Instructor Resources and Frequently Asked Questions

Instructors should talk individually with students who have provided a Letter of Accommodation regarding the implementation of the accommodation(s) in their course. If the instructor does not feel the accommodation being requested is reasonable, or is concerned that the accommodation may result in a fundamental alteration of the course curriculum, they are advised to contact the Office of Accessibility (OA) to discuss alternative means of access.

If the answer to your question isn’t listed here, please contact the Office of Accessibility by emailing academicaccess@unca.edu or calling 828.251.6292.

On This Page:

General Accessibility FAQ Testing FAQ Syllabi Resources
Accessible Content Resources Course Accessibility Checker Accessible Documents

General Accessibility FAQ

If a student reports difficulty accessing the classroom or curriculum, a faculty member should refer the student to the Office of Accessibility.

A student may choose whether or not to contact the Office of Accessibility for further discussion of the reported difficulties.

Students may reach the Office of Accessibility by emailing academicaccess@unca.edu or calling 828-251-6292.

No. While faculty members will receive a Letter of Accommodation detailing information about the accommodations that the student will use, you should not ask about a student’s disability or seek information that may be considered personal. While a student may choose to disclose information about their disability to you, they are not required to so in order to receive academic accommodations. 

Any information shared with the Office of Accessibility is protected by FERPA guidelines. We may not disclose information about a student’s disability to faculty members. We find that most questions about disability tend to be best addressed by careful discussion of what barriers exist in the curriculum, and how we may best work to provide strategies and accommodations based in accessing the curriculum. 

If a student states that they have accommodations, but you have not received a Letter of Accommodation, please check your faculty portal. If a student connected with the Office of Accessibility has requested the use of accommodations for your course, those accommodations will be listed in a Letter of Accommodation. The Letter of Accommodation will be located in your faculty portal. If your student is not listed in the faculty portal as having accommodations, encourage the student to contact the Office of Accessibility to ensure their Letters of Accommodation have been sent out.

From the time the student sends the Letter of Accommodation, it may take 24-48 hours for the instructor to receive an electronic version of the letter through the faculty portal. 

Faculty members are not legally mandated to provide accommodations to students who have not been determined eligible for reasonable accommodations through the Office of Accessibility. Faculty members are strongly encouraged to refer students asking for academic accommodations to the Office of Accessibility instead of granting the accommodation on their own.

Letters of Accommodation are emailed to faculty members within 24-48 hours of the student sending the Letter of Accommodation.

You may access all Letters of Accommodation for students in your courses by logging into the instructor portal.

Yes. It is the responsibility of the student to request a meeting with each faculty member to go over the implementation of accommodations. If you’ve received the Letter of Accommodation from a student, you may prefer to reach out to the student to discuss the accommodation request; it is not required that you wait for the student to initiate a meeting once they’ve sent their LOA to you.

When you meet with the student about their Letter of Accommodation, go over your expectations for course notes. How often will notes be taken? Will notes be a primary source of information for the student after the class has ended? Are students expected to take notes?

If the student determines, from your conversation, that a note taker would be beneficial in the course, please make an announcement to your students that there is a need for a note taker. If you teach more than one section of a course, and the material from each section is the same, you may recruit a note taker from any section of the course. Please do not reveal the identity of the student who has requested a note taker.

Faculty members may use the Note Taker Recruitment Statement as a guide for their course announcement.

If a student note taker cannot be located, the Office of Accessibility should be informed. Alternate means of access will be considered to ensure that the student receives effective and meaningful access. (Examples: the use of Zoom transcription, access to instructor notes, etc.)

A student and their faculty member should meet to discuss essential course requirements,  attendance expectations, and anticipated absences. If requested, an Office of Accessibility staff member will attend the meeting between the faculty member and the student to help facilitate access.

Please view the Reasonable Attendance Adjustment Plan (RAAP) page for more detailed information about how to best implement this accommodation.

The RAAP form must be completed, signed by both student and instructor and shared with the Office of Accessibility before the accommodation can go into effect. 

