Accommodations
- Katherine Worboys Izsak
The iSchool is committed to creating and maintaining a welcoming and inclusive educational, working, and living environment for people of all abilities. For students to receive reasonable accommodations, they should contact the Accessibility and Disability Service (ADS) office (301-314-7682) to schedule a registration interview. Receiving an accommodation or service is based on the nature of the disability. Further information on accommodations and services are available through ADS, at https://www.counseling.umd.edu/ads/ .
Instructors will be notified via email about students who have received accommodations. They will be able to view and agree to the accommodation letter through the Online ADS Portal. Instructors must sign the Acknowledgement of Student Request Form to signify receipt of the student’s accommodation letter and to indicate that a dialogue regarding accommodation implementation has occurred. For online classes. Instructors should either digitally sign the form or email the student confirming they have received the letter and do not have further questions about their accommodations. It is appropriate to share accommodation requests with graduate teaching assistants.
Students must meet privately with instructors, preferably during office hours, to discuss the logistics of implementing their accommodations in courses. This meeting should occur at the beginning of the semester after the instructor has received an electronic copy of the accommodation letter. Graduate teaching assistants may hold these meetings in lieu of faculty if they will be overseeing the student’s testing requirements.
Students and instructors/graduate teaching assistants must complete a Detailed Implementation Plan Form for any accommodations requiring a written plan. Once complete the student and the instructor/graduate teaching assistant should retain a copy of the written plan for their reference, and the student should submit a copy to ADS.
It is not necessary for students to sit for their exam at the ADS Testing Office unless specifically listed as an accommodation. If instructors are unable to administer an accommodated exam independently they should schedule the student to take the exam with ADS.
To utilize the ADS Testing Office the student must make a reservation three business days in advance of the testing section. Instructors will be notified via email and will utilize the ADS Online Portal system to provide a copy of the test questions and instructions for administering the exam. Instructors are responsible for providing all test questions and instructions by 12pm. If materials are not submitted by the timelines mentioned above the reservation will be cancelled.
For online courses, instructors are able to independently accommodate students within ELMS/Canvas. ADS Testing Office staff do not have access to online course content and will not be able to assist or troubleshoot accessibility questions. Instructors should work directly with the Division of IT by contacting itaccessibility@umd.edu for specific guidance and assistance.