Collaborating with Accessibility Services: tip 1

Bonnie Edwards Collaborating with Accessibility Services, TCDC General

Accessibility Accommodations

Geometric glass window or light fixture in a ceiling. Appears to invert and extrude at the same time; an optical illusion.

In this article, we are sharing the what, why, when, and who of Academic Accommodations.

What is an academic accommodation? 

  • Alterations in how a student learns material and/or demonstrates knowledge without compromising the essential requirements or learning outcomes of a course or program. 
  • Examples:  
    • extended time for exams 
    • assistive technology to complete exams (e.g. text-to-speech software) 
    • alternate format for course materials (e.g. e-text, large print) 
    • notetaking assistance (e.g. volunteer notetaker, digital voice recorder) 
    • provision of a Sign Language Interpreter 

Why do we accommodate students with disabilities? 

  • To mitigate the functional impact of a student’s disability in the educational setting, allowing the student to participate fully in their studies. 
  • To meet our legislated duty to accommodate individuals with disabilities by addressing the barriers experienced by individuals because of the environment. 

When do we accommodate students with disabilities? 

  • In response to a request from an individual student. 
  • Students book an intake appointment with Accessibility Services to start the process. 

Who is responsible for facilitating academic accommodations? 

  • Accessibility Services office, Instructors, Students 

Academic Accommodation chart summarizing the blog content. 

 Tips on how to facilitate common accommodations:  

  • See the Instructor FAQs for (Semester) Accommodations in the Supporting Students with Disabilities section in SharePoint (myLangara) 

Questions? We are here to help by email, phone, Teams, or Zoom!