Accessibility of software tools and course materials

In any mode of instruction, it's important to keep in mind the accessibility of software tools and course materials for students with disabilities. The following are suggestions to keep in mind:

• When you introduce or change course material (whether web pages, PDF or multimedia files, etc.), make sure to consider accessibility for students with disabilities. Please contact the Student Disability Center at altformat@ucdavis.edu with questions and for assistance. 
  • Review guidance about the Canvas Accessibility Checker and Canvas General Accessibility Design Guidelines, or use the Course Accessibility Evaluation Checklist.
• [New in January 2023] For teaching your synchronous (in-person or remote) or asynchronous class, review the recommendations in the Accessibility Guide for Teaching and Presenting.  
• SensusAccess has been integrated into UC Davis Canvas to support accessibility. SensusAccess can automatically convert files into alternate and accessible formats. For more information on SensusAccess please visit our document conversion page or ask for assistance through sensusaccess@ucdavis.edu. This short video (2:23) will show you how to enable SensusAccess in your Canvas course.
• Zoom sessions can be captioned in real-time (CART) allowing the student full academic access to the course. If captioning services are required, you will receive a request to add a SDC captioner, as an observer, to the course through Canvas. Contact SDC Captioning/American Sign Language supervisor, Beth, at brstein@ucdavis.edu for assistance. 
• Consult the Accessibility with Zoom advice from UCOP.
• Post video and audio recordings to AggieVideo and request closed captioning. YouTube’s automated captioning is generally insufficient to meet UC accessibility expectations and should be avoided. Review these "Dos and Don'ts of Captioning Videos during Remote Teaching" for recommendations and links to how-to documents.

Understanding general accommodations for students with disabilities

The Student Disability Center (SDC) is available to assist you in a range of assessment environments.

• If you have questions about how to manage an accommodation, please contact the SDC Specialist listed on the student’s Letter of Accommodation or send questions to examaccom@ucdavis.edu. 
• Resources for you: Visit the Faculty Tab for general information about accommodations. If you have received notification that a student has been approved for services, check the Faculty Portal to review their accommodations. If a TA will be delivering services, ensure that they are aware of the student’s accommodations. 
• Canvas: If providing an exam through Canvas, you may adjust testing times for exam accommodations. Follow this link for detailed instructions.
• Zoom: Ensure that the proctor is fully aware of all accommodations such as breaks, standing, speaking aloud, etc.
• SDC Faculty Forum video and PowerPoint: On March 26, 2020, the Student Disability Center (SDC) hosted a faculty forum where we shared general information, answered questions, and connected you with SDC resources ready to assist you in remote learning environments. Click this link for the video and access slides from the Faculty Forum below.

Online Exam Accommodations

Need a proctoring service for online exams? Extended times are not the only accommodations students request for online exams. Here is a list of proctoring services available at UC Davis with recommendations on how to ensure your exams are accessible and inclusive to all.

• Zoom. Zoom is used by some faculty as a proctoring service for exams. To ensure privacy of student accommodations, the Student Disability Center can assist with additional Zoom rooms and proctors. Please reach out to examaccom@ucdavis.edu or join the Monday - Friday 12-1 Zoom session for Faculty.
• Canvas. Accommodations can be setup within Canvas, per student. Instructors can set dates and times to restrict when students can take an exam. You can only set extended times for student accommodations within Canvas (here are the Steps for setting extended times within Canvas). When setting extended times for students within Canvas, please ensure that you take the extended time into consideration when setting exam schedules. Extending the exam schedule to include extended accommodation timelines will prevent the exam from shutting down early. This is the second bullet point on the linked page above. Please reach out with any questions to sdc@ucdavis.edu or join the Monday - Friday 12-1 Zoom session for Faculty.
• Respondus Lockdown Browser. The Respondus Lockdown Browser is a tool that restricts the functions of what the student can do on their computer during an exam. It does not require the use of a webcam and is available for use to secure Canvas exams on PC, Mac, and iPads. This tool does not work with personally-owned Chromebooks. Please note that accommodations, such as extended times, would still need to be entered into Canvas.
• Respondus Monitor. The Respondus Monitor is an add on to Respondus Lockdown and includes video monitoring features requiring that the student have a webcam. This tool does not interfere with assistive technologies, but not all students have cameras available. Use of Respondus Monitor may result in false positives as it is an automated service flagging video for instructors to review.
  • Mac Accessibility Requirements for Respondus. Version 2.0.3.03 of the Respondus Lockdown Browser is accessible to the Mac VoiceOver screen reader.
  • Windows Accessibility Requirements for Respondus. Version 2.0.3.00 of the Respondus Lockdown Browser is accessible to Windows screen readers such as: NVDA, JAWS, MS-Windows Narrator, ReadSpeaker webReader, and Windows-Eyes. It is not accessible to ClaroRead, but NVDA could be used as an alternative. ZoomText can resize fonts, but the reader is not functioning. NVDA could be used as an alternative reader. Dragon can be used within Respondus by disabling the Dragon pad.
• Additional questions or concerns? Drop-in Zoom support for faculty is available Monday through Friday, from 12-1 p.m. Staff is ready to assist with questions related to accommodations, accessibility, proctors, and exams (Zoom Faculty Drop-in Support).