Virtual Accommodation FAQs

As a first step, we encourage you to contact your advisor to see if there are online alternatives available for you to take within your degree requirements.

If alternatives are not available per your advisor, we recommend that students contact their assigned professors and the department chair to inquire about possible unpublished alternatives or substitutions that can be taken instead. If you have difficulty contacting an advisor, you can email advise@brockport.edu for support.

​Eligible students, who have a disability diagnosis, are welcome to contact Student Accessibility Services (SAS) to register and receive legally mandated accommodations. All accommodation plans are individualized based on eligibility documentation and the interactive intake process. Please see the Registration Process page on the SAS website for details on how to register.

Students who take online classes are most likely going to take online tests. Students with accommodation letters will be provided their accommodations within the online platform (Blackbord, TopHat, Cengage, etc.). All students and professors are encouraged to speak with a SAS representative if there are any questions or concerns.  

Blackboard is already equipped with a remote proctoring service. Should a professor decide that a student must be proctored to use their extended test time, they can upload their test/quiz into the proctoring software which is located in Blackboard through the Tools option in Blackboard. For technical support to implement online proctoring on Blackboard, contact SUNY Brockport’s IT department. Students who need support using screen-reading software on a proctored online test should reach out to Student Accessibility Services in advance of their test to obtain compatible software and the associated training.

Students must be provided “equal access” to the same goods and services as their peers.

If a professor offers a test OR a project to the whole class, then that student was provided equal access. A student with a disability cannot be made to complete an alternative project because they require accommodations. If a professor has a technical question about Blackboard, they must contact ASIS at Blackboard Support 585-395-5151 Option 6 or email CourseDesign@Brockport.edu to schedule one-on-one appointments. Also, faculty can schedule an appointment by visiting QuickReg. ASIS has many resources that faculty will find helpful as well.

Professors may choose to offer alternatives to tests, the entire class*, such as research papers, PowerPoint presentations, live debates through Blackboard Collaborate or VoiceThread submissions, or have students create a podcast or YouTube video to demonstrate mastery of course objectives to name a few ideas.

For more ideas to elicit action and expression from your students, consider Universal Design for Learning (UDL) teaching strategies.

Links to UDL Resources:

• YouTube UDL Introduction
• UDL via Cast
• UDL Checklist for Quick Reference

*Students with disabilities should not be offered separate, different, shortened, or alternative assignments due to having a disability. Accommodations are tools to be used to gain equal access to the general education learning environment and curriculum.

Students who are eligible to use a calculator on tests are still eligible to use a calculator in the virtual environment. There is a caveat on this accommodation where a student can be asked to refrain from using a calculator if the instructor feels that the use of the calculator would interfere with the fundamentals of the objectives or test (used when assessing a student’s ability to calculate).

Captioning of videos is an accommodation used for various qualifying disabilities. Kaltura is equipped to provide captions but the professor must review the initial draft for accuracy before publishing. For more information and details on the captioning process, please contact ASIS at Blackboard Support (585) 395-5151 Option 6 or email CourseDesign@Brockport.edu to schedule one-on-one appointments. 

Students who use interpreting services through SAS are still eligible to receive interpreting services virtually. If a professor is using Blackboard Collaborate to host a live, virtual class, please contact SAS as soon as possible to schedule an interpreter to be in attendance. The professor will have to add the interpreter to the Blackboard roster in order to provide access to the streaming. SAS will need as much notice as possible to make the arrangements needed to provide an interpreter.

Many of our students utilize screen reading software. Please make sure you are following standards for Electronic and Information Technology (EIT) accessibility which can be found on the SUNY EIT website