FAQ: Updates and Resources Related to COVID-19 changes (Spring 2020)

Disability Resources has been consulting with various other campus units and stakeholders to provide information and resources about providing disability accommodations in courses being moved to an online format.  Below are some complied resources and FAQs.

Last Updated 3/27/2020, 02:20pm

General Campus Information

FAQs for Students with Disabilities

FAQs for Faculty/Instructors

FAQs for Students with Disabilities

SQ1: Do I need to resend my Accommodation Letter to my instructor??

Given the new format of classes for the remainder of the semester, students are highly encouraged to resend their Accommodation Letter to each instructor of classes that the student feels they will continue to need accommodations. With all of the changes to the semester and use of remote working and teaching, faculty may not have a copy of the letter you presented to them at the beginning of the semester readily available. Intentional communication and a proactive reminder of the accommodation a student needs can minimize confusion or issues surrounding accommodations. Accommodation Letters can be accessed by logging into Tracker Online and downloading the Accommodation Letter PDF in the “Letter” tab.

SQ2: Do I need to reschedule my exams in Tracker Online?

No.  All exams through the end of the Spring 2020 semester will be occurring in an online format, not in person – including finals. Due to the faculty’s ability to provide extended testing time, and a student’s ability to take the exam anywhere they have internet access, exams will not be rescheduled or administered by the Disability Resources Testing Center. Placing students in a testing room to take their exam goes against the Provost’s guidelines for the campus community’s operation during this time and exposes students and Testing Center staff to potential risk.

SQ3: Do I have to take online classes? 

The directive of the Provost was to move all classes to an online format for the protection of the Texas A&M University campus. Students are encouraged to review the revised syllabus sent by faculty and reach out to them with additional questions about an instructor’s class and it’s new format. Your accommodations apply to classes regardless of whether they are in person or online so a current Accommodation Letter should assist you in setting up accommodations in an online environment.

SQ4: I don’t think I will do well learning in an online class environment, should I drop my classes or withdraw?

Disability Resources does not recommend dropping classes at this time until students have the opportunity to experience the course in it’s online format and they can make an informed decision about what is best for their needs. Any concerns about your degree plan or current course load should be directed to your Academic Advisor who can help discuss your options for pursuing classes and completing your degree.  If you experience a specific barrier related to your disability in an online course, please contact your Access Coordinator to discuss.

SQ5: Can I get an accommodation to take my classes or exams in-person?

Texas A&M University’s first concern is to the health and safety of each member in our Aggie Family. In this spirit, the Provost and the university leadership have stopped face-to-face class instruction and moved the courses online. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) has made national health recommendations that state people should not be congregated in groups of more than 10. At this time, most faculty are no longer on campus and all sections of classes are being moved online for the health and safety of our campus. Students with concerns about course components in the online format should contact their Access Coordinator to discuss the situation further and explore potential solutions for the continuation of the course.

SQ6: I’m having difficulty accessing the online course content due to my assistive technology (screen reader, text to speech software, etc.).  What should I do?

Notify your instructor that you are having difficulty accessing a specific tool or document to see if they can provide an accessible version. Then consult with your Access Coordinator to see if Disability Resources can assist you or help you work with your instructor to figure out how to facilitate the access you need.

Disability Resources reached out by email to all students who use assistive technology to provide some resources and tips for accessing online content. In addition, DR has shared resources about how to create accessible documents and other content on the Keep Teaching web page for instructors.

SQ7:  I usually use a reader for my exams.  How will this accommodation be handled remotely?

All students that have a test reader as an accommodation were contacted by Disability Resources with tips and tools for using text to speech software in lieu of a human reader as an option.  If a student prefers a human reader, they could have a friend or family member serve in this role during an online exam as they would typically do for other at-home reading tasks. If a student or instructor has a concern about a student using a friend or family member as their test reader, please contact the student’s Access Coordinator to discuss and look at other possible alternatives.

SQ8:  I usually use a scribe for exams.  How will this be handled remotely?

All students that have a test scribe as an accommodation were contacted by Disability Resources with tips and tools for using voice to text software in lieu of a human scribe as an option. If a student needs a human scribe to complete an exam, they could have a friend or family member serve in this role during an online exam as they would typically for other at-home writing tasks. If a student or instructor has a concern about a student using a friend or family member as their test scribe, please contact the student’s Access Coordinator to discuss and look at other possible alternatives.

SQ9: Peer Notetaking is one of my accommodations. Will I still get help with notes in the online class setting?

At this point it is unclear what each class will look like in this online format, so it is also unknown whether notetaking assistance will still be applicable.

The Notetaking Coordinator sent out an email to all peer notetakers requesting that if notes are still needed to be taken, that they continue to do so and post them as they have been. Please be patient with your peer notetakers, as we do not know what anyone else may be dealing with at this time. If you have any questions or concerns about notes for your class once classes have started back up, please contact the Notetaking Coordinator (at notecoordinator@tamu.edu) as well as your assigned Access Coordinator.

