Office of Student Life
Disability Services

Requesting Accommodations

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The Basics:

Accommodations:

Advocacy:

Overview

  1. Review your syllabi at the beginning of the semester. Look at the requirements of each of your classes and consider your disability-related needs. Some accommodations may not be necessary for every class.
  2. Login to AIM to generate your Course Accessibility Letters. You and your instructors will receive your letters via email once classes are in session. Remember, accommodations are not retroactive, so be sure to generate your letters as early in the semester as possible.
  3. Contact your instructors (or the accommodations point-of-contact for a coordinated course). In this conversation, you do not need to disclose the specific nature of your disability. 
  4. Follow applicable procedures for your accommodations, as described on this page.
  5. Keep in touch. Communicate with your instructors throughout the semester. If you have any questions or run into any issues in this process, contact your Access Specialist.

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How to Use AIM

AIM is our online portal which allows to generate your Course Accessibility Letters. Watch or read the AIM student tutorial.

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Shared Responsibilities Summary

You are responsible for: 

  • communicating with your instructors and our office throughout the semester
  • requesting accommodations in a timely manner
  • following accommodation procedures (as outlined on this page and in the Student Handbook)


Your instructors are responsible for: 

  • communicating with you and our office throughout the semester
  • implementing accommodations in a timely manner
  • notifying our office when there are questions or concerns about any requested accommodations
  • maintaining your confidentiality


We (SLDS) are responsible for: 

  • approving your accommodations and training you on the request process
  • providing services and accommodations in a timely manner
  • consulting with you and your instructors on how to best implement accommodations
  • maintaining privacy of your documentation and disabilities

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Exam Accommodations

What qualifies as an "exam" for exam accommodations?

Exam accommodations apply to timed quizzes, midterms, and finals. More specifically, exam accommodations apply to any timed written assessment that is designed to be completed in a single sitting and is graded for accuracy.

Exam accommodations typically do not apply to lab work, homework/projects, untimed "take-home style" exams which students can complete over multiple days, OSCEs, dissertations, or Law school exams longer than 8 hours. If you see a need for your exam accommodations to apply to anything on this list, please contact your Access Specialist to discuss. 

Take-at-Home (Online) Exams

If your exam is designed to be taken at home in a non-proctored environment, you will NOT schedule these exams at SLDS. Instead, you should contact your instructor to adjust the time allotted, availability window, and/or due dates according to your accommodations. If you have concerns with take-at-home exams, please contact your Access Specialist. 

  1. After sending your Course Accessibility Letters, confirm with your instructor your need for extended time. Instructors are responsible for setting up extended time in Carmen by adjusting the time limit, availability windows and/or due dates.
  2. We strongly recommend that you confirm that your time allotted, availability window, and due date are correct before starting a Carmen quiz. 
  3. If the quiz settings are incorrect, please reach out to your instructor. If you are having difficulty contacting your instructor, please contact SLDS. 

To Verify Carmen Quiz Information

  1. In Carmen’s Course Navigation, click the “Quizzes” link.
  2. Click the quiz title to open the quiz.
  3. Double check that your extended time has been applied to the "Time Limit".
  4. Double check that the availability window and due date allow for enough time with your accommodations. 

For screenshots and more information, visit the CarmenCanvas help article “How do I view Quizzes as a student?”. 

In-Person Quizzes/Exams

If your exams are designed to be administered in-person, you should schedule with SLDS to receive your exam accommodations. If your instructor is willing to proctor the exam with accommodations themselves, that is also an alternative option. As a result of SLDS operational changes, you can schedule exams on the class exam day or up to two business days after, based on the date specified in the Alternative Testing Agreement. 

Fall and Spring Semester Proctoring Hours: 

  • Week 1-2: M-F 8:00 am - 5:00 pm
  • Starting Week 3: M-Th: 8:00 am - 8:30 pm, F 8:00 am - 5:00 pm
  • Reading Day: CLOSED
  • AU24 Finals (December 6 - 12): M-F 8:00 am - 8:30 pm
  • SP25 Finals (April 23-29): M-F 8:00 am - 8:30 pm

Summer Semester Proctoring Hours:

  • M-F 9:00 am - 4:00 pm

Scheduling Deadlines:

Remember to schedule your exams early in the semester. Late exam scheduling requests are not guaranteed and must be approved by an Exam Services team member.

