Given our high volume of student appointments, sending an email to disability-svcs@jmu.edu is the fastest way to receive a response from our staff. If you prefer, you can also call (540-568-6705) or stop by our office (Student Success Center, Suite 1202). 

The PeopleSoft system sometimes assigns multiple unique identifiers for single classes if they occur at various times/locations. Since these show up as unique classes in our Accommodate system, you may receive multiple Accommodation Letters for one student.

No. Instructors may not suggest that students take alternate classes to avoid provision of accommodations. 

An instructor who believes that an accommodation may constitute a fundamental alteration to the course should immediately contact ODS at disability-svcs@jmu.edu to discuss those concerns and engage in a due deliberative process.   Please include your name, the student’s name, the class section, attach your syllabus and describe your concern with the accommodation. 

Yes.

In this scenario, if you increase the amount of time that all students receive to take a timed exam/quiz, that becomes the new "standard" time and the student's accommodation is to receive the extra time specified on the Accommodation Letter. You can use this Extra time calculator to calculate the appropriate amount of extra time (Length: standard time for the class; Extra time: 1.5x = 50% ; 2.0x = 100%).

No, ODS has limited capacity. 

It is optimal if professors proctor exams for students with accommodations in their own space or online. ODS is always willing to consult about potential alternative solutions. 

Yes.

The extra time accommodation on exams and quizzes is to be applied to all timed assessments regardless of whether the students are taking them at home, online, or on campus. 

Use the information on the Canvas instructions webpage. If you need additional assistance we highly recommend contacting JMU Libraries Learning Technology Services by calling 540-568-5312 or emailing letsupport@jmu.edu.

No.

Automatic captions are not adequate as an accommodation because they are not reliably accurate and include consistent problems with punctuation, speaker identification, and capitalization. To provide equal access, captions must be around 99% accurate, which requires human correction. If you have a student with an accommodation for captioning, ODS’s Accessible Media team will caption any video content you plan to use. Watch for an email from Disability Services Captioning explaining the procedures and contact ODS Accessible Media (captioning@jmu.edu) with any questions. 

Find 1-3 students that want to serve as volunteer note-takers and email their name(s) and E-IDs to notes@jmu.edu. The Notes Team will reach out to the students with more information. 

You may use an option for your class which will provide access to notes for all students. Some options include notes from a Teaching Assistant or a collaborative notes document that all students can contribute to and which can be accessed by all students in the course. We recommend this method as it benefits all students, not just those with accommodations. 

Students who have an accommodation to record the lecture have an obligation to respect copyright and they are forbidden from sharing the recording. The accommodation is to allow them access for personal study. This accommodation is listed as an exclusion in Academic Affairs Policy #15 to allow students to record important course content, but they are to comply with restrictions regarding publication or behaviors that would infringe upon free speech.

No.  

The instructor does not need to inform students that the class is being recorded per the exclusion listed in Academic Affairs Policy #15. In other cases, instructors should follow the requirements of AA Policy #15.