Making Course Material Accessible

Steps for Facilitating Access in Your Course

• Step 1: Promptly Respond to accommodation requests
  Registered students will contact you to request accommodations by personally generating a Letter to Professors (LTP). Students are trained on the accommodation process and should provide letters or forms to you. In addition to discussing the requests, you may also be:
  • filling out electronic forms (e.g. audio recording agreement, consideration for absences agreement)
  • corresponding with our staff as needed (e.g. sending exams; discussing a student situation)
• Step 2: Respect to the student’s right to confidentiality
  Students are not required to disclose medical details, such as their diagnoses, to instructors. DSS keeps all students’ medical information and documentation confidential. The student’s registration status should only be shared with others on a need-to-know basis. We recommend discussing accommodations with students in a private, one-on-one setting such as during office hours or by appointment.
• Step 3: Consult with DSS when you have questions/concerns about a request
  Each registered student is assigned an Accessibility Associate who is available to you for answering questions, brainstorming solutions, and determining whether or not a particular accommodation is compatible with a course's learning outcomes.
• Step 4: Provide Accessible Course Materials
  Whenever possible, choose course materials that are accessible from the get-go (e.g. searchable PDFs, captioned videos).
  
  If a student requests material conversions in your course (e.g. digital textbooks, screen-reader accessible documents, captioned videos), our Assistive Technology team will reach out to you if coordination is needed. When materials are not inherently accessible, provide the materials to us with enough notice for conversion to an accessible format.

Resources

• For workplace accommodations: Equal Employment Opportunity and Access
• For training: GW's Accessibility Committee
• For instructional support: Gelman's Instructional Design Team
  • Accessible Blackboard
  • Accessible Documents
  • Accessible Presentations
• For event planning: Accessible Events
• For facility support: Facilities Planning Construction and Management
  • Accessible Campus Maps
  • Transportation and Parking
• For reporting a barrier: Accessibility Feedback Form