Faculty Resources

Students with a range of disabilities are eligible for this accommodation. This ensures that students are not penalized for requiring alternate means or methods to access materials and complete their work. An assignment extension should be granted unless it fundamentally compromises the integrity of the course. If an instructor believes this is the case, please contact the Office of Accessibility as soon as possible. All assignments are expected to be completed by the last day of classes, so extensions may not be appropriate for final assignments. If a student needs to take an Incomplete grade in your course, they should discuss this with you and their Dean.

This accommodation is meant to be used sparingly. The extension is meant to be brief (1-2 days) and the student should request the extension at least 24 hours in advance (unless otherwise noted) and does not apply to discussion posts. If a student requires additional flexibility, the student should connect with the Office of Accessibility as soon as possible.

Students with a variety of disability-related challenges may be approved for this accommodation. An accommodation for note-taking assistance ensures that students have equitable access to class content that they may not otherwise get as a result of their disability.

If a student is approved for this accommodation, professors should provide their notes, slide show presentations, or outlines with the student depending on what is specified in their accommodation letter.

Students may also have an accommodation to use a recorder or recording/transcription software (Jamworks) in class. Those using this form of note-taking assistance will complete an Audio Recording Agreement that outlines their responsibilities for using recordings solely for educational purposes and prohibits sharing, distributing, or using the recordings commercially. If instructors have concerns about the deletion of recordings following the conclusion of the class, please contact the Office of Accessibility.

For students with chronic conditions that are episodic in nature, there may be days they are unable to attend class due to flares in their condition. This accommodation ensures that students are not unfairly penalized for absences related to their disability. This accommodation is meant to be used sparingly. On days that the student will be unable to make it to class, they must send an email to their professor(s) informing them of these circumstances. The student will ask their professor(s) how to make up any missed work or complete any assignments that are left pending due to their absence or tardiness.

When a student has an accommodation to present 1-on-1 with the instructor or submit a pre-recorded presentation, it is the student’s responsibility to reach out to their faculty to arrange an alternative presentation format. If receiving peer feedback is a fundamental component of the learning objective, contact the Office of Accessibility to discuss how the student can meet this requirement—options might include receiving written feedback from classmates, participating in a smaller peer review group, or finding an alternative way to demonstrate mastery of giving and receiving constructive feedback.

Students must contact the Office of Accessibility at least five (5) business days before the test (or as soon as aware) and notify their instructor within the same timeframe.

To schedule, email testingaccommodations@champlain.edu with your instructor copied, including:

1. Test date and time
2. Class (e.g., COR 102) and professor’s name
3. In-class exam duration (e.g., 75 minutes)
4. Online exam details and location (classroom, take-home, etc.)

Instructors must complete the Testing Accommodations Instructor Form by 4 PM at least one (1) business day before the scheduled test.

Tests are administered Monday–Friday, 8:00 AM–2:00 PM (office closes 4:30 PM) in Miller Information Commons, Room 219. Tests may be scheduled during class time (if class begins by 2:30 PM) or at another mutually agreed time. Final exams may require alternative times for exams lasting 3+ hours.

Finals Note: The final two weeks account for half of all testing requests. Faculty should provide prompt, comprehensive exam information to ensure smooth final exam scheduling and proctoring.

More information available on the Office of Accessibility website.

UDL is a method for developing curricula to support the success of all students. UDL is a work of empathy. It does not only benefit students with disabilities; in fact, the entire class benefits. UDL is built on three main principles that guide course design:

• Multiple Means of Engagement (“why”) – Providing various ways to motivate and engage students with the material. This might include offering choices in assignments, connecting content to real-world applications, or incorporating collaborative and independent work options.
• Multiple Means of Representation (“what”) – Presenting information in different formats so students can access content in ways that work best for them. This could mean providing both visual and text-based materials, using captions on videos, or offering content in multiple modalities.
• Multiple Means of Action and Expression (“how”) – Giving students options for demonstrating their mastery of course content. Instead of requiring all students to show mastery through a traditional exam, you might offer alternatives like presentations, projects, papers, or creative demonstrations.