  • Quizzes/midterms during week 1 or 2: Schedule as soon as possible.
  • Quizzes/midterms/finals NOT during finals week, week 3 or after: Must be scheduled no fewer than 7 days in advance.
  • All requests for finals week AU24: Must be scheduled by 11:55 pm on Wednesday, November 6, 2024.
  • All requests for finals week SP25: Must be scheduled by 11:55 pm on Wednesday, March 26, 2025.

Policy Reminders for SLDS Exam Services

To continue to meet growing demand with the available resources, we would like to remind you of the following operational procedures for exams:

  1. Seating Cap for Scheduling: Students will only be able to schedule an exam in our AIM database if there truly is a seat available.
  2. 3-Day Scheduling Window: To implement the seat cap while meeting exam demand, SLDS will allow students to request schedule their exams within a 3-day window (class exam day + 2 days after). Students are expected to schedule as close to their class exam time as possible, but due to the seat cap and scheduling conflicts this will not be feasible for all assessments and SLDS may need students to choose the next closest timeframes. Faculty will be required to be flexible in allowing SLDS to approve students to test within this 3-day window. Instructors may choose to create different versions of their exam (of equivalent difficulty). This scheduling window DOES NOT apply to final exams during the university's finals week.

Scheduling Instructions:

  1. Login to AIM and send your Course Accessibility Letters.
  2. In AIM, select the Alternative Testing link (listed under My Accommodations on the left side of the screen).
  3. Select your class from the drop down menu and click the “Schedule an Exam” button. 
  4. Read and follow the scheduling instructions in the yellow box. Please be sure to note the date listed to complete the exam. The 3-day window (exam day +2 business days) is only applicable to quizzes/midterms/and finals not during finals week. It is not applicable to final exams during the university’s finals week.  
  5. When ready, click the “Add Exam Request” button to submit the exam request. A green check mark will appear on the screen to confirm your submission. At this point, your request is pending and needs to be reviewed by a staff member.
  6. You will receive a follow-up email notifying you that either your exam request is approved or that you need to contact our office for troubleshooting. 

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Notetaking Support

Peer Notetaking Services

  1. Send your Course Accessibility Letter(s) requesting the “Peer Notetaking Services” accommodation.
  2. After attending a class and determining you will need a notetaker, go back into AIM and confirm your Peer Notetaking Services.
    • Note: Peer notetaking services are not typically approved for asynchronous (e.g. prerecorded) or non-lecture courses. Please contact your Access Specialist if you believe you require this accommodation in such a course. 
  3. You will receive multiple, automated reminders to confirm any outstanding requests for notetaking services in AIM. If you do not confirm your request within two weeks of sending your Course Accessibility Letter, your request will be cancelled.
    • Note: SLDS cannot take steps to secure a notetaker for you until you have confirmed your request in AIM. 
  4. Once confirmed, SLDS will coordinate with the instructor and/or class roster to secure a notetaker.  

Access to Lecture Slides in Advance

  1. Send your Course Accessibility Letter(s) requesting the “Access to Lecture Slides in Advance” accommodation.
  2. Discuss with your instructor the best way for you to receive the slides in advance to meet your needs.
  3. If your instructor has any concerns with sharing slides in advance, contact your Access Specialist. 

Use of Personal Notetaking Technology/Apps

  1. Review our Notetaking Technology Options Guide to compare our recommended options before contacting your Access Specialist to request a technology loan.
  2. Send your Course Accessibility Letter(s) requesting the “Use of Personal Notetaking Technology/Apps” accommodation.
  3. Discuss the accommodation with your instructor. If they have a no-tech or no-recording policy, this should be modified to allow you to use your notetaking technology.  

