Accommodations are determined on a case-by-case basis depending on the student’s documented disability and its functional impacts. Common accommodations may include:
- Alternative Formats
- Alternative Testing
- Classroom Access
- Deaf and Hard of Hearing Access Services
- Notetaking Services
- Additional Notification to Faculty
- Lab Assistants
- Library Assistants
- DAS Priority Registration
- Special Agreements with Instructors
Alternative Formats
Alternative Formats converts required course materials including textbooks, documents, exams, handouts, etc. into accessible formats. This includes Microsoft Word documents (.doc and .docx) and Braille.
Please visit our chapter on Alternative Formats in the DAS Student Handbook for more information.
Alternative Testing
Alternative testing requests are submitted via DAS Online Services and the specifics of the alternative testing depend on a student's eligibility. Services may include:
- Calculator
- Computer
- Spell Checker
- Exam Enlargement
- Extra Time (1.50x or 2.00x)
- Quiet Location
- Room Alone
- Scribe or Typist
- Reader
- Wheelchair Access
Please visit our chapter on Alternative Testing in the DAS Student Handbook for more information.
Email: [email protected]
Take a Virtual Tour of the DAS Testing Center at Heckart Lodge
Cascades Campus (COCC) Alternative Testing Process
Students who require alternative testing services at the OSU Cascades Campus must utilize the OSU Cascades Campus Test Proctoring Services, and the COCC Tutoring and Testing Center.
For more information, please visit our webpage for Cascade Campus students.
Ecampus Alternative Testing Process
For more information, please visit our webpage for Ecampus students.
Classroom Access Services
DAS works with professors/instructors, the Registrar’s Office, Facilities Services, and other OSU departments in order to provide the following accommodations:
- Accessible Computers
- Accessible Field Trips
- Accessible Furniture: chairs, tables, podiums and footstools
- Preferential Seating
- Accessible Classroom/Classroom Relocation
Students are responsible for verifying that classroom locations meet their access needs immediately upon registration for the upcoming term. If you have questions about campus accessibility please contact DAS at 541-737-4098.
While OSU is committed to providing accessible environments for our students to learn, OSU’s campus contains historic buildings that were designed and built (or last renovated) prior to the enactment of the Architectural Barriers Act of 1968 and newer requirements under the Americans with Disabilities Act’s accessibility guidelines for buildings and facilities. Some of our historic buildings present accessibility challenges (such as not having an elevator). In order to accommodate students with disabilities, OSU may need to relocate class sections into more accessible facilities.
Requests to relocate a classroom should be made as soon as students register through DAS Online Services in order to reduce impact on faculty and on moving other course sections. Requests to move the location of a classroom should be made at least 6 weeks prior to the beginning of the term in order to avoid delays in changing classroom locations.
OSU is in the process of renovating our facilities in order to make OSU universally accessible to all. For more information about our recent efforts see the OSU Accessibility Website.
Email: [email protected]
Deaf and Hard of Hearing Access Services (DHOH)
DAS works with faculty to provide full access to class materials, discussions and lectures for students who are Deaf or hard of hearing. Accommodations may include:
- Accessible Audio/Video Materials (Captioning)
- FM Systems
- Interpreting (ASL, English, PSE)
- Real-Time Transcribing
Please visit our chapters on Interpreting and Real-Time Transcribing in the DAS Student Handbook for more information.
Email: [email protected]
Notetaking Services
Disability Access Services (DAS) provides technology to support students to independently, meet their notetaking accommodation. All eligible students may use one of the following systems:
- Sonocent Technology
- Livescribe Smartpen Technology
Two other types of notetaking services are available and eligibility is dependent on the impact of the disability in physically taking notes.
- Peer-to-Peer Notetaking Services
- Real-time Transcribing Services
Peer-to-Peer notetaking services and real-time transcribing services requires approval from the DAS Documentation Review Team.
Please visit our chapter on Notetaking Services in the DAS Student Handbook for more information.
Email: [email protected]
Additional Notification to Faculty
DAS will send a specific notification to a student's faculty members each term notifying them of their accommodations. For certain disabilities, it may be helpful to add an additional notification to faculty explaining the impacts of their disability in the teaching and learning environment.
Lab Assistants
Students whose disability limits their participation in course labs may be eligible for lab assistants.
Please note: Lab assistants will only help to carry out lab procedures that students are unable to complete due to their disability. All information about actual lab processes and procedures are the student's responsibility.
