Welcome Back

The Student Accessibility Centre welcomes you to the 2020-2021 Academic Year. There will be many differences this year due to our shift to alternate delivery methods but please know that the Centre is still providing regular services: follow-up appointments, Learning Strategy and Assistive Technology appointments, funding application support, and advocacy where needed.

We shared many important updates during our virtual Welcome Back sessions. If you were unable to attend, please review the following information carefully.

Centre Operations

The Centre is working remotely and the physical office is closed; staff are not available on campus.
Regular business hours remain the same: Monday – Friday, 8:15a – 4:30p Atlantic Time.
Direct responses may take up to 48 hours given the high volume of requests.
No responses will be made outside of office hours (after 4:30p and on weekends or holidays).
Appointments are being hosted by phone call or Microsoft Teams.

Accommodaton Letters

Accommodation letters are being updated to reflect a new format.
Students are responsible for sending out their accommodation letters to course instructors for those courses they require accommodation.
Students in the Faculty of Law will have their letters forwarded to the Associate Dean.
Updating letters has been prioritized for those who responded to our accommodation letter survey or reached out directly.
Your updated accommodation letter will be provided to you by Friday, September 18^th.
Instructions and important reminders for sending out your letter will be included.
Do not forward letters from previous years as they are no longer valid.

Testing Accommodation Reminders for Alternate Delivery

To help offset some of the stress of checking in with course instructors regarding testing accommodation, there will be an option for students to request a reminder go to their instructor from the Centre.
- Example: Dear Instructor, Rebecca Ward has extended time accommodation for the SAC 1001 test on Monday, September 14^th at 2:30pm.
Reminders will simply alert the instructor that the student has testing accommodation.
This is optional and not a requirement, students can still reach out to their instructors themselves to remind them.
The course instructor is still responsible for making amendments to test time - the Centre does not have control over this in any way.
Requests must be received 5 business days in advance of the test date.
No confirmation email will be given once the reminder is sent out.
The Centre will be creating a new form for the testing reminder and will send out to students via email.

Testing Accommodation for Face-to-Face Students

Only students with face-to-face courses taking place on campus will have the option to write tests at the Centre.
If this applies to you, you must contact the Test/Exam Coordinator, Pam Underhill, at our office email for any face-to-face tests/exams you may have on campus.
Students must give at least 5 business days in advance otherwise the Centre cannot provide accommodation due to our Operational Plan and the Health & Safety regulations in place.

E-Text Requests

E-text requests can be made by filling in the e-text request form.
You will need to provide receipts or proof of purchase when making your request.
Please note that the Centre does not have a library of e-texts available – we must request each individual text directly from the publisher.
E-text requests may take up to 7 – 10 business days to receive a copy of your e-text.

Note-Taking Support

Many class lectures are being recorded, which greatly supports note-taking needs.
Review your course syllabi and speak to your course instructors to find out if your classes will have recordings as a first step.
If you require further support, please reach out to our Assistive Technologist or Learning Strategist to discuss options and strategies for note-taking.

Assistive Technologist

Kailha Winter-Smith
Provides: intakes to review technologies that may assist your learning, note-taking solutions, review of built-in accessibility features for devices, information on e-reader and dictation software, help with OneNote, and support for ergonomic setups.

Learning Strategist

Janice Gange
Provides: support with procrastination, test-taking strategies, studying prep, balancing your life/work calendar, building a schedule, effective note-taking, how to work through material independently, and to break down large assignments into easy to manage tasks.