing the student with a modified assignment format.

Real-Time Captioning (RTC): Provided by AS. For students who are eligible for this accommodation due to the nature of their disability, the instructor will wear a microphone so the real-time captioner can hear and transcribe what that instructor says during their lectures. The real-time captioner can be either in the classroom or remote.

Sign-Language Interpreter: Provided by AS. An American Sign Language (ASL) interpreter who interprets what an instructor says during a course for one or more students in the classroom. 

Student May Need to Arrive Late to Class: Provided by instructor. Students who have either mobility limitations or who are visually impaired may need to arrive late to their class meetings due to having a distant class meeting immediately before yours. Accessibility Services will make every effort to have such a student’s previous class located as close as possible to yours.

Testing Accommodations to be Applied to All In-Class Writing Assignments: Students may need to have additional time to complete in-class writing assignments for the same reasons they require it for when they take exams. Often times this is accommodated by having the student complete the assignment either during an instructor’s office hours or at home.

Textbooks in Accessible Format: Provided by instructor and ITS. Textbooks that are converted into a format that can be either read aloud by a software program or by Braille.

Use of Laptop in Class for Note-Taking: Provided by instructor. This is to allow a student the use of his/her laptop for note-taking purposes when one would otherwise not be allowed during lectures.

Disability Management Counseling: (Provided by AS) When an accessibility counselor supports their student by meeting with him/her to discuss how to best work on academically-related issues given how the nature of the student’s disability affects them. 

Priority Registration: (Provided by AS) Some students with the Accessibility Services office are able to register on the very first day of registration. There are several factors to consider when providing this accommodation, many of which are logistical in nature.

Registration Assistance: (Provided by AS) When a student receives help with the class registration process from their accessibility counselor.

Temporary Medical Parking: (Provided by AS) A temporary placard that is provided by Accessibility Services to students with a temporary disability that allows them to utilize the disabled parking in both student and staff parking areas.

Accessibility counselor: (Provided by AS) The Accessibility Services staff member who acts as a student’s disability/accommodation advisor. When a student first meets with an accessibility counselor, the nature of their disability and how it affects them in an academic environment is discussed and the outcome is usually providing the student with academic accommodations.

Accessible/Alternative media: (Provided by AS in conjunction with ITS) Textbooks that have been converted into a format that is accessible to a student.

Determination of Accommodations: (Provided by AS) The letter obtained by a student with a disability who has gone through the process of becoming registered with Accessibility Services. It will list the student's academic accommodations and have their accessibility counselor's signature and email address (along with the student's) at the bottom.