Make small, manageable changes to your course. Think of things like posting your lecture slides in advance, having a note-taker volunteer in class, ensuring all video and audio materials are captioned, or offer choices for how students can show what they have learned. Think about how you can design the course so that each student can engage with the content as opposed to thinking about how you can best teach the content.

Make assignment information available well in advance—ideally in your syllabus—and reinforce it as due dates approach. Use multiple channels (Canvas, in-class announcements, email reminders) to ensure students receive information in ways that work for them.

Provide clear, comprehensive assignment instructions that include the purpose (what learning outcomes it addresses), specific requirements, evaluation criteria, formatting guidelines, and due dates—all in one place on Canvas. Use a consistent template for all assignment sheets so students always know where to find key information.

Break large assignments into smaller milestones with separate deadlines for proposals, outlines, drafts, and final submissions. This scaffolding helps students manage complex projects and reduces overwhelm.

Group work works best when it provides clear structure (roles, timelines, processes) while offering flexibility in how students collaborate and demonstrate their contributions. Start by providing clear guidelines about roles (researcher, note-taker, presenter), timelines, and communication expectations. Give groups a defined process for making decisions and resolving conflicts so students aren’t navigating ambiguous social dynamics.

Build in individual accountability alongside group grades – have students submit reflections on their contributions or break projects into individual and collaborative components. Consider allowing smaller groups of students rather than requiring large teams, which can feel more manageable for many students.

Dedicate class time for group work rather than expecting students to coordinate outside of class, and ensure meeting spaces are physically accessible. Encourage groups to use multiple communication channels (email, shared documents, messaging apps) rather than assuming all collaboration happens face-to-face.

The bottom line: structure reduces ambiguity, flexibility accommodates different needs, and individual accountability ensures everyone’s contributions are recognized.

Under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, public institutions must ensure their digital content—including syllabi, lecture slides, videos, websites, and learning management system materials—meets accessibility standards.

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA serves as the technical standard for digital accessibility. Key considerations when creating course content include:

• Providing alternative text for images and graphics
• Ensuring sufficient color contrast in visual materials
• Including captions and transcripts for audio and video content
• Using accessible document formats and proper heading structures
• Designing materials that work with screen readers and other assistive technologies

• Don’t rely on color alone to convey information. If you use color to indicate meaning (e.g., red for incorrect, green for correct), also use text labels, patterns, or symbols.
• Ensure sufficient contrast between text and background colors. WCAG standards require a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 for regular text and 3:1 for large text. Free tools like WebAIM’s Contrast Checker can verify your color combinations.
• Avoid problematic color combinations such as red/green, blue/yellow, or light colors on white backgrounds that are difficult for people with color vision deficiencies to distinguish.
• Use high contrast in charts, graphs, and visual aids. Consider using patterns or textures in addition to color to differentiate data.

• Organize content with proper heading levels (such as Heading 1, Heading 2) to support straightforward navigation.
• Share text-based PDFs whenever possible instead of scanned image files. For scanned materials that already exist, apply Optical Character Recognition (OCR) to make them accessible. The Office of Accessibility can assist with document conversion.
• Maintain strong color contrast between text and background (for example, dark text on a light background) to support readability.
• Write meaningful link text that describes the destination (for instance, “View the course syllabus” rather than “Click here”).

• Work within the built-in layout templates in tools like PowerPoint or Google Slides, as these are designed to function well with screen readers.
• Include alternative text descriptions for all images, charts, and other visual elements.
• Never rely on color alone to communicate meaning — always supplement with labels, text, or distinct patterns.
• Keep font sizes at 24 points or above and choose clean, sans-serif typefaces to maximize legibility.

• Provide captions for all content in video format, not just auto-captioning
• Provide audio description for video content without dialogue
• Provide transcripts for audio content
• Ensure any audio or visual content is as clear as possible (i.e. limiting background noise, pictures in focus, etc.)

If you need assistance with any of the above, please contact the Office of Accessibility for support.