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Faculty FAQ

Academic Accommodations (General)

OSA promotes equal access for WVU students by authorizing reasonable and effective accommodations. We do not assess, diagnose, or treat disabilities, nor do we investigate or adjudicate complaints for noncompliance with accessibility law.

A reasonable accommodation is an adjustment designed to provide equal access to courses and educational programs at WVU. Accommodations mitigate the impact of a student’s Disability without compromising the academic integrity of the course.

Accommodation Specialists are responsible for determining which accommodations are appropriate, based on review of medical documentation, the functional limitations identified by each medical provider, and disability law. They ensure that all documentation meets the standards required for authorization of accommodations at WVU.

If you have received a notification of accommodation email from OSA, then the student has presented medical documentation that verifies their status as a person with a Disability, legally eligible for accommodation at WVU.

Under the law, faculty are not considered need-to-know personnel and are not entitled to have information about a student’s Disability. Students may offer information about their Disability, but as a faculty member it would be illegal for you to request or require that a student disclose their Disability. If a student discloses their Disability, you are required to maintain confidentiality.

Because all disabilities present themselves uniquely, based on the individual, knowing a student’s diagnosis would not be helpful in accommodating them. Knowing what their accommodations are is, however, an important part of the interactive process for receiving accommodations.

Determining accommodations does not fall under the scope of practice for faculty, and if faculty were to take on that role, it would place both the institution and the faculty member at considerable liability. By law, students have a right to choose whether/when they wish to make use of the accommodations that they are authorized to receive. Sometimes, students may feel that they do not need to make use of their accommodations, and that is their choice. It does not mean that they have been incorrectly diagnosed or authorized to receive an accommodation for which they should not be eligible. It simply means that, in this instance, they have elected not to make use of the accommodation for some reason. For instance, a student who is hard of hearing may, may make use of their transcribing accommodations in one class but find that they are unnecessary in a different class, based on which approach is most effective in a given classroom environment. If a student with extended time on an exam finishes early and does not make use of their extended time, it just means that they finished the exam early as any other student might.

Accessibility is a shared responsibility between the student, OSA, and faculty. Under the ADA, the “interactive process” is the method used to determine if a student has a Disability that qualifies them to receive reasonable academic accommodations. If so, the process also works to determine how those academic accommodations will be implemented in the classroom.

Student Accommodations' Responsibilities

  • Maintaining the policies, procedures, and standards for the authorization of accommodations at West Virginia University  

  • Managing student accommodation registrations for the Downtown, Evansdale, Health Sciences, Potomac State, and Beckley campuses   

  • Communicating rights and responsibilities to students registered with OSA   

  • Meeting with students and authorizing appropriate accommodations based on documentation   

  • Communicating a student’s eligibility for accommodations to faculty   

  • Maintaining confidential records that verify disability status and accommodation eligibility   

  • Collaborating with students, faculty, and staff to provide guidance during the implementation of accommodations 

Student Responsibilities

  • Providing OSA with a Licensed Professional Questionnaire (LPQ) and supporting documentation that meets WVU’s Documentation Standards and substantiates the authorization of accommodations at WVU  

  • Renewing your accommodation requests in the OSA online system at the start of each semester   

  • As necessary, reaching out to your instructors to discuss the specific implementation of accommodations  

    • This can happen in person or electronically (phone, Zoom, or email)  
    • We encourage you to document these discussions in writing, in case there is some question of what was discussed   
    • In courses taught by multiple instructors, you should speak with the course coordinator about the implementation of your accommodations   

  • Informing faculty and OSA staff if you wish to discontinue the use of your authorized accommodations   

  • Immediately notifying OSA of any barriers encountered while using or attempting to use your authorized accommodations    

    • Ideally, concerns should be shared within 24 hours of the incident or issue  

  • Maintaining academic standards and abiding by the WVU Campus Student Code 

Faculty Responsibilities

  • Digitally signing the accommodation letter upon receipt, and implementing accommodations as written. This should happen within 7 business days of the following:   

