Faculty
disability access center
Helping you help your students.
Preparing lectures. Grading assignments. Assisting students with navigating their college experience. Since so much goes into being Purdue Fort Wayne faculty, the Disability Access Center is here to help. We‘ll work with you to implement reasonable accommodations for students with disabilities, and facilitate testing accommodations.
Faculty Resources
Everything you need is here.
Look through these resources to find what you’re looking for. If you need more info or can’t find what you need, reach out to us.
The Disability Access Center uses Accessible Information Management (AIM), a virtual accommodation management portal that streamlines and assists students in coordinating their accommodations with instructors.
If you are an instructor at Purdue Fort Wayne with a student with a disability in your course, please use the AIM Instructor Portal to navigate you in providing equitable and accessible learning experiences for your students.
The Disability Access Center’s testing center is a resource for instructors who cannot provide testing accommodations in their learning environment. The Disability Access Center can proctor accommodated exams for in-person or online exams.
Please note that if a student needs accommodated testing, they will share their Course Accessibility Letter, which will state the specific accommodations they need to have an equitable learning experience in your course.
The testing center is located in Walb Student Union, Room 113. It is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. during the academic semester and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. during finals week.
Instructors will need to utilize the Alternative Testing Module in their AIM Instructor Portal for all accommodated testing requests that a student has made with the Disability Access Center.
Scheduling
Students must request to take an accommodated exam in the Disability Access Center testing center no less than three business days in advance. We encourage students to submit accommodated exam requests once they receive their syllabi or information on when their exam will be, but they can make requests at any time throughout the semester through their AIM Student Portal. Late Exam Request exceptions will be made only if an instructor states an exam or quiz has been scheduled within three business days or a student has a disability-related reason for not scheduling within the three business day window. This window is in place to support faculty, and so the Disability Access Center staff can process the exam request and ensure that we have space and the exam for the student. If students do not schedule within that window, they may ask their instructor if they are able to use accommodations in their space. If not, they will need to take the exam without accommodations.
Utilizing the Testing Center
- Instructors must submit a Testing Instruction Form via their AIM Instructor Portal before a student can schedule an exam with the Disability Access Center testing center. The Testing Instruction Form will outline how your students’ exams are proctored in the testing center. The Testing Instruction Form only needs to be completed once per semester.
- Once the Testing Instruction Form has been completed, students must initiate the process to take an exam/quiz with the testing center by submitting a Testing Request via the AIM Student Portal.
- The testing center will process an exam request and make sure that there is a seat available for the date and time the student is requesting. Instructors are notified via email once an exam has been requested.
- Instructors can dispute the date/time of an exam via their AIM Instructor Portal.
- Once the exam is completed, the instructor will receive the completed exam back based on their return method selection indicated on the Testing Instruction Form.
Additional Testing Information
Flexibility: The testing center has had a large increase in faculty and student use this year. Due to this, we ask instructors to be flexible with when trying to schedule students for exams.
Delivery methods: We are asking all instructors to provide their exams via the AIM Instructor Portal or to email exams to [email protected] as much as possible. Instructors can also hand deliver exams to the Disability Access Center office.
Return methods: The default return method will be via the AIM Instructor Portal. We will also send the completed hard-copy exam back to the instructor through campus mail. Please allow two to three business days to receive the exam. We ask that if an instructor must pick up the hard copy of a completed exam, they pick it up during our regular business hours.
Please note that if exams need to be audio-recorded or converted to braille, the instructor must submit the exam to the center at least five days before the exam date. If a student’s accommodation requires an enlarged font, please enlarge the font of the exam before sending it to the center.
If, as a faculty member, you have been provided access to a Course Accessibility Letter (CAL) for one of your students that lists a modified attendance or modified deadline accommodation, the following information will assist you with navigating the implementation of these accommodations.
The Disability Access Center has provided the following steps that students with these accommodations must follow to ensure that the accommodation is implemented correctly:
- The student must discuss the accommodation with instructors to determine how it will be applied in that specific class. We encourage that the discussion take place in person or online (e.g., Zoom or Teams), but it can be by phone or through email. The student needs to do this as soon as possible and before they need to access the specific accommodation. The student will work with the instructor to determine how many absences will be permitted without fundamentally altering the class learning objectives.
- The student must email the center and their instructor every time they miss a class or need a modified deadline due to disability. This should be done as soon as they realize they will not be able to attend class or as soon as they are physically able; we typically say within 24 hours after the class session was missed. A modified deadline request should be made prior to the original deadline. (Instructors cannot request further documentation; the CAL is the documentation for instructors.)
- In the email to the instructor regarding attendance, students should ask about missed work and how best to make that up.
The modified deadline accommodation may not look the same for every assignment and is up to the instructor and student to determine a reasonable time frame for a new deadline. Some requests may not be reasonable for the course or assignment due to its structure. Please see the Modified Deadline Policy and the Modified Deadline Agreement when navigating the modified deadline accommodation.
The modified attendance accommodation may not look the same in every course and may not be a reasonable accommodation for every class. Accommodations cannot fundamentally alter course objectives; if they do, they are deemed unreasonable for that class. However, students with certain conditions may experience a disability-related episode that could cause them to miss class. In most cases, the standard attendance policy may need to be extended to provide these students with an equitable experience. This does not mean attendance has to be open-ended. Please see the Modified Attendance Policy and the Modified Attendance Agreement that we encourage faculty and students to use when navigating the modified attendance accommodation.
In order to create inclusive learning environments at Purdue Fort Wayne, the Disability Access Center has adopted the following two syllabus statement options that instructors and faculty are encouraged to use within their course syllabi.
Disability Syllabus Statement Option 1
Purdue University Fort Wayne strives to create inclusive learning environments and experiences for all students. If you anticipate or experience physical or academic barriers based on disability, please let me know immediately so that we can discuss options. You are also welcome to contact the Disability Access Center to begin this conversation or to establish accommodations. Contact the center at [email protected] or 260-481-6657, or visit them at Walb Student Union, Room 113.
Disability Syllabus Statement Option 2
I am committed to creating a course that is inclusive in its design. If you encounter barriers, please let me know immediately so that we can determine if there is a design adjustment that can be made or if an accommodation might be needed to overcome the limitations of the design. I am always happy to consider creative solutions as long as they do not compromise the intent of the assessment or learning activity. You are also welcome to contact the Disability Access Center at [email protected] or 260-481-6657 or visit them at Walb Union, Room 113, or pfw.edu/dac to begin this conversation or to establish accommodations for this or other courses. I welcome feedback that will assist me in improving the usability and experience for all students at Purdue Fort Wayne.
Disability Access Center Accommodations
Each student registered with the center will receive a Course Accessibility Letter (CAL). Students are responsible for providing the CAL to each instructor via the AIM Portal. Instructors are encouraged to keep a copy of the CAL for their records and will also have access to it via the AIM Instructor Portal. Accommodations are active once the student has provided the CAL to their instructor. Accommodations are not retroactive.
Enhancing Accessibility
CELT: Creating Accessible Learning Materials
Purdue University: Universal Design and Accessibility
Brightspace: Setting Up Accommodations on Assessments
The National Center on Disability and Access to Education: Accessibility Cheatsheets for Microsoft Office, Adobe, and Other Accessibility Topics
Report accessibility concerns.
Report accessibility concerns.
Purdue Fort Wayne is committed to equal access and to providing an environment in which individuals with disabilities can fully access programs, services, activities, and facilities at PFW. See a concern? Report it here.