Academic Accommodations
Accommodations are determined on a case-by-case basis depending on the student’s documented disability and its functional impacts. Common accommodations may include:
Alternative Formats
Alternative Formats converts required course materials including textbooks, documents, exams, handouts, etc. into accessible formats. This includes Microsoft Word documents (.doc and .docx), Digital Accessible Information System (DAISY), and Braille.
Please visit our chapter on Alternative Formats in the ODS Student Handbook for more information.
Alternative Testing
Alternative testing requests are submitted via ODS Online Services and the specifics of the alternative testing depend on a student's eligibility. Services may include:
- Calculator
- Computer
- Spell Checker
- Exam Enlargement
- Extra Time (1.50x or 2.00x)
- Quiet Location
- Room Alone
- Scribe or Typist
- Reader
- Wheelchair Access
Please visit our chapter on Alternative Testing in the ODS Student Handbook for more information.
ONLINE ALTERNATIVE TESTING PROCESS
For more information, please visit our webpage for Online students.
Classroom Access Services
ODS works with professors/instructors, the Registrar’s Office, Facilities Services, and other Xavier departments in order to provide the following accommodations:
- Accessible Computers
- Accessible Field Trips
- Accessible Furniture: chairs, tables, podiums and footstools
- Preferential Seating
- Accessible Classroom/Classroom Relocation
Students are responsible for verifying that classroom locations meet their access needs immediately upon registration for the upcoming term. If you have questions about campus accessibility, please contact ODS at 504-520-7607.
Deaf and Hard of Hearing Access Services (DHOH)
ODS works with faculty to provide full access to class materials, discussions and lectures for students who are Deaf or hard of hearing. Accommodations may include:
- Accessible Audio/Video Materials (Captioning)
- FM Systems
- Interpreting (ASL, English, PSE)
- Real-Time Transcribing
For more information, please visit our chapters on Interpreting and Real-Time Transcribing in the ODS Student Handbook.
Note-taking Services
The Office of Disability Services (ODS) provides technology to support students to independently meet their note-taking accommodation. All eligible students may use one of the following systems:
- Livescribe Smartpen
- Digital Recorders
Two other types of note-taking services are available, and eligibility is dependent on the impact of the disability in physically taking notes.
- Peer-to-Peer Note-taking Services
- Real-time Transcribing Services
Peer-to-Peer note-taking services and real-time transcribing services require approval from the ODS Student Accommodation Review Committee (SARC).
Please visit our chapter on Note-taking Services in the ODS Student Handbook for more information.
Additional Notification to Faculty
ODS will send a specific notification to a student's faculty members each term, notifying them of their accommodations. For certain disabilities, it may be helpful to add notification to faculty explaining the impacts of their disability in the teaching and learning environment.
Special Agreements with Instructors
Some accommodations require individualized agreements between the student, the instructor, and ODS on how these accommodations will be managed. Students may be granted reasonable extensions of deadlines or attendance, and a contract is required to ensure a full understanding of rights and responsibilities on the side of the student and of the instructor. The agreement identifies how much time is allowed to turn in assignments, when the student will notify the instructor of an absence, steps to take if they have issues with their assignments and attendance, etc.
Click here for an Agreement with Faculty form. One agreement per class, per term, is required.
FLEXIBILITY IN ATTENDANCE/ASSIGNMENTS
Attendance Policy: What Students with Disabilities Need to Know About Attendance
Class attendance policies are not determined by The Office of Disability Services. The number of allowable absences depends on the interactive or participatory nature of a course, or is based on department, college or accrediting agency rules. Therefore, attendance policies are set by faculty at the college or departmental level, so it essential that students work with faculty to determine the maximum number of times that can be missed before compromising the integrity of the course/program.
Similarly, faculty also determine policies regarding make-up work and missed quizzes and exams. Faculty is not required to lower or substantially modify essential course elements to provide accommodation. ODS can provide faculty information regarding the legitimacy of the absences which are based on appropriate medical and/or psychological documentation.
Listen closely to faculty announcements about attendance and make-up policies and procedures. Also, check your course syllabus for information about these issues.
When It Is Appropriate to Have Flexibility in Attendance/Assignments?
When a student has a chronic condition with random or cyclical acute episodes, accommodations to attendance policies may be appropriate. Attendance accommodations should be established in advance, not retroactively. Syllabi with detailed attendance, lateness or participation policies should be a cue to students to discuss this topic with the instructor. Please note that unexpected illness or injury, a recent diagnosis, onset, or change in condition rarely warrants accommodations in attendance policy. Rather, these conditions often warrant a withdrawal. See Xavier University’s withdrawal policies.
It is important for students to discuss the following items with their faculty members at the beginning of the term:
"Time in Seat" Policies:
Policies identifying the number of allowable absences before they impact grades may be designed to motivate attendance, reflect the interactive or participatory nature of a course or be based on department, college or accrediting agency rules. Like any other policy these are subject to modification (rarely elimination) based on their nature and purpose in the design and delivery of the course.
"Late Work," "Make Up," and "Pop Quiz" Policies:
These policies all tie into attendance and should be included when you discuss attendance. Like "Time in Seat" policies, accommodations may be appropriate depending on the nature of the assignment and its relationship to the pacing and progression of instruction.
Flexibility in Attendance/Assignments:
If attendance is determined to be essential, then working with the faculty to determine the maximum time that can be missed before compromising the integrity of the program is required.
Statement for Notification Letter:
If the student is eligible for this accommodation, the faculty notification letter will contain the following:
"Student's disability might impact class attendance. It is estimated that this will not exceed 30% of the semester. The Student-Instructor Agreement should be completed and noted if more than 70% attendance is required due to the structure of the class. It is student's responsibility to inform you (the instructor) of their absence in a timely manner (i.e., before class), and to clarify with you the methods and timelines for making up assignments missed due to the absence from class (i.e., makeup tests and quizzes, timeline for handing in work that was to have been handed in during the class period, etc.)."
Contact Us
Office of Disability Services
St. Joseph Academic & Health Resource Center
Building #13, Suite 202
Office: 504-520-7607
Fax: 504-520-7943
Mailing Address
鈥1 Drexel Drive
P.O. Box 180
New Orleans, LA听70125
Hours of Operation
Monday - Thursday:听8:30 AM to 4:30 PM听
Friday: 8:30 AM to 4:00 PM听
1:00 PM to 2:00 PM Closed for Lunch