    • The first day of the semester (if you received the accommodation email prior to the start of the semester)   

    • Your receipt of the accommodation authorization email (if you received it after the semester has started) 

  • Students may need to meet with you to discuss how accommodations will be specifically implemented in your class  

    • This can happen in person or electronically (phone, Zoom, or email)  

    • We encourage you to document these discussions in writing, in case there is some question of what was discussed   

    • Students are responsible for scheduling these meetings, as necessary, though you are welcome to reach out to finalize any logistics associated with implementation  

  • Confirming that OSA has officially authorized requested accommodations when uncertain   
  • Confirming that accommodations do not compromise the technical standards of the course and the course learning objectives   

    • Please contact OSA if you have questions or concerns, especially if accommodation requests seem unusual or complex  

    • Do not decline to provide an accommodation without contacting OSA  

  • Notifying OSA if students fail to show up for a testing accommodation that has been scheduled at an alternate time   
  • Maintaining student privacy and confidentiality

Each class is unique. In many circumstances, faculty will be able to simply implement accommodations using the guidance provided, without having to meet with the student or with minimal interaction. 

In other cases, it may be necessary for students and faculty to have a discussion to work out logistics or to determine the best way to implement accommodations in a specific context. Faculty should make themselves available to students who wish to discuss how their accommodations will be implemented in the classroom. These discussions can occur via email, Zoom, phone, or in person.   

Among these options, OSA recommends email, when possible, as this offers the benefit of privacy/confidentiality, and creates a written record of the discussion, should questions arise later. If faculty and student meet face to face, via phone, or via Zoom, then faculty are encouraged to take notes and follow up via email afterward to create a written record of what was agreed upon.  

You may also discuss with your department or program leadership how accommodations are typically implemented in your department.

If you still aren’t sure how best to accommodate the student, please reach out to the Accommodation Specialist listed on the notification of accommodations email. We are happy to answer questions and assist you.

When you receive the official Notification of Authorized Accommodations letter, we include a supplementary document that provide additional guidance and recommendations, including common methods for implementing each accommodations. 

Beyond that, being proactive and adopting principles of Universal Design while creating your course can help to ensure that it is accessible. For more information on how to do this, please see our Faculty Resources page. Please reach out to OSA if you have questions.

In some cases, accommodations may not apply to some courses. For instance, if a student is authorized to use a scribe or test reader on an exam but there are no exams in the course, then that accommodation would not apply. Please reach out to OSA if you have questions about the applicability of accommodations to your course.

If you believe the accommodation impedes a technical standard of your program, you should contact OSA to discuss your concern immediately. Through the interactive process, the accommodations and course standards will be discussed to determine if the accommodation is inappropriate in the specific class. Alternative accommodations can also be discussed at this time.

A student’s Disability-related information must be kept confidential by law. Faculty members should refrain from mentioning or discussing a student’s accommodations or services during class or in front of other students or colleagues. Consultation with your department leadership for the purpose of implementing an accommodation is allowed. Please contact OSA if there are any questions, issues, or concerns regarding an accommodation.

That information is confidential. If students inquire about another student’s accommodation, you may state that the information is confidential.

Students with Disabilities have a right to be accommodated, to have an equal opportunity to succeed on an even playing field. College courses are challenging, and students are evaluated based on their academic performance. As is the case with all students, not every student receiving accommodations earns a passing grade. Faculty should point students to academic resources that might help them (and others) succeed in class, and/or refer them to their academic advisors.

No. You are under no obligation to waive your attendance policy. However, you are strongly encouraged to consider whether regular attendance is essential to your course. Students may miss class due to a variety of medical and health-related issues. There are two broad categories for such absences, including those resulting from emergent or acute medical concerns and illnesses, and those related to a disability(ies).

An acute medical illness or injury is not the same thing as a disability. When a student must be absent from class due to a medical illness or injury, they should contact their instructors directly. In the event of an emergency, the Office of Campus and Community Life can assist students in notifying instructors.