Testing Accommodations FAQ

When you meet with the student about the implementation of their accommodations, consider the approved testing accommodations and how testing will be handled. Will you, as the instructor, be able to proctor the exam in the classroom or other space? Does your schedule allow you to proctor an exam before class time begins or after it ends? If you can proctor the exam, you will make the arrangements with the student as to when and where testing will take place. It is the responsibility of the student to inform you of the need for testing accommodations as part of the discussion between faculty and student.

If you are unable to proctor the exam, please inform the student that they will need to make arrangements with the Office of Accessibility 3-5 business days prior to the date of the exam.

A Testing Agreement is a form filled out by faculty members who need proctoring assistance from the Office of Accessibility. If a student will need to take an exam with the OA, please do the following.

1. Navigate to the Bulldog Access faculty portal, sign in using your UNCA username and password.

2. Once on the main menu, select “Continue to view accommodations.”

3. Choose “Alternative Testing,” which is located on a gray bar on the left side of the screen.

4. Select the course for which the testing agreement is being filled out from the dropdown menu. Select “Continue to specify testing agreement.”

5.  Answer the questions listed on the form. Be sure to hit submit when the form is completed.

If you need assistance with this process, please contact the Office of Accessibility by emailing academicaccess@unca.edu or by calling 828-251-6292.

If you are able to proctor the exam without assistance from the Office of Accessibility, you do not need to fill out a Testing Agreement. However, even if you are proctoring your own exams, you will need to inform the Office of Accessibility that you are able to proctor the exams. To notify the Office of Accessibility, please complete the following steps.

  1. Log into the Bulldog Access faculty portal using your UNCA username and password.
  2. Select “continue to view accommodations.”
  3. Choose “Alternative Testing,” which is located on the left side of the screen in a gray bar.
  4.  Scroll down to the “I will Proctor my Own Exam” section of the screen.  From the dropdown menu, please select the course for which you are serving as proctor.
  5.  Select “I will proctor my own exam” from the second dropdown menu. Please be sure to confirm your selection before exiting.

If you need assistance with this process, please contact the Office of Accessibility by emailing academicaccess@unca.edu or by calling 828-251-6292.

If your course does not have quizzes, exams, or a final exam, please inform the Office of Accessibility.

You should inform the Office of Accessibility completing the following steps:

  1. Log into the Bulldog Access faculty portal using your UNCA username and password.
  2. Select “Continue to view accommodations.”
  3. Choose “Alternative Testing,” which is located on the left side of the screen in a gray bar.
  4.  Scroll down to the “I will Proctor my Own Exam” section of the screen.  From the dropdown menu, please select the course for which you are serving as proctor.
  5.  Select “My course has no exams” from the second dropdown menu. Please be sure to confirm your selection before exiting.

If you need assistance with this process, please contact the Office of Accessibility by emailing academicaccess@unca.edu or by calling 828.251.6292.

While a student may send out their Letter of Accommodation at any point in the semester, notification of the need for accommodations should be reasonable.

Students with accommodations are expected to communicate with their faculty members about the implementation of accommodations after sending their Letters of Accommodation. If a student receives testing accommodations and the instructor is serving as proctor, the student should give 3-5 business days notice prior to the date of the exam. However, if the instructor is able to accommodate the student with less notice, they may do so.

The Office of Accessibility may also offer proctoring assistance, if notified within 3-5 business days prior to the date of the exam. If the student is unable to to give advance notice and needs to take the exam with the Office of Accessibility, OA staff will work with the student and faculty member to determine next steps.

If a student has scheduled an exam with the Office of Accessibility,  our Testing Coordinator will reach out to you to confirm the date and time of the exam.

If you have not done so, you will need to fill out a Testing Agreement (see FAQ #2).

The exam, and any other approved testing materials, should be sent to the Office of Accessibility  24 hours prior to the start date/time of the exam.

Exams may be uploaded via the Bulldog Access faculty portal, emailed to academicaccess@unca.edu, or dropped off at the Office of Accessibility.

Faculty members may:

  1. Email the test directly to academicaccess@unca.edu
  2. Upload the test via the Bulldog Access faculty portal
  3. Deliver the test to the front desk of the Office of Accessibility, located in Zageir Hall, Room 120 and 121.