SQ10: I’m a current student that has not yet registered with Disability Resources (or an incoming student for summer/fall). Can I still submit an accommodations request and my supporting documentation now?

Yes.  Disability Resources continues to accept and review new requests for accommodations for currently enrolled and incoming students on a continuous basis.  Students are encouraged to continue to submit their Accommodations Request Forms and appropriate supporting documentation. In particular any incoming summer/fall students that may need accommodation in place for on campus housing or the math placement exam are encouraged to submit their information ASAP.

The appropriate forms and information about the request process and how to submit information is listed at:

FAQs for Faculty/Instructors

FQ1: I don’t know how to teach in an online format. How do I convert my class to online?

The Provost’s Office and the Office of Academic Innovation have been working hard to put resources together to help faculty keep teaching through the remainder of the semester. Resources on topics ranging from hosting class sessions through video conferencing to how faculty can move exams to an online format can be found by going to the Keep Teaching web page. Disability Resources has also included some tips and resources on this web page related to captioning, adjusting time on exams and creating accessible documents.

Here are some resources to ensure the content you create is also accessible to students with disabilities:

FQ2: Can you send me a list of every student in my class who needs accommodations?

Unfortunately Disability Resources does not have the ability to run a report of all students who are enrolled in specific classes that have requested accommodation letters.

Also note that accommodations are used by students based on their disability and class type. A student with a math learning disability may not request or use any accommodations in their English class so it is hard to say exactly which students in your class need and have requested accommodations, even if they are registered with our department. Each student currently registered with our office has access to a PDF copy of their Accommodation Letter.

Our recommendation is for you to send an email to your class and post an announcement in your eCampus shell that requests students send you their Accommodation Letter directly if you need this information. This allows students to decide if they will need accommodations in your course now that the implementation of class has moved to an online format.  Disability Resources has also encouraged students to resend their accommodation letters to their instructors as well.

FQ3: Can the Disability Resources Testing Center help proctor my exams? (updated 3/27)

The Disability Resources Testing Center is closed for the remainder of the semester since there will not be any in-person exams. Exams have now been moved to an online format for all students (including for students with disabilities). The Testing Center staff remain committed to supporting faculty and may be able to proctor a limited number of tests through video conferencing software (Zoom, Skype, etc.) for students with disabilities. In order to support equity, proctoring students with disabilities should only apply to exams that are faculty-proctored for all students in the course.

    • If you plan to administer a faculty-proctored exam and need assistance proctoring students with disabilities, please contact m-ortega@tamu.edu.

FQ4: I’ve never had online exams and do not know how to extend the time for students with testing accommodations. Can you show me how?

Exams administered through eCampus can be adjusted to allow for extra time for specific students through the “Test Availability Exception” feature. The Office of Academic Innovation’s website has a knowledge base article dedicated to walking instructors through how to extend exam time for students with accommodations.

    • It is important to note that extending the exam time for everyone in the class (i.e. just giving all students time and a half or double time) does not meet the accommodations of students with Extended Testing Time as an accommodation.

FQ5: There is a lot of discussion about needing to caption and create transcripts for ALL online audio content. Am I going to be expected to caption and transcribe my course videos now that my class is online?

Texas A&M University strives for access and equity for all students. While including captions  is a best practice for all videos and an important part of universal design and accessibility, we recognize that these are emergent times and it is not realistic to caption every video. Instructors are encouraged to make captions and transcripts available in their courses, when possible.

    • Disability Resources has reached out to specific faculty members who have students who are Deaf or hard-of-hearing enrolled in their classes to work towards ensuring those specific classes will have captioned videos that are fully accessible.

FQ6: Why can’t I just turn on Auto Transcription to provide a transcript of the videos and live presentations for students with hearing loss?

Unfortunately automatic captioning is not usually effective for students that depend on captioning to access audio content.  The 85% accuracy claim that many video vendors make is usually based on recordings under ideal conditions (no background noise, clear pronunciation, no accents and no specialized terminology).  The reality is that automatic captioning does not provide captioning that is accurate enough for college course lectures and content.

FQ7: How do I know that students with Extended Testing Time are not cheating on their exams?

Disability Resources maintains that students with disabilities are no more likely to cheat than any other student on campus. The Academic Innovation’s Keep Teaching website has resources regarding academic integrity in online courses. Further, the Keep Teaching website has a specific document that addresses exam integrity for faculty who are moving their exams to an online format.

FQ8: I had a sign language interpreter or live transcriptionist in my classroom before moving online for a student with hearing loss.  How will that be handled online? 

Disability Resources has reached out to specific faculty who have students who are Deaf or hard-of-hearing enrolled in their classes to work towards ensuring those specific classes will have a transcriptionist or interpreter available for any synchronous lectures.

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