Regarding disability-related absences, an instructor’s choice to excuse students from class is considered an “academic decision.” This means instructors may excuse students at their own discretion. OSA does not issue excuses for absences to any students, regardless of disability.

Students may request their accommodations at any point in the semester, but accommodations cannot be applied retroactively to past assignments.

All students are held to the behavioral expectations set forth by WVU. Conduct issues should be directed to Student Conduct.

At WVU, roughly 10-12% of students use an accommodation. Nationally, the percentage of individuals with Disabilities is about 15%. Increases in the number of students requesting accommodation may happen for a variety of reasons. As students with Disabilities become more aware of their civil rights, they are more likely to seek accommodation. Likewise, as WVU students with Disabilities become more aware of the Office of Student Accommodations’ mission, they are more likely to utilize OSA as a resource. This is evidence that the system is working to ensure equal access.

Accommodations are provided in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) based on supporting medical documentation. A variety of disabilities can be accommodated through use of the same accommodation. While it may seem that the accommodations are similar, the functional limitations experienced by each student with a Disability can be mitigated in multiple ways through the approved accommodations.

Unlike high school, where teachers routinely refer students to special education services, in college students are responsible for self-advocacy. If a student expresses concerns to you or offers up information that leads you to believe that they might benefit from accommodations at WVU, you may provide them with information about OSA. For instance, you might ask, “Did you know that WVU has a student accommodations office?” or say, “That is a concern that the folks in the Office of Student Accommodations might be able to assist you with.” This type of discussion should happen in private. For more information, see our Faculty Resources page.

Universal Design looks at what people need to participate fully in their classroom or community, and it argues that all materials should be made accessible, proactively, so that they can be used to the greatest extent possible by all people, regardless of their Disability status or other factors.

Consider the following scenario: A student uses screen-reading technology to study the textbooks in her classes. However, when she is assigned a number of PDF scans from journal articles, she finds that the screen reader is unable to read the content in the right order. That is because the PDF was not designed with her in mind. Accommodations help to right-size the impact of that poor design choice by retroactively making that PDF accessible. However, Universal Design would point out that it is more efficient, more effective, less costly, and better for all users, if that PDF were designed with accessibility in mind in the first place.

Accommodation Emails

University BOG Governance Rule 1.6 requires faculty to implement all approved accommodations, except in cases where doing so would violate a Technical Standard of the course. Please contact OSA if you have questions about the appropriateness of an accommodation in your course.

No. Correspondence from OSA may only be sent to your official WVU MIX email because that is the one email address that all faculty receive, regardless of their appointment. However, you may contact ITS to have your MIX email automatically forwarded to your @mail or @hsc address, if you prefer to receive email there.

In many cases, a discussion is not necessary prior to implementation, and the accommodation letter serves more as a notification. Faculty will be able to simply implement accommodations using the guidance provided in our accommodation descriptions without having to meet with the student or with minimal interaction.  For instance, a student who receives preferential seating may simply ask to reserve a particular seat. Requiring a student to meet and discuss this beforehand would only lead to unnecessary delays in implementation. (Additional examples are identified in the accommodation guidance document.)

Other accommodations may require a more detailed discussion prior to implementation. As part of the interactive process, students are expected to initiate these discussions with instructors when warranted, and faculty are expected to be responsive to student outreach to avoid delays in implementation. You are also welcome to contact the student if you do not wish to wait. 

These discussions can happen via email, Zoom, phone, or in person. We encourage faculty and students to document the details of these discussions in a follow-up email. This is vitally important should disagreements arise later about what was agreed upon regarding implementation.  

We understand that you may not be able to implement some accommodations until the student has reached out. Otherwise, as a reminder, instructors have 7 days to implement accommodations.

Instructors should sign the letter upon receipt. 

By signing the letter, you attest that you have received the student's authorized accommodations, have read the accommodation letter, and are are aware of your responsibilities as the instructor of the course (outlined in the electronic accommodation letter). Faculty do not have to have a discussion with students prior to signing the letter. Your signature is merely an acknowledgement of receipt and intent. 

