Common Accommodations

Instructors must provide the slides and lecture notes on an agreed amount of time ahead of each class. The slides and lecture notes can be provided to the student either on Brightspace, through emails, or by passing the student physical copies.

*Note: If the instructor cannot provide the slides and lecture notes due to copyright issues, please reach out to Assistive Technology Coordinator or the Office of Accessibility Services for further details on alternative ways to fulfill this accommodation.

When recording is approved as an accommodation, the student:

• May record only for personal use in study and preparation related to class
• May not share recordings with other students
• Recordings are protected under federal copyright law and cannot be published or quoted without express lecturer consent
• Must destroy recordings when no longer needed
• Must record only the instructor's voice, not other students (especially during discussions)
• Must follow all rules outlined in the Recording Device Agreement Form

IMPORTANT: John Jay College prohibits recording of class meetings and lectures except when recording is an approved disability accommodation. Faculty should only allow recording when the student presents an official OAS accommodation letter listing audio recording as an accommodation AND has completed the college's Recording Acknowledgement Form.

For every lecture that is being recorded, Faculty must make the following announcement to the class:

"This lecture will be recorded and its use is governed by the John Jay College Student Code of Conduct. Neither the recording nor the transcription shall be released or shared with any other student. In the event that students might share information of a personal or sensitive nature during the class discussion and/or a student prefers to not be recorded, please notify the instructor and the recording will be stopped when you speak. Students who do not wish for their voice to be recorded may also use an alternative means of participating and ask questions. Students who wish to remain anonymous in a recorded lecture will not be penalized for this choice."

NOTE: The above applies to any assistive technology accommodation that allows the student to record lectures.

All classroom materials which all students are required to access must be available in an accessible format. Course materials may include, but are not limited to, documents, books, videos, and recordings.

Note: For course textbooks, please make sure the textbook's title, author, and ISBN number are on the syllabus. The student will reach out to the Office of Accessibility Services or the Assistive Technology Coordinator with this information to receive a alternative format of the textbook.

Assistive Technology includes software, apps, and devices that help students with disabilities succeed academically. Common AT includes text-to-speech software, speech-to-text software, note-taking apps, spell checking, reading tools, and digital accessibility tools. These Assistive Technology helps the student both in class and during exams.

Computer use for exam responses avoids physical fatigue, produces legible responses, and supports students with motor control issues. OAS provides a computer without internet access; students may use pre-approved personal computers.

Usually approved in increments of 1.5x or 2x the allotted time (e.g., a 75-minute exam becomes 113 or 150 minutes). 

For online exams in Brightspace: 

Access course "Classlist" → click arrow beside student's name → "Edit Accommodations" → set multiplier.

The student will take exams in a less distracting environment, typically organized in conjunction with the Office of Accessibility Services.

Calculator must be pre-approved by the instructor. Spell/grammar check is appropriate when the student has a documented disability affecting spelling/grammar.

Text-to-speech software or an OAS-employed reader reads exam questions aloud. OAS staff arranges reader accommodations.

An OAS staff will scribe for the student, writing or typing the student's responses for an exam. When typing the exam, the OAS staff will be the one typing on Microsoft Word without accessing the internet.

Students with this accommodation are able to enroll, for the next semester, in classes earlier than other students.