If a student needs to reschedule their exam, they should first confirm with the instructor that they may take the assessment at an alternate time than what was previously arranged. Then, the student should alert the Office of Accessibility of the need to change the date or time of the assessment. The student should submit a Testing Request, via the Bulldog Access student portal, with the date and time of the rescheduled test.

If the student requests that an exam be rescheduled without instructor permission, the Testing Coordinator will reach out to the faculty member and ask if the assessment may be rescheduled for the requested date and time. If confirmed, the student should submit a new Testing Request as soon as possible.

While the Office of Accessibility strives to have students testing at the same time as other students in the course, this may not always be reasonable. For example, the Office of Accessibility may request that a student take their assessment earlier to occur during business hours – when the OA is staffed. Furthermore, the use of extended time may mean that a student will need to start an exam earlier to ensure that they have finished the exam by the end of business hours.

If the Office of Accessibility needs to accommodate multiple students at one time, OA staff may ask that a student take their assessment at an earlier or later time to maximize the number of students who may be accommodated.

If a change in testing date/time is requested by the Office of Accessibility due to a lack of space, time, or staffing,  the faculty member will be notified of any scheduling deviations by the Testing Coordinator.

If a student is taking an exam proctored by the Office of Accessibility, we request a notice of 3-5 business days. If advanced notice is not given, OA staff will evaluate the late request. Depending on the time, space, and staff available, accommodations may be provided on the requested date. However, if the OA staff are unable to provide testing accommodations on the requested date/time, due to a lack of time, space, or staffing, the Testing Coordinator will reach out to the faculty member and the student regarding next steps.

Absolutely. Our Office of Accessibility staff members would be glad to assist you with any concerns that you have regarding testing. Please contact the Office of Accessibility by emailing academicaccess@unca.edu or by calling 828.251.6292.

Resources for Syllabi

A course syllabus is a valuable tool for how students engage in the classroom environment. Advanced information about deadlines, course policies, and assignment expectations are essential to how a student with a disability may engage in the course. For additional syllabus resources, such as a syllabus statement for content warnings, please visit the Center for Teaching and Learning.

Faculty members should seek to make their courses accessible to all students. All syllabi for UNC Asheville courses must contain a statement regarding academic accommodations as per Section 5.2.5 of the Faculty Handbook. To assist students with disabilities, faculty members must include the following statement about the Office of Accessibility in their syllabi:

Office of Accessibility & Academic Accommodations

UNC Asheville is committed to providing an inclusive experience, accessible learning environments, and equal opportunity to individuals with disabilities in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504  of the Rehabilitation Act.

If you are a student experiencing barriers to access or full participation in this course on the basis of a disability, contact the Office of Accessibility to apply for reasonable accommodations and discuss available resources. You may contact the Office of Accessibility at academicaccess@unca.edu or 828-251-6292. 

Students are responsible for discussing their Letter of Accommodations (LOA) with their faculty. Students and faculty are encouraged to discuss the LOA as early in the semester as possible to allow for extended access to accommodations. However, students may disclose a disability at any point in the semester. Accommodations are not retroactive and are activated when the LOA is discussed.

When crafting accessible syllabi and course materials, faculty members should consider:

  • Creating meaningful image descriptions
  • Using descriptive hyperlinks
  • Considering how color choice and contrast may affect someone who is colorblind or has low vision.
  • Avoiding busy or distracting backgrounds

To learn how to create accessible content for a course document, consider viewing the Accessible Syllabus website.

Contact the Office of Accessibility with questions or for assistance by emailing academicaccess@unca.edu or calling 828-251-6292.

Resources for Creating Accessible Content

The Office of Accessibility wishes to thank North Carolina State University for the use of their accessibility training videos.

Course Accessibility Checker

When creating course content, plan for accessibility by including a few simple steps during the planning process as outlined below. Thank you to NC State University for sharing these tips on how to check your course for accessibility.