Additional Resources

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Intermittent Flex Plan 

Requesting a Flex Plan

  1. Review the course syllabus for relevant policies. Determine if you will need any adjustments. Remember, flex plans are not retroactive, so it’s important to make a request at the beginning of the semester. 

  2. After sending your Course Accessibility Letters, watch for a forwarded email from your instructor regarding the details of the flex plan. If you don’t hear back in 2-3 days, reach out to your instructor to request a copy of the Intermittent Flex Plan for the course (download a sample email template). If they need the link for the form, it's go.osu.edu/flexplanslds. If you do not hear back from your instructor, contact your Access Specialist. 

  3. Review the flex plan. If you agree with the terms, no additional steps are necessary. Follow the terms of the flex plan, including the instructions for communication. 

  4. If you have concerns about the terms of the flex plan and would like to request an individualized modification, please contact your Access Specialist within one week of receiving the flex plan. If we don't hear from you within that week, we will assume you are in agreement with the plan.

  5. For general questions about the flex plan, please contact slds@osu.edu.

Parameters for your Flex Plan

  • Troubleshooting/Conflict: Under no circumstances are you solely responsible for the resolution of conflicts arising from disability-related absences. Please contact SLDS if a conflict or disagreement occurs with your instructor. 

  • Communication: Clear and prompt communication is key. Contact your instructor as soon as you are able to when you need to utilize Intermittent Flex Plan flexibility due to a flare-up. You should give proactive notice, when possible. If proactive notice is not possible, you must contact your instructor within 24 hours. You do not need to share medical details; use terms like "acute episode of my disability" or "disability flare-up" and reference SLDS and the flex plan. (download a sample email template). The instructor will also indicate specific communication expectations in the flex plan. 

  • Makeup Exams: Your instructor should offer you a makeup exam of equivalent difficulty in the event you have an acute episode, even if the course policy is to drop the lowest exam or offer a comprehensive makeup exam at the end of the semester. While you may choose to opt-in to these alternative options, an equivalent makeup exam must be on the table. Contact your Access Specialist if you run into issues receiving an equivalent makeup exam. 

  • Falling Behind: If at any point your symptoms worsen to the point that you are falling behind and are unable to meet the terms of your flex plan, contact your instructor and Access Specialist. We can work together to determine the best path forward. 

  • Asynchronous Weekly Participation Assignments: While flex plans do cover deadline extensions for most types of homework, they do not typically apply to asynchronous weekly participation assignments. By that we mean short discussion board posts, 5 minute Carmen quizzes, or other coursework common to online classes which are open for the whole week and require very little time to complete. You are expected to complete these assignments within their standard timeframes. However, if there are extenuating circumstances (e.g. hospitalization), please contact your Access Specialist and instructor so that we can discuss the situation on a case-by-case basis. 

Note: Flex plans are NOT intended to provide...

  • Unlimited flexibility. Almost all classes have a limit to the amount of flexibility possible, based on the course design.
  • Automatic flexibility. Your flex plan should only be applied in the event of a disability-related acute episode or essential medical treatment. You must proactively request a flex plan through AIM and notify your instructor promptly each time you need to use your plan.
  • Flexibility for perfectionism, avoidance coping, executive functioning, or chronic limits on daily productivity (i.e. spoons theory). If these issues are impacting your academics, please contact your Access Specialist to discuss alternative accommodations and available resources.

Other Types of Attendance/Deadline Modifications (ADM)

One-Off Flexibility as Needed 

If your symptoms have been consistently stable, then you can contact your Access Specialist to change your accommodation to "one-off flexibility as needed." This means that no proactive plan with your instructors is needed. In the unlikely event that you do experience an acute episode, please contact your instructor and Access Specialist. We will work with you and the instructor on a case-by-case basis.  

Remain-in-Class Plan 

Inform your Access Specialist as soon as possible if you are experiencing a prolonged acute episode or extended medical treatment. Given the course design, length of time missed and forward progress, you may qualify for a "remain-in-class-plan". This temporary eligibility is not intended for multiple semesters in a row. If eligible, your Access Specialist can provide resources to facilitate a conversation with your instructors around the feasibility of a "remain-in-class plan". This can help you determine if there are options for you to continue to make academic progress in your courses (e.g. asynchronous participation, deadline extensions, taking an incomplete). If no options are feasible in a course, we may encourage you to reach out to your Academic Advisor to explore options, such as withdrawing from the course. 