Course coordinators are also required to sign the letter.

Let the student know that they should speak with their Accommodation Specialist. If a requested accommodation is not listed on their official accommodation authorization email, it should not be provided.

No. Instructors may not create or enter into personal contracts with students regarding accommodations. If you have concerns about a student misusing accommodations in your class, please reach out to OSA.

While we appreciate your desire to accommodate students, faculty should not create their own unofficial accommodations. Please reach out to OSA if you have questions.

All of the accommodation authorization letters for your classes are available to view at any time on SAMM. You can access these letters by using the link in the email that was sent to your MIX account or by logging in directly through the link in the navigation bar of the Office of Student Accommodations website.

Assistive Technology / Notetaking

Yes. If a student has been authorized to use technology as an accommodation, that legally supersedes non-technology policies. However, a student is only allowed to use their technology in an approved manner and for the purposes authorized. For instance, a student who uses notetaking technology can be asked to put that technology away during administration of a test or quiz (as that is not a notetaking opportunity).

The student should be provided copies of lecture notes that will be presented (either orally or visually) in class and that will be used to evaluate the student's knowledge. Notes should be shared with the student in advance of the lecture, when possible. This includes PowerPoints, slide decks, or notes that would be presented in class but not normally distributed (e.g., if a skeleton outline is provided to the class but the instructor uses a more fully rendered version of these notes for their presentation, a copy of this complete set of notes should be provided).

If you do not use notes for your lectures, then you are not required to create notes for the purposes of accommodating the student.

This accommodation would not include notes that serve only as a reminder of an instructor's oral presentation or that would not be evaluated for a grade.

If you use PowerPoint slides for your lectures, you are required to provide them to the student as part of the student’s legally authorized accommodation. You may remind the student that they are obligated not to reproduce or share the PowerPoint slides, per our policies.

Closed Captioning

This is normal. Because translating/formatting Braille documents and Closed Captioning course media can both be time-consuming processes, we often reach out in advance of the semester to begin collecting materials in courses where we know a student will be making a request. Under the circumstances, it is reasonable to communicate with OSA directly and to begin making provisions for services in the upcoming semester, even though you have not yet received an official notification of accommodations email yet. That email will be sent closer to the start of the semester. These accommodations typically do not require further discussion with the student.

Automated and machine captioning offered through YouTube and other platforms does not meet the standards necessary for accommodation in higher education. Occasionally, a creator will upload professional captions to their YouTube content, and our staff always checks for this before recaptioning any content, but in most cases, videos will require captioning through our office. For information on how to check the viability of existing captions, please see our Faculty Resources page.

Media captioned by OSA is done in full compliance with the United States Copyright Office exemption to Section 1201 Rulemaking of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA).

No! You are welcome to do so, if you want, of course, but closed captioning is a rigorous and time-consuming process. OSA is happy to create captions for you. WVU adheres to the West Virginia University Closed Captioning Quality Guidelines when creating captioned content, and this can be a useful resource for faculty wishing to create their own captions. That said, we encourage you to take advantage of the captioning services offered by OSA if you have never done it before. To request Closed Captioning of media, please contact Kelly Barnard.

The earlier the better. We often request that instructors provide us with links to videos a month ahead of their intended show date, though we recognize this is not always possible, especially at the start of the semester. That said, the earlier you can provide us with the content, the quicker we can get you the captions.

This does occasionally happen. Please send them along anyway. We will do our best to turn these requests around quickly, but we strongly encourage you not to tie any last-minute videos to assignments and grading outcomes.

Absolutely! To request Closed Captioning of media, please contact Kelly Barnard. These services are currently offered free of charge.

For more information regarding custom requests, please see our captioning request page.