Accessible Document Considerations

Selecting the correct document type is critical to delivering accessible content. Below are our format recommendations for various document content needs:

  • Forms
    • PDF forms can present accessibility barriers if not properly formatted.  PDF forms can also be less user friendly for general usage.
    • As a result, we recommend using properly labeled web forms, for example Google Forms and Qualtrics.
  • Articles
    • Articles shared as scans that are image-based or low resolution DIY scans are often inaccessible for those using assistive technology or adaptive strategies.
    • We recommend sharing articles as web pages, using the epub3 file format, or sharing the original database source article whenever possible.
  • Data tables
    • Data tables shared as images or shared without proper heading labels may be inaccessible for your audience.
    • We recommend sharing true tables with proper headings. This can be done in various ways such as via an Excel file or Google Sheet, or adding headers to tables in Word or in Google Docs.
  • Be proactive and develop any documents available to the public with accessibility in mind. This also includes documents intended to be re-used. 
  • If documents do not need to be public it often makes more sense to store them internally on a shared drive.
  • NOTE: It is best to always follow accessibility best practices when creating documents because you may not always be aware of the disability-related needs of your audience, and your audience may change over time.

If you have a digital document that is designed primarily to be printed, but may also be shared digitally, make an accessible copy of the content available online (i.e., on a web page).

If you need to update your document periodically, you may want to consider putting the content on a web page instead of in a PDF or other document format. A web page allows for the most flexibility when editing or adding new content.  If you need to share your information as a document (e.g., syllabus, agenda), consider using Google Docs or Word 365.

Signatures and security features can be included in accessible digital documents or within web content. This is a more accessible option than a document that needs to be printed and manually signed or a locked PDF.

Work with ITS to explore resources for both electronic document signature and document security options.

There are a variety of sharing options for your digital documents. Within Google Docs sharing settings, the options of commenter or viewer can be used to restrict user permissions. Microsoft Office 365 sharing settings can be configured to allow sharing to be refined and restricted.

If you have been relying on Adobe Acrobat Pro’s locked sharing features, there are other digital document types that also provide similar document sharing and editing restrictions. Check with ITS for guidance.

Document Sharing Examples

  1. A syllabus that you want to allow students to view but do not want changed by the students.
    • Share with your class members with view-only access (for example, using Google Docs or Word 365).
  2. A collaborative asynchronous class document for student notes and dialogue.
    • Share with viewing and change rights turned on for the class members (for example, using Google Docs or Word 365).
  3. An internal procedures document that is restricted to a specific group.
    • Consult with ITS to identify the appropriate sharing, viewing, and change restriction settings.

Whenever possible, add your content on a web page instead of in a document. This approach will make your information available and accessible to more people.

Some benefits of web pages include:

  • Websites are built using HTML and this is accessibility gold.
  • Responsive web pages are mobile-friendly.  
  • Web pages have the ability to track analytics and user engagement.
  • Web pages are dynamic and allow for flexibility, making them easier to update and allowing for better avenues of sharing timely information.

Determining the best and most accessible document format for a specific situation can take some thought. Below are some of the most frequent considerations to help you decide on a preferable format:

  1. Does your document need to be printed?
    • Yes:  Provide all of the pertinent information in an accessible version such as a web page, Word Document, Google Doc, spreadsheet, etc., and provide a downloadable, print-ready PDF. 
    • Note: Many students are not printing documents but are instead using mobile devices. Please make documents mobile-friendly.
  2. Will the document be updated periodically?
    • Yes: Add your content on a web page instead of in a document.
    • See FAQ #4 for the benefits of having a web page instead of a PDF for documents updated periodically.
  3. Is it primarily text and created as a text document (Word, Google)?
    • Yes — and sharing restrictions are not a concern: maintain the original source document and share in that format.
    • Yes — and sharing restrictions are a minor concern: Share source text document with sharing options restricted.
    • Yes — sharing restrictions are a primary concern: Engage your institution’s resources to learn what tools and best security practices you should follow.
  4. Was it created as a PowerPoint or Google Slides presentation?
    • If Yes, then share in an accessible version of this original format.
    • Note: Sharing documents via Google Slides or Office 365 can allow you to keep those shared files up to date without resending to your audience.
    • Tip: Provide a shortened link with a meaningful file name to make your shared document easier to access.
  5. Could your document be a web page?
    • If Yes, then utilize a web page with real text to share your information.
    • If No, contact the Office of Accessibility for assistance.
    • Refrain from posting images of documents. Instead: include real text on the website.