Virtual Accommodation FAQs

• How can I get my classes changed from face-to-face to online due to my disability?

  As a first step, we encourage you to contact your advisor to see if there are online alternatives available for you to take within your degree requirements. 

  If alternatives are not available per your advisor, we recommend that students contact their assigned professors and the department chair to inquire about possible unpublished alternatives or substitutions that can be taken instead.  If you have difficulty contacting an advisor, you can email advise@brockport.edu for support.  

  Students who have a disability diagnosis that documents eligibility as a person who is at higher-risk per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are invited to provide Student Accessibility Services (SAS) with medical documentation as such from their licensed, clinical medical care provider. By providing high-risk, disability documentation, the interactive process will be triggered and the student will be contacted by SAS to take the next collaborative action steps together.

• How will SAS provide individualized testing for students in virtual environments? 
  To account for remote testing through Blackboard, instructions for professors to provide extended test time to students with accommodations have been published in the Daily Eagle, here. 
• What if a professor disputes the extended time because they feel it can lead to academic dishonesty (because the students could have extra time to look up answers online or in the textbooks)?
  Blackboard is already equipped with a remote proctoring service through Respondus. Should a professor decide that a student must be proctored in order to use their extended test time, they can upload their test/quiz into RPNow through the Tools option in Blackboard. For technical support to implement Respondus on Blackboard, contact SUNY Brockport's IT department. Students who need support using screen-reading software on a test proctored by Respondus should reach out to Student Accessibility Services in advance of their test.
• Can a student with a disability be provided an alternative project to do instead of completing the test that the rest of the class is taking?

  Students must be provided “equal access” to the same goods and services as their peers.

  If a professor offers a test OR a project to the whole class, then that student was provided equal access. A student with a disability cannot be made to complete an alternative project because they require accommodations. If a professor has a technical question about Blackboard, they must contact ASIS at Blackboard Support 585-395-5151 Option 6 or email CourseDesign@Brockport.edu to schedule one-on-one appointments. Also, faculty can schedule an appointment by visiting QuickReg. ASIS has many resources that faculty will find helpful as well. 

• What are some alternatives to online quizzes and exams? 

  Professors may choose to offer alternatives to tests such as research papers, PowerPoint presentations, live debates through Blackboard Collaborate or VoiceThread submissions, or have students create a podcast or YouTube video to demonstrate mastery of course objectives to name a few ideas. 

  For more ideas to elicit action and expression from your students, consider Universal Design for Learning (UDL) teaching strategies. 

  Links to UDL Resources: 

  • YouTube UDL Introduction
  • UDL via Cast
  • UDL Checklist for Quick Reference

• What if a student has an accommodation to use a calculator on tests?  
  Students who are eligible to use a calculator on tests are still eligible to use a calculator in the virtual environment. There is a caveat on this accommodation where a student can be asked to refrain from using a calculator if the instructor feels that the use of the calculator would interfere with the fundamentals of the objectives or test (used when assessing a student’s ability to calculate).
• What if a student is eligible for captioning on videos?
  Captioning of videos is an accommodation used for various qualifying disabilities. Kaltura is equipped to provide captions but the professor must review the initial draft for accuracy before publishing. For more information and details on the captioning process, please contact ASIS at Blackboard Support (585) 395-5151 Option 6 or email CourseDesign@Brockport.edu to schedule one-on-one appointments. 
• What about students who utilize interpreters?
  Students who use interpreting services through SAS are still eligible to receive interpreting services virtually. If a professor is using Blackboard Collaborate to host a live, virtual class, please contact SAS as soon as possible to schedule an interpreter to be in attendance. The professor will have to add the interpreter to the Blackboard roster in order to provide access to the streaming. SAS will need as much notice as possible because the third-party vendor, Interpretek, typically requires 5 days notice to provide an interpreter.
• What about students who use screen readers?
  Many of our students utilize screen reading software. Please make sure you are following standards for Electronic and Information Technology (EIT) accessibility which can be found on the SUNY EIT website

Last Updated 2/15/21