Turnaround times depend on the length and topic of the video and its positioning in our captioning queue. Longer videos and those that contain sophisticated topics and terminology take much longer than shorter, more general ones. While a four to six week lead time is preferred, we know this isn’t always possible. We can typically turnaround a short video (10 minutes or less) within two days and an hour long video within a week. We prioritize videos on a first come, first serve basis; however, we do take into account other factors, such as length of project, availability of captioners, and due date, when strategically assigning video content. As a general rule, the earlier the request, the better. 

We can provide captions for most video formats, including MP4, FLV, AVI, MOV, MPEG, WebM, and WMV. We are able to easily work with videos recorded using tools such as Zoom and Mediasite. 

Please note that videos recorded using VoiceThread are not currently well suited to captioning requests through OSA.

Both YouTube and Mediasite can be used during the professional captioning process and serve as viable video hosting platforms. 

Captions cannot be created for audio-only files, as there is no visual content onto which we can attach the subtitle lines. That's okay--audio-only files do not require captions to be successful. A written transcript would be the appropriate accommodation in this case, and OSA can assist you with creating one. For more information, please contact Kelly Barnard.

Live Captioning and Sign Language Interpreting

OSA has one of the oldest and most respected auxiliary aids programs in public higher education.

WVU’s Captioners are trained by TypeWell, and they adhere to the Association of Transcribers and Speech-to-text Providers (ATSP) Code of Professional Conduct.

WVU’s Sign Language Interpreters adhere to the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID) Code of Professional Conduct.

Captioners and Interpreters are not subject-matter experts. They are experts on communication access. While they do call upon years of experience and hundreds of University class hours to speed up the delivery of services, the skills required to interpret a class or to create a quick, accurate, clear, and complete transcript are not analogous to the skills required to teach the class. If a captioner or interpreter has a question about a concept, they will reach out to the instructor.

These microphones are sensitive, and they are designed to pick up the voice of the person wearing them. If you sit them on the table or podium, rather than wearing them, they will not operate as intended. Please clip or magnet the microphone to your lapel or collar.

If you wish to have a private conversation with someone else, please unclip the microphone and move it a few feet away. When you resume lecturing, please reclip it to your collar.

The student will retrieve the microphone from you after each class session.

Transcripts paid for and created by OSA for the purpose of student accommodation remain protected property of OSA. OSA only releases class transcripts to students who are registered with our office and authorized to receive them as an academic accommodation. They may not be reproduced, copied, shared, or sold. Transcripts are not available for distribution to other campus stakeholders, except when requested as part of an internal investigation conducted by WVU or when a transcript is subpoenaed as evidence in a legal case.

Students who have questions about the content of their transcripts may bring transcripts to their instructors for clarification, but instructors cannot request or require that students provide them with copies of their transcripts.

If you wish to commission a live transcript of a class or event for personal or professional use, please contact Jason Kapcala.

No. A faculty member may not legally prevent a captioner or sign language interpreter from entering the classroom to provide services for a student. OSA captioners and interpreters are bound by a strict code of ethics that includes confidentiality over classroom content. There are only a few instances where a captioner/interpreter is permitted to break confidentiality, as follows:

  • If during the provision of services, a captioner or interpreter overhears or is signed information pertaining to abuse of minors, threats of suicide, or criminal endangerment of others, they are mandatorily required to report this information to their supervisor.
  • If a classroom situation seems like an emergency or is imminently dangerous, they will contact WVU Police.
  • If they are required to testify as part of an internal investigation conducted by WVU or subpoenaed as a witness in a legal case.

Captioners and Interpreters are granted auditor status by ITS in courses for which they have been assigned to provide services. This grants them access to course readings, study materials, and PowerPoints, which they use to prepare for each assignment, including familiarizing themselves with the spelling of proper names and technical terminology. They do not have access to any part of eCampus that a student would not have access to.

When requested as part of a registered student’s accommodations, OSA provides captioners or interpreters free of charge.

