Reasonable Accommodations

For college students with disabilities, academic accommodations may include adaptations in the way specific courses are conducted, the use of auxiliary equipment, and modifications in academic requirements. A college or university has both the diversity of resources and the flexibility to select the specific aids or services it provides, as long as they are effective. Such aids and services should be selected in consultation with students who will use them.

Classroom Accommodations  

• Preferential seating -- Seating in front, by door, helps reduce audio/visual distractions  
• Beverages/Snacks permitted in class -- Helps alleviate dry mouth or tiredness caused by medications.

Lecture accommodations

• Pre-arranged breaks
  Helps student anticipate and manage anxiety, stress, or extreme restlessness caused by medication.  
• Tape Recorder
  Alleviates pressure of note taking, freeing student to attend and participate more fully in class.  
• Note Taker 
  Similar to above, having someone in class to take notes alleviates anxiety of having to capture all the information; sometimes the anxiety of attending class interferes with effective note taking.  
• Photocopy of another's notes 
  If note takers are not available, then securing from another student helps free him or her to attend and participate more fully in class.  
• American Sign Language Interpreting (ASL)
  Interpreters neither add nor delete from any interaction that takes place. Everything that is voiced is interpreted into sign language and everything signed by the student is voiced.  
• Real-time captioning (C-print, CART)
  Simultaneously converts the spoken word into printed format using computer aided translation which appears on large screen or individual computer monitors.

Examination accommodations  

• Alternative format
  Altering an exam from a multiple choice format to an essay format may help students demonstrate their knowledge more effectively and with much less interference from anxiety or a learning disability. Alternative format may be: large print, Braille, color-coded text, audio (reader, tape/cd, or computer).  
• Permit use of computer software programs or other technological assistance
  Writing may be difficult due to medication side effects that create muscular or visual problems.  
• Extended time
  Allowing a specific extra amount of time, allows the student to focus on the exam content instead of the clock, and lessens the chance that anxiety or other symptoms will interfere with his or her performance. Extended time means allowing the test taker extra time to complete the test. The amount of extended time should be correlated to the test taker's disability or limitations. Common examples of extended time include: time and a half, double time, and unlimited time.  
• Segmented
  Dividing an exam up into parts and allowing students to take them in two or three sessions over 1-2 days helps reduce the effect of fatigue and focus on one section at a time.  
• Distraction-Free Location/Individually Proctored
  A non-distracting, quiet setting helps reduce interference from anxiety or other symptoms or medication side effects.  
• Increase frequency of tests or examinations
  Giving student more opportunities to demonstrate knowledge creates less pressure than having just a midterm or a final.  
• Permit exams to be read orally, dictated, scribed or typed
  Anxiety, other symptoms, medication side effects, or a learning disability may interfere with mental focus, concentration, ability to retrieve information, and/or writing capacity during a typical paper-pencil test. Reducing the amount of external pressure and distractions gives the student an equal opportunity to demonstrate his or her expertise without the disability skewing the results.  
• Reader
  A reader is a person who reads the test to the test taker. This person should be familiar with the terminology or language used on the test. A reader does not interpret, re-word, or explain the test. A reader reads the test directions, questions, and answer choices to the test-taker.  
• Scribe
  A scribe is a person who writes down, or otherwise records, the test taker's responses. The scribe does not create answers for the test-taker or help the test-taker identify correct answers. The scribe simply writes the test taker's answers down on the test or answer sheet.

Assignment accommodations  

• Substitute assignments
  Written exercises or other out-out class exercise may be necessary for a student with a psychiatric disability to best demonstrate their grasp of the required knowledge.  
• Advance notice of assignments
  Helps a student anticipate and plan time, energy, and workload, and arrange for any support or academic adjustments.  
• Delay in assignment due dates
  A student may need to go into the hospital for week for a medication check or a brief emergency; extra time on a due date might be all that is needed for a student to pass the course. The delay should be specified; i.e., a new due date should be negotiated and formalized, not be left open-ended.  
• Handwritten rather than typed papers
  Relieves an additional source of pressure if student does not yet have typing skills. The time tests and accuracy required in a typing course make them a very high stress experience for students who are just returning to school.  
• Assignment assistance during hospitalization
  Staying connected to a student during a course while he or she is in the hospital may mean the student can finish the course as planned, and not have to take an incomplete or withdrawal grade, lose their money, or repeat the course again. (The exacerbation of psychiatric symptoms does not necessarily preclude the student's ability to complete schoolwork, and in some cases seems to help them leave the hospital sooner because they have academic responsibilities to meet.)  
• Use alternative forms for students to demonstrate course mastery
  A student may be better at demonstrating his or her knowledge in ways that don't require lots of writing (e.g., a narrative tape instead of a written journal) or time pressure (an essay exam rather than only multiple choice, or an extra paper if the student has not performed well on the exam due to his or her disability).  
• Textbooks on tape
  May help a student whose vision or concentration interferes with their reading ability.

Administrative Accommodations

 Granted on a case-by-case basis

• Providing modifications, substitutions, or waivers of courses, major fields of study, or degree requirements on a case-by-case basis.
  These adjustments should be considered on an individual basis, and only if the changes requested would not substantially alter essential elements of the course or program, or if courses are required for licensure)  
• Provide orientation to campus and administrative procedures.
  Increasing a student's familiarity with an environment and the system help him or her to feel more confident and confident, and allow the student to plan, strategize, anticipate trouble spots, and know where to go for assistance.  
• Provide assistance with registration/financial aid.
  Helping a student cut through red tape and coaching them thorough the intricate but critical process of financial aid eliminates a potentially debilitating amount of stress and hassle.  
• Assistance with selecting classes and course load.
  Early morning classes or high stress classes such as keyboarding could set a student up failure.  
• Parking passes and Access to lounge
  Anxiety and other psychiatric symptoms can physically and emotionally prevent a student from crossing the campus or climbing several sets of stairs or sustaining energy for a day of classes, when they would otherwise be capable of attending class. These' supports make the environment more accessible and "-friendly," and are usually cheap and easy to obtain.  
• Incompletes rather than failures or withdrawals if relapse occurs.
  If a student has finished most of the coursework but is unable to complete the remainder before the semester's end, negotiating an incomplete usually means that a student will not have to repay or retake the entire course in order to finish it.