Providing academic accommodations

Even when accessibility issues have been addressed in instructional planning, Universal Design cannot meet all needs.

Barriers may still remain that require specific academic accommodations:

in presentation

These affect the way directions and content are delivered to students. Students with visual, hearing, and learning disabilities are much more able to engage in the content when it is presented in a form they can understand.

in response

These are different ways for students to respond to assessment questions. They help students with visual and hearing impairments, physical disabilities, and organizational problems to structure, monitor, or directly put words to paper.

in setting

These affect either where a test is taken or the way in which the environment is set up. Changing the environment is especially helpful to students who are easily distracted.

in timing/scheduling

These allow flexibility in the timing of an assessment. Generally, they are chosen for students who may need more time to process information or need breaks throughout the testing process to regroup and refocus.