Lab assistants:
- Will perform only those tasks directed by the student
- Are used as a tool, not as a teacher or tutor
- Will not prompt or guide a student in performing a lab task
- Will adhere to proper lab procedures
- May receive instructions, if needed, regarding a student's disability-related needs from students and/or DAS
Library Assistants
Students may find that they need assistance in reading, scribing, or retrieving materials while doing course-related library research. Both the Valley Library and DAS provide library assistance.
If you need assistance:
- See the OSU Library’s Accessibility Services Website for information about available services through the Valley Library
- Contact DAS at (541) 737-4098 for information on receiving a library assistant or about assistive technology available.
Priority Registration
Students are eligible for early registration if they must register with the university early in order to meet DAS accommodation request deadlines.
Students qualify for priority registration if they are eligible for the following accommodations:
- Accessible classrooms
- Printed materials in Braille
- Sign language interpreting, real-time captioning, real-time transcribing, or captioned media
- Specific schedule due to medical and health reasons
Please visit our chapter on Priority Registration in the DAS Student Handbook for more information.
Special Agreements with Instructors
Some accommodations require individualized agreements between the student, the instructor, and DAS on how these accommodations will be managed. Students may be granted reasonable extensions of deadlines or attendance, and a contract is required to ensure a full understanding of rights and responsibilities on the side of the student and of the instructor. The agreement identifies how much time is allowed to turn in assignments, when the student will notify the instructor of an absence, steps to take if he/she has issues with their assignments and attendance, etc.
Students can find the Agreement with Faculty form within DAS online services. If requested by the instructor, students may obtain a hard copy of the agreement at the DAS office. One agreement per class, per term, is required.
Flexibility in Attendance/Assignments
Attendance Policy: What Students with Disabilities Need to Know About Attendance
Class attendance policies are not determined by the office of Disability Access Services. The number of allowable absences depends on the interactive or participatory nature of a course, or is based on department, college or accrediting agency rules. Therefore, attendance policies are set by faculty at the college or departmental level.
If attendance is determined to be essential, then students need to work with the faculty to determine the maximum time that can be missed before compromising the integrity of the course/program. In most cases, faculty will require a minimum of 70% class attendance. However, depending on the nature of the class (labs, graduate level, group projects, etc.) faculty may require 80% to 90% class attendance.
Similarly, faculty also determine policies regarding make-up work and missed quizzes and exams. Faculty is not required to lower or substantially modify essential course elements in order to provide an accommodation. DAS can provide faculty information regarding the legitimacy of the absences which are based on appropriate medical and/or psychological documentation.
Listen closely to faculty announcements about attendance and make-up policies and procedures. Also, check your course syllabus for information about these issues.
When It Is Appropriate to Have Flexibility in Attendance/Assignments?
When a student has a chronic condition with random or cyclical acute episodes, accommodations to attendance policies may be appropriate. Attendance accommodations should be established in advance, not retroactively. Syllabi with detailed attendance, lateness or participation policies should be a cue to students to discuss this topic with the instructor. Please note that unexpected illness or injury, a recent diagnosis, onset, or change in condition rarely warrants accommodations in attendance policy. Rather, these conditions often warrant a withdrawal. See Academic Regulations 12 and 13 in the Online Catalog for Oregon State University's withdrawal policies.
It is important for students to discuss the following items with their faculty members at the beginning of the term:
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"Time in Seat" Policies:
Policies identifying the number of allowable absences before they impact grades may be designed to motivate attendance, reflect the interactive or participatory nature of a course or be based on department, college or accrediting agency rules. Like any other policy these are subject to modification (rarely elimination) based on their nature and purpose in the design and delivery of the course.
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"Late Work," "Make Up," and "Pop Quiz" Policies:
These policies all tie into attendance and should be included when you discuss attendance. Like "Time in Seat" policies accommodations may be appropriate depending on the nature of the assignment and its relationship to the pacing and progression of instruction.
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Flexibility in Attendance/Assignments:
If attendance is determined to be essential, then working with the faculty to determine the maximum time that can be missed before compromising the integrity of the program is required. In most cases, faculty will require a minimum of 70% class attendance. However, depending on the nature of the class (labs, graduate level, group projects, etc.) faculty may require 80% to 90% class attendance.
Statement for Notification Letter:
If the student is eligible for this accommodation, the faculty notification letter will contain the following:
"Student's disability might impact class attendance. It is estimated that this will not exceed 30% of the term. The Student-Instructor Agreement should be completed and noted if more than 70% attendance is required due to the structure of the class. It is student's responsibility to inform you (the instructor) of his/her absence in a timely manner (i.e., before class), and to clarify with you the methods and timelines for making up assignments missed due to the absence from class (i.e., make up tests and quizzes, timeline for handing in work that was to have been handed in during the class period, etc.)."