January 28, 2021
Letters of accommodation from the Student Access Center
Submitted by Jason Maseberg-Tomlinson
Student Access Center is sending out letters of accommodation for the spring 2021 semester. This is a reminder for those who may not have received letters from our office last semester. We have moved to a new system. One of the biggest changes for faculty is that letters are emailed directly to faculty. Letters of accommodation are sent to faculty and instructors via email, using the names associated with the course in KSIS. The email will appear as coming from:
"KState — Student Access Center <noreply@bear.accessiblelearning.com> on behalf of…" with the name of the student's access advisor.
With the subject line starting with "[SAC]," the course abbreviation, title, number, followed by "Notification of Letter of Accommodation Spring 2021"
This not only shows you that the letter is coming from our office, but it also states which access advisor is working with the student. The subject of the email will contain course information, so it is easy to connect emails to the course. Within the letter, links will be embedded to direct faculty members to information for the SAC Testing Center, if a student has testing accommodations. Faculty can also sign into the Faculty AIM Portal to see which students have requested accommodations for their class.
Faculty who use the SAC Testing Center for accommodations on in-person exams will use the AIM system to input exam information for students with testing accommodations. Students will schedule their exams with our office through the system as well. To assist us with exam organization and social distancing, exams can be uploaded to the site.
With many exams online during COVID-19, we often get questions about extra time accommodations. Remember, students with accommodations receive the extra time on top of what students without accommodations receive. Extended time is based on what the class receives. If the exam should take one hour, but you have added 15 extra minutes for everyone in the class, then the extended time is based on 75 minutes and not the original 60 minutes.
Remember, when using Examity or other proctoring services, please make sure that the proctor service has a list of the student's accommodations.
If you work with students who need academic accommodations, please refer them to the Student Access Center website. Students can register with the office by choosing "Register with the Student Access Center" link on the right side of the page. Returning students can sign into the "Student AIM Portal." Students will be able to sign in and select the preapproved accommodations needed for each course. Once SAC staff have reviewed their request, a letter of accommodation will be sent to faculty.
We have information on the Student Access Center website for students and faculty. In-person meetings will be limited in our office this semester; please email or call our office if you would like to visit with a staff member. Thank you all for your assistance in accommodating students with disabilities.