Accommodations
Understanding Common Accommodations
Extra time on exams and quizzes: faculty members arrange for students to be given time and a half or double time (depending on the accommodation) to complete their exams, quizzes, or in-class assignments
- Typical reason for this accommodation: students have learning disabilities that compromise their processing speed, making it difficult to complete exams in the allotted time; students have a reading disability and need additional time to process the information they are reading; students have an attentional disorder, making the ability to focus on the task at hand challenging
Reduced-distraction space for exams: faculty members arrange for students to complete exams in an alternative reduced-distraction setting
- Typical reason for this accommodation: students have an attentional disorder, making the ability to focus difficult with outside distractions present
Flexible Attendance: Faculty and students will work together when a student is absent due to flare ups in their medical condition. Students are responsible for meeting with faculty at the start of each semester to discuss how this accommodation may work for each class. This accommodation may vary from class to class based on the participation level of the course. Faculty and students will complete Flexibility Agreement for Attendance form together to have a clear understanding of the agreed upon plan. See the flexibility in attendance accommodation presentation for information regarding this accommodation.
- Typical reasons for this accommodation: students with medical conditions that can cause a significant flare up that impacts the student's ability to navigate campus on a particular day. This could be due to significant pain, inability to get out of bed, doctor's appointments or hospitalizations.
Flexible Assignment Due Dates: Faculty and students will work together when a student requires additional time to complete a specific assignment. Students are responsible for meeting with faculty at the start of each semester to discuss how this accommodation may work for each class. This accommodation may vary from class to class based on the workload for a particular course.
- Typical reason for this accommodation: students with specific learning disabilities may require additional time on an assignment to complete work within a designated time frame. For example, if a professor gives the whole class a writing prompt 2-weeks before the paper is due, this student could ask for an additional week to submit the assignment. Students with learning disabilities often work with the Academic Resource Center on larger assignments, and that extra time is needed to complete the work. Another reason for flexible due dates is when a student has an unpredictable medical condition that has flare ups that cause fatigue, brain fog, and/or hospitalizations.
Faculty and students will complete Flexibility Agreement for Assignment Due Dates form together to have a clear understanding of the agreed upon plan. See the flexibility agreement for assignment due dates accommodation presentation for information regarding this accommodation.
Use of a recording device for lectures: students may use a device to record lectures
- Typical reason for this accommodation: students with a slower processing speed, auditory processing challenges, or attentional difficulties may miss information during lectures and the recording device allows them to listen to parts of the lecture that they may have missed
- All students issued this accommodation have read the policy on Use of Recording Device as an Accommodation Policy and have signed the Recording Agreement
Access to a peer notetaker: another student in the class shares their notes
- Typical reason for this accommodation: students have a disability that makes it a significant challenge or impossibility to take their own set of notes
Use of a laptop for note-taking: students may use their laptop during lectures for note-taking
- Typical reason for this accommodation: students with a slower processing speed may find it challenging to keep up with handwritten notes; student with motor coordination disorder may find it challenging to handwrite notes
Use of a College computer for the written portion of exams: students may use a College computer to type out the written portions of exams
- Typical reasons for this accommodation: students with a slower processing speed may find it challenging to hand write more lengthy portions of exams within the allotted amount of time; students with a reading or language disorder may be too distracted by compensating for difficulties that they run out of their allotted time or miss the main point of the assignment
- Use of College Computer Policy
Access to alternate format texts: students are granted access to electronic text that can be read aloud by a computer program
- Typical reasons for this accommodation: students with reading disorders may find it challenging to comprehend the written word; students with dyslexia may become distracted by their compensation strategies that they miss the main point of the text
Use of a simple, 4-function calculator: students may use a simple, 4-function calculator during exams
- Typical reasons for this accommodation: students struggle with a slower processing speed/working memory or have a math disorder, making it more challenging and time consuming to mentally compute equations
Please note that the "typical reasons" listed are by no means an exhaustive list of potential difficulties. The most common reasons have been listed to help identify some learning disabilities a student may be struggling with.
Questions or Concerns Regarding Approved Accommodations
Accommodations are not intended to compromise any essential element of a course and/or program requirement. If you have a concern in this regard or question as to how to implement an approved accommodation, please contact SAS as soon as possible at 860-439-5428.
Accommodation Deadlines
Faculty members must receive the Faculty Notification Letter with at least 7 business-days' prior notice to the need for the accommodation. You are not required to provide an approved accommodation without this advanced notice if it is not feasible to do so.
Testing Accommodations
During semester
Faculty can contact the Events Coordinator at events@conncoll.edu to request a classroom to provide testing accommodations such as extended time, reduced distraction environment, or a private test setting. You may also contact Tricia Dallas in the Academic Resource Center at pdallas@conncoll.edu if a location cannot be found.
Final exams
Self-scheduled - Students with testing accommodations take their exams in the Academic Resource Center. Student Accessibility Services will work with the faculty member and the Registrar’s office to ensure that student exams are sent to the ARC rather than the usual testing center. An email reminder will be sent to faculty each semester with specific instructions in how to do this.
Scheduled - Accommodation logistics are arranged between the faculty member and the student as with any test accommodations.