Accommodations may be requested for those individuals who, due to specific health related conditions, cannot safely wear a face covering.

Requests for an accommodation due a health-related condition for students are being processed by the Center for Students with DisABILITIES (CSD), and requests for employees are being processed by Equal Opportunity Services (EOS).

Face covering accommodations for eligible students and employees may include allowing for remote access, such as online learning for students, and the ability to work remotely for faculty/staff as appropriate, including adjustments to work schedules. Unpaid leave and academic leave terms may be used.

If a student or employee must come to campus, the individual may request the accommodation of an alternative face covering in required designated areas. Face coverings must cover the nose and mouth, and could include a face shield. If a face covering accommodation is approved for on campus use, an approved accommodation letter will be provided to the student by CSD and to the employee by EOS.

Process for Students

• Students not currently registered with the Center for Students with DisABILITIES (CSD) requesting an accommodation for the University face covering requirement should submit a request using the “New to CSD” icon on our webpage at www.uh.edu/csd. Students currently registered with the CSD should make this request using the “Renewal” icon on our webpage.
• For additional information about this accommodation request process, please call (713) 743-5400 or email UHCSD@central.uh.edu.

• Most exams will be administered through Blackboard. Please inform your professor if you would like to utilize the accommodation of extended time for exams and quizzes. Instructors should extended student testing time for online exams.
• In order to comply with social distancing requirements, CSD will have reduced capacity for testing at the Center in the Fall 2020 semester. Therefore, we encourage online testing as a first option.
• Students who require physical assistance or technology (i.e., reader, scribe, CCTV) for testing will be eligible to take their exams at CSD. If you fit this criteria, CSD will provide you with a “CSD COVID-19 Testing Form” per your request. Request for Individualized Testing Accommodation (RITA) forms will not be utilized during the Fall 2020 semester.
• CSD is available for consultation to you and your instructors about any of your accommodations.

In order to comply with social distancing requirements, CSD will have reduced capacity for testing at the Center in the Fall 2020 semester. Therefore, we encourage online testing as a first option.

Students who require physical assistance or technology (i.e., reader, scribe, CCTV) for testing will be eligible to take their exams at CSD. If you fit this criteria, CSD will provide you with a “CSD COVID-19 Testing Form” per your request. Request for Individualized Testing Accommodation (RITA) forms will not be utilized during the Fall 2020 semester.

In order to comply with social distancing requirements, CSD will have reduced capacity for testing at the Center in the Fall 2020 semester. Therefore, we encourage online testing as a first option.

Students who require physical assistance or technology (i.e., reader, scribe, CCTV) for testing will be eligible to take their exams at CSD. If you fit this criteria, CSD will provide you with a “CSD COVID-19 Testing Form” per your request. Request for Individualized Testing Accommodation (RITA) forms will not be utilized during the Fall 2020 semester.

• Please communicate any additional accommodation needs to your instructor(s) that you have, including extended testing time.
• Screen Readers:
  • To better facilitate accessible online learning, Blackboard Ally has been enabled in all courses. Blackboard Ally provides accessible, alternative file formats for online course content.
  • f you are experiencing issues related to online accessibility, you may ask questions and seek support by contacting accessibility@uh.edu. For all other accommodations support, please contact Crystle McDonald at the Center for Students with DisABILITIES (CSD) at 713-743-5460
• Scribe/Reader/CCTV for exams:

  Students who require physical assistance or technology (i.e., reader, scribe, CCTV) for testing will be eligible to take their exams at CSD. If you fit this criteria, CSD will provide you with a “CSD COVID-19 Testing Form” per your request. Request for Individualized Testing Accommodation (RITA) forms will not be utilized during the Fall 2020 semester.

• Other available resources for screen readers or scribes include:
  • All operating systems: Office Lens, Microsoft
  • Immersive Reader in Edge browser, Microsoft
  • Be My Eyes – free app that connects blind and low-vision people with sighted volunteers and company representatives for visual assistance through a live video call.
  • Seeing AI, Microsoft - free app that narrates the world around the user
  • Windows: NVDA, NV Access
  • Mac: VoiceOver, Apple
  • Android: Talkback, Google
  • iOS: VoiceOver, Apple

• Please be sure to communicate with each of your instructors regarding your accommodation needs for your online classes.
• Extended Testing Time:

  During this period in which classes and exams that would normally be held on campus will be done remotely, CSD recommends extending student testing time to double (200%) for all students who are eligible for extended testing time. Your professor(s) will set this up in the Blackboard system.

• Occasional Extensions of Due Dates:
  • As with face to face classes, students who need an extension of a due date for assignments, exams, quizzes or other deadlines should request this accommodation from their instructor prior to each due date.
  • If online work can be done in a self-paced manner, this accommodation may no longer be relevant.
• Extra Set of Notes:
  • You may find that you no longer need an extra set of notes due to the course design change. For example, lectures that are pre-recorded videos can be watched at your own pace. On the other hand, some instructors may opt for scheduled class meetings with real-time communication. Professors may record their live sessions to be reviewed afterwards.
  • Your instructors will communicate the delivery of their online courses to you. If after this communication, you still need an extra set of notes please notify your instructor and your CSD counselor for additional assistance.
• Occasional Exceptions to Absentee/Tardiness Policies:

  If online work can be done in a self-paced manner, this accommodation may no longer be relevant. However, if there is a designated time you are required to be present for a class and you are unable to attend, please discuss this with your instructor in advance.

• Screen Readers:
  • To better facilitate accessible online learning, Blackboard Ally has been enabled in all courses. Blackboard Ally provides accessible, alternative file formats for online course content.
  • If you are experiencing issues related to online accessibility, you may ask questions and seek support by contacting accessibility@uh.edu. For all other accommodations support, please contact Crystle McDonald at the Center for Students with DisABILITIES (CSD) at 713-743-5460
• CART/Interpreter:

  Please contact the Interpreting Services Coordinator regarding this accommodation at DHHCoogs@central.uh.edu

• Scribe/Reader for exams:

  Because all exams will be provided via BlackBoard, scribes/readers are not provided.

• Other available resources for screen readers or scribes include:
  • All operating systems: Office Lens, Microsoft
  • Immersive Reader in Edge browser, Microsoft
  • Be My Eyes – free app that connects blind and low-vision people with sighted volunteers and company representatives for visual assistance through a live video call
  • Seeing AI, Microsoft - free app that narrates the world around the user
  • Windows: NVDA, NV Access
  • Mac: VoiceOver, Apple
  • Android: Talkback, Google
  • iOS: VoiceOver, Apple

*This section does not address all approved accommodations. If students or instructors have questions on how to provide accommodations within an online classroom environment, please contact the student’s CSD counselor.

All services will be provided remotely from March 25 - April 3, 2020.

• Professors are making their course content accessible in written format or via videos that should be caption-enabled.
• If you are experiencing issues related to online accessibility, you may ask questions and seek support by contacting accessibility@uh.edