We know the number of requests for learning accommodations is steadily increasing, leaving some instructors wondering—how am I supposed to make this work in my classroom? If you have had this thought, know that you are not alone, and your concerns are valid. We understand that you want to support all your students and that meeting varied learning needs of diverse students can be challenging. We appreciate all that you do to support our students.   

The goals of learning accommodations go far beyond meeting legal requirements. At their core, accommodations are intended to create a more inclusive and accessible learning environment for all students by providing equitable access to resources and interactions.  

The most commonly requested accommodations are: 

• Extended time for testing to allow students with disabilities to have additional time to complete exams or quizzes. The extended time can vary, often 1.5x or 2x the standard time, depending on the student’s specific needs. 

• Notetaking accommodations to assist students with difficulty taking notes during lectures due to various disabilities. This can involve providing access to a notetaker, allowing audio recording in lectures, or providing instructor’s notes or slides in advance.  

• Modified attendance policies that acknowledge some students with chronic health conditions, mental health issues, or other disabilities may have legitimate disability-related reasons for missing more classes than typically allowed. This accommodation does not excuse students from coursework but provides flexibility in attendance requirements. It involves developing an agreement between the student and instructor about how absences will be handled and how the student will make up missed work. 

• Communication Access and Realtime Translation (CART) provides real-time captioning of spoken content in classes, meetings, or events. This is used primarily (but not exclusively) by students who are D/deaf or hard-of hearing. The captioner, who may work on-site in the classroom or remotely via a Zoom link, will type what is being said, and the text appears on a screen for the student to read in real-time. These accommodations ensure that students with disabilities have equal access to course content, regardless of the format in which it is originally presented. 

The Office of Educational Accessibility (OEA) has partnered with the Teaching and Learning Center (TLC) to create and curate resources to help you adapt your teaching strategies to support diverse learning skills.  This resource site, Proactive Accessibility: Minimizing Accommodation Requests Through Inclusive Design, is hosted on D2L and includes the following: 

• OEA Accommodations Process 

• Universal Design for Learning Resources 

• Pedagogical Resources 

The TLC and OEA are now offering joint Accessibility Consultations to assist instructors with adapting teaching strategies to meet accommodations. Appointments can be made using the TLC Bookings page. 

If you have questions about specific accommodation requests, please contact OEA. Contact the TLC for help with pedagogical strategies and integration of technology to enhance accessibility in your courses.  

Additional Resources: 

• “Common Accommodations” from Kutztown University’s Disability Services Office (DSO) 

• Teaching with Accommodations in the Classroom, Reinert Center for Transformative Teaching and Learning at St Louis University 

• Strategies for Accommodating Students with Disabilities in Higher Education, Hawa Allarahkhia, 2022 

• Tobin, T. J., & Behling, K. (2018). Reach everyone, teach everyone: Universal design for learning in higher education. West Virginia University Press.