There are, however, times when event hosts wish to provide services on behalf of members of the public. In those instances, the individual units are responsible for arranging and paying for those services. For more information on which accommodations you need to provide to ensure that your event is accessible, please contact the ADA Coordinator in the Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

Students are obviously the best resources when it comes to their preferred method of communication; however, there are a few best practices available on our Faculty Resources page that may be useful when communicating with a student when there is an interpreter or captioner present.

Testing Accommodations

Faculty must implement accommodations within 7 days of notification; however, some accommodations require additional discussion prior to implementation. If the student's testing accommodations would require faculty and student to work out certain logistics (such as an alternative time or location for the exam), then faculty would not be able to implement the accommodation until that conversation has happened. In that case, faculty would have 7 days from the time of this discussion to accommodate the student. If you are unable to accommodate a student whose request comes less than a week before an exam, then you are not expected to accommodate them. However, there may be times when the OSA Testing Center has availability to proctor an exam on short notice, and faculty should still reach out to see if this might be a viable option.

Changing the duration of tests and exams is an academic decision left to the instructor. However, please be advised, it does not change the nature of the accommodation. If you provide more time to the entire class, then you must still provide the extended time as outlined in the Notification of Authorized Accommodations.

For instance, let’s imagine that you have a student who receives 50% extra time on exams. Your exam is scheduled for 30 minutes, which means that the student should receive 45 minutes to complete it. You decide to change your original plans and give the entire class an hour to complete the exam, instead. In this scenario, you must then provide the student with an hour and a half to complete the exam, based on the percentage listed in the notification of authorized accommodations email. Raising the overall exam time does not eliminate the need to implement the accommodation.

No. Extended time accommodations only apply to the timed test administration period. Extended time accommodations do not apply to calendar deadlines for exams administered outside of class, as described in the scenario above. Extended time accommodations also do not apply to open exams that exceed 24 hours in length, nor do they apply to homework or other projects or assignments.

However, if students are forced to complete an out-of-class exam within a certain period once they start it (such as an hour timer that starts once the student begins the exam on eCampus), you would have to apply the extended time to that timed administration period.

Extensions are considered academic decisions, not accommodations, and are therefore left to the discretion of the instructor.

Please note, this is not meant to suggest that the request for an extension itself lacks foundation or merit, or that it would be inappropriate for you to authorize an extension if you feel inclined to do so.

We recommend that you contact the OSA Testing Center at 304.293.8193 to request that the student take their exam at the center or to request assistance in identifying a proctor. You may also utilize study rooms in the library, if available.

If you are unable to find a test reader or scribe for a student within your unit, please contact the OSA Testing Center at 304.293.8193. We may be able to help you secure one.

It depends on the course and what you are evaluating. For instance, students are being tested specifically on their ability to add, subtract, multiply, or divide, as reasonably stated in the course objectives, then use of that four-function calculator would not be appropriate, as that would be providing them with the answers. If the student is being tested on something else, then use of this tool would be allowable. If you have questions about the appropriateness of an accommodation in your class, please reach out to OSA.

It depends on the course and what you are evaluating. For instance, students are being tested specifically on their ability memorize the equations, as reasonably stated in the course objectives, then use of an equations sheet would not be appropriate, as that would be providing them with the answers. If the student is being tested on something else, then use of this tool would be allowable. If you have questions about the appropriateness of an accommodation in your class, please reach out to OSA.

Each class is unique, a discussion with the student may be necessary to determine the best way to implement reduced-distraction testing accommodations in a specific class. 

You may discuss with your program leadership how testing accommodations are typically arranged through your department, or if you need assistance in implementing testing accommodations, we highly recommend contacting the OSA Testing Center at 304.293.8193.

No. Students who have requested accommodations in a timely manner and have made use of their accommodations for the test are held to the same academic standards as all students. The student may always be referred to their Accommodation Specialist to discuss the need for additional accommodations in the future, but a test does not have to be retaken.

If the student did not request accommodation prior to an earlier exam (at least one week in advance), then that exam grade would stand. However, the accommodations would apply to all future exams once requested and discussed with faculty. Accommodations cannot be applied retroactively.