For Faculty

If a student emails or hands you a Letter of Accommodations (LOA) from DSS, you must read over it, and confirm with the student that you have reviewed the information regarding their services. By confirming with the student, you are acknowledging that you have read and understand the provisions marked on his/ her LOA. If you have questions or concerns about the approved accommodations, contact DSS at ext 3464 immediately so that a reasonable solution can be reached in a timely manner.

Should a student request an accommodation directly from you, without the LOA, indicate that you can discuss with when he/ she has presented you with the LOA. Direct the student to contact DSS to get the process started.

A student is responsible for activating his/her aids and services each semester/ term.  Even if he/she has had you as a professor in previous semester, the student must activate DSS services for the new course. 

The students are strongly encouraged to activate their DSS services within the first two weeks of the new semester/ term; however, they are able to activate their services later in the semester/term.  While it is always best for students to communicate with you early in the semester, we may not put dates or deadlines on their legal rights.

The student activates DSS services by submitting a semester request through Accommodate. You will receive an email notifying you to log into Accommodate to review a student’s semester/term based Letter of Accommodations (LOA). After reviewing the student’s semester/term based LOA, faculty will need to electronically sign the LOA acknowledging they have received and reviewed the semester/term based LOA. Faculty will receive a confirmation email after electronically signing a LOA.

Every accommodation that is marked on the LOA has been assigned for use by the student; however it is possible that the student will not need every accommodation for every class they take.  It is therefore recommended that you and the student discuss with each other any issues or questions that may arise due to the specific nature of your course.

Based on a student’s disability information, recommendations from health care and/or educational specialists, individual needs and other relevant factors, the academic accommodations marked on the LOA have been approved for the student.

The assigned LOA accommodations have been approved under the federal guidelines of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, which prohibit discrimination of students with a disability in post-secondary settings.

In the event that a DSS student, approved for testing accommodations, wants to take an upcoming exam/quiz utilizing their testing related accommodations, there are several steps that the DSS student and you, as their faculty member, will go through.

1. The DSS student must request the use of their approved testing accommodations by submitting an online Testing Request through Accommodate, regardless if they need DSS to proctor or not. The student will advise DSS of the date, time, length of exam and any exam allowances (e.g. calculator, reference sheet, etc.).
2. After the student has submitted their Testing Request, the faculty member will instantly be notified via an email providing the student's name, the course the exam is for and the date and time the exam is scheduled. If you do not receive an email from DSS, it is an indication the student did not submit a Testing Request and therefore plans to take the exam in the normal class setting without accommodations.
3. Upon receiving the Testing Request notification, faculty need to login to Accommodate to review and provide exam details within the submitted Testing Request as soon as possible so DSS can set-up the necessary proctoring arrangements. The exam itself is not initially required to submit the Testing Request and can be uploaded at a later time.
4. If applicable, faculty need to upload their exams directly to the student's Testing Request in Accommodate at least 24 hours, not including weekends, ahead of the scheduled exam date/time. The exam will be kept in a locked, secure location until the student comes in to take the exam.
5. If a proctoring session is arranged, the DSS student will take the exam in a secure, monitored testing room.
6. If applicable, the completed exam will be uploaded to the student's Testing Request in Accommodate for immediate viewing and download. Please note this may take 1-2 business days. If a faculty member requests the exam to be held at DSS for pick it up, DSS will hold the exam for 1 week (7 days) from the date the exam was uploaded to the student's Testing Request in Accommodate. After the 1 week, DSS will shred the hardcopy. Please note that DSS is open Monday-Friday from 8:00am-5:00pm and is closed for Chapel on Thursdays from 11:15am-12:15pm.  
7. For exams/ quizzes administered through Canvas, faculty will need to set up the extended test time and, if applicable, the exam start date/time to reflect the date/time the exam is scheduled to be proctored through the DSS office. DSS staff does not have the authority to make adjustments for your course within Canvas. 
8. Exceptions to this process may occur for some students who have been previously approved or have discussed with DSS an alternative plan. If you have any concerns regarding testing accommodations, please contact DSS for clarification at dsstesting@CalLutheran.edu or 805-493-3464.

Please note that DSS only provides proctoring services for DSS registered students with testing accommodations.

In the event that a DSS student, approved for this accommodation, wants to utilize notetaking services, there are two steps that the student and you will go through.

1. The student will submit an online request for a note taker to DSS.
2. Should your assistance be needed in locating a note-taker you will receive an email from dssnotes@CalLutheran.edu. It is possible that DSS may already have a volunteer, and if this is the case it would therefore not be necessary to contact you.
3. If a volunteer is not found to provide notes, DSS may contact you to provide the student with copies of your PowerPoint, lecture notes, etc. This will allow the student to receive their approved accommodation in a timely manner until an alternative solution can be determined.

Some students are approved for the books in alternative formats accommodation. Alternative texts and materials can also be referred to as books in alternate formats or accessible texts.

Basically, it means texts and materials that are accessible by being provided in another format such as audio recordings, large print, or Braille. Alternative texts also means being useable with text to speech (TTS) software or screenreaders (which use computer voices to read the text aloud).

Students who can benefit from this accommodation may have visual or print disabilities (learning disabilities and/or ADHD), ESL students, students who have learning differences that may not rise to the level of a disability, anyone who benefits from having both visual (written) and audio access (that would include most of us).

DSS will provide the student with the alternative format of the required book(s) for the course. We are also able to assist in converting print materials or other articles required for the course if we are notified about the need. Obtaining the required text in the necessary alternative format can take several weeks or more. It is therefore critical for faculty to provide the Cal Lutheran Bookstore with the required course textbook(s) as far in advance as possible prior to the start of the new semester/term.

For students who are eligible for alternate text and materials, these must be provided or converted to a format accessible for the student. For our current population, that will generally be provision or conversion to a format accessible by TTS.

For some useful tips on creating accessible digital or electronic materials, view the Tips for Accessible Digital Documents.

For some useful tips in creating accessible online course and corresponding course materials, view the Tips for Online Course Accessibility.