OU Accessibility, Disability Resource Center asks professors for 'flexibility and understanding' accommodating students

The Accessibility and Disability Resource Center staff sent out an email Monday detailing changes to exam procedures in accordance with OU’s COVID-19 policies. 

According to the email, the ADRC’s proctoring hours are set to start at 8:30 a.m., and all exams must be finished by 5 p.m.

“To limit the number of people in the Center at any given time, exam start times will occur in 15-minute increments with a limited number of spots available,” the email read. 

All students are permitted to schedule an exam time during the office’s hours but must do so three business days before the date of the exam, according to the ADRC. If a student fails to schedule their exam three business days ahead, the ADRC cannot guarantee a time slot for that student. 

According to the email, if a student signs up for an exam at the center, the instructor must email the exam to adrc@ou.edu in the form of an attachment or Dropbox link, or fax it to (405) 325-4491. No physical delivery options will be accepted in order to minimize exposure. 

Exams must be received at least 24 business hours before the time of the exam, according to the ADRC team. This allows them to prepare the exams and seating arrangements with ample time to maximize safety and efficiency. 

Exams will be returned to the instructor by the student in a sealed manilla folder and stamped for validation. The ADRC recommends professors to wait at least 72 hours before handling the exam, according to the email. 

“We recognize this may cause an inconvenience, but please understand it is our goal to serve students in the safest possible manner,” the ADRC team wrote in the email. 

The ADRC will enact an interactive process to determine appropriate accommodations for students with disabilities, according to the email. If there is no accommodation possible for the student to attend in-person class, the ADRC asks instructors not to penalize the student and instead provide them with a remote class option. 

The ADRC pledges to assist instructors with formatting their online curriculum, according to  the email. It hopes to make the online format accessible to students with disabilities with accommodations like captions for all video content and screen readers for written materials. 

“The fall semester is undoubtedly going to present new and unexpected challenges,” the email read. “The ADRC appreciates your flexibility and understanding. We look forward to working with you to identify ways to minimize the challenges you and your students with disabilities may face.”