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Accessible Media

Our Accessible Media Team is responsible for providing course materials in accessible formats (e.g. text conversion, audio description, closed captioning).

Text Conversions

Proactive Requests: It is important to take advantage of the priority class window and to submit text conversion requests as soon as you have scheduled for next semester’s classes. This helps our team to begin converting your materials quickly.  We will not begin converting until we have received a text conversion request from you in AIM.

  1. Identify materials you plan to request in alternative formats by checking book information. 
  2. Send your Course Accessibility Letters requesting the “Accessible Media” accommodation.
  3. Select Accessible Media under the My Accommodations menu on the left side in AIM.
  4. To request accessible version of any required books listed on the screen, select book to submit a conversion request. Note: Your books may not appear if your instructor has not added their textbook information.
  5. If your books or course materials are not listed, scroll to the bottom of the screen. For each book, select the class and fill in at least the following information: Book title, ISBN, and Editor. For any other reading materials, fill in the title and where the text can be found (e.g. Carmen course site). Make sure that the book information is accurate compared to the books listed for your course.
  6. Upload proof of ownership in AIM. See the Student Handbook for details.

Your Course Accessibility Letters will be put in a queue and won’t be emailed to your instructors until the start of the term. If you want to request additional accommodations in your classes, you can do so by logging into AIM, scrolling down to find the class you’d like to modify, and clicking the “Modify Request” link.

How to Access/Download Materials:

  1. You will receive an email from AIM notifying you when each request is ready.
  2. Scroll down to the heading “List Books Currently Being Processed for (Term & Year)” to find the request in the table.
  3. Click on the Download Book button at the far right of the row to be directed to the material’s location in SharePoint.

Captioning

Proactive Requests: It is important to take advantage of the priority class window and to submit captioning requests as soon as you have scheduled for next semester’s classes. This helps our team to begin converting your materials quickly.  We will not begin captioning for a class until we have received a captioning request from you in AIM.

  1. As soon as you have scheduled your classes for next term, generate your Course Accessibility Letters and request the “Captioning” accommodation for all applicable classes.
  2. Monitor your Buckeyemail account for communication regarding your requests.
  3. The Accessible Media team will work with your instructors to caption course materials.

Your Course Accessibility Letters will be put in a queue and won’t be emailed to your instructors until the start of the term. If you want to request additional accommodations in your classes, you can do so by logging into AIM, scrolling down to find the class you’d like to modify, and clicking the “Modify Request” link.

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Deaf/Hard of Hearing Access

Course Interpreting/Transcribing

  1. After you have scheduled classes for the upcoming term, the Lead Interpreter & Transcriber will generate your Course Accessibility Letters on your behalf in AIM. This allows us to proactively coordinate staff assignments.
  2. Check the “Deaf and Hard of Hearing” tab in AIM to see your interpreter/transcriber team for the semester. Their names will display after we have determined staff assignments.

Your Course Accessibility Letters will be put in a queue and won’t be emailed to your instructors until the start of the term. By default, your letters will include requests for Interpreting/Transcribing and Captioning.  If you want to request additional accommodations in your classes, you can do so by logging into AIM, scrolling down to find the class you’d like to modify, and clicking the “Modify Request” link.

Event Interpreting/Transcribing

  1. Click the “Deaf and Hard of Hearing” tab in AIM.
  2. Select “Custom Request”.
  3. Click “Schedule Custom Request” box.
  4. In the drop-down menu, select “Non-Class-Related Request."
  5. Continue to “Specify Custom Request."
  6. Fill in event information and submit the request.

You can review or modify request under the Deaf and Hard of Hearing tab under upcoming requests.

Assistive Listening Devices

(Students who use hearing aids may request the use of an Assistive Listening Device for use in the classroom environment.  Assistive Listening Devices are amplifiers that bring sound directly into the ear.)

  1. Contact your Access Specialist to be authorized for an appointment with the university's Speech-Language-Hearing Clinic.
  2. Call to schedule an appointment with the Speech-Language-Hearing Clinic.
  3. The Clinic will require your most recent audiogram but may conduct additional testing to assess your current needs.
  4. The Clinic will fit you with an Assistive Listening Device and train you in its use.
  5. Sign a contract with the Clinic to check out the Assistive Listening Device equipment for the semester, which you will return to the Clinic at the end of each semester.

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Furniture and Mobility Access

Paratransit

To schedule a ride, call 614-292-6202. Schedule recurring rides in advance, as subscription rides take priority over one-time requests. Remember to cancel rides as needed.

Furniture Requests

  1. Review the classroom layout by virtually touring your classroom
  2. After registering for classes, contact your Access Specialist with your room assignments and specific accommodations needed.
  3. Your Access Specialist will work with campus facilities to arrange for furniture placement. This process may take several days.
  4. Contact your Access Specialist if your furniture request has not been met within three business days, or you encounter a problem with the furniture.

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Participation Access

(Includes alternative method for class participation or presentations; audio descriptions for visual content; breaks during class; food/water medicine in the classroom; lab assistant; spelling error flexibility; and voluntary contributions during class)

  1. Consider: What is the design of this course? Some accommodations may be less applicable to different course designs. (e.g. breaks during class or food/water/medicine in classroom may not be relevant to online course designs)
  2. After sending your Course Accessibility Letters, discuss your request with the instructor.
  3. Contact your Access Specialist if you or your instructor has concerns.

Lab Assistants

  • Contact your Access Specialist to request a lab assistant.
  • Note: Applicability of the lab assistant accommodation may vary depending on the course design. Your Access Specialist will work with you to determine what level of lab assistance is needed.
  • Contact you lab assistant if you are unable to attend class, so that they can plan accordingly.
  • Contact your Access Specialist if you drop the course, no longer in need of a lab assistant, or your lab assistant does not attend lab or does not perform tasks properly.

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Housing/Dining

Housing Accommodations

 Housing Accommodations

  • On campus (Ohio State) housing: If you are requesting a modification to your housing arrangements as an accommodation for a disability, please register with Student Life Disability Services (SLDS) by completing the registration form on the SLDS website.
  • Please include supporting documentation when completing the registration application for SLDS. 
  • Students with disability-related residence accommodation requests are encouraged to work with SLDS. These accommodation requests are assessed on a case-by-case basis and are limited by room and space availability.

The priority deadlines for SLDS-supported accommodations to be factored into the upcoming academic year’s housing assignment are:

  •  last Friday of January (January 31, 2025) for RETURNING students
  • first Monday of April (April 7, 2025) for NEW students

Students may continue to submit requests after the priority deadlines, but accommodations supported after the deadline would be implemented based on available inventory at the time of approval. Please note that SLDS will focus on your disability-related accommodation needs and Housing and Residence Education will consider your preferences secondarily, based on room and space availability.

Dining Accommodations

Visit the NetNutrition website to discover which locations offer food items that best suit your dietary needs. Contact Lesa Holford (holford.8@osu.edu/dining@osu.edu for more information.

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Graduate/Professional Student Accommodations

For accommodations specific to graduate/professional school (such as accommodations for clinical rounds, dissertation/thesis work, or high-stakes testing), please contact your Access Specialist. They will work directly with you and your faculty to determine the best accommodations to meet your needs.

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Request a Letter of Support

(Includes course substitutions, Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) appeals, retroactive withdrawal, and registration confirmation)

  1. Contact your academic advisor to discuss the petition process. For SAP appeals, contact Buckeyelink. 
  2. Now that you are familiar with the petition process, contact your Access Specialist regarding your request. Include your personal statement for their reference and review.

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Request Support for External Standardized Test Accommodations

(Such as the GRE, LSAT, MCAT, DAT, etc.)

Contact your Access Specialist and specify the specific test and requested accommodations. If you have the needed forms, please also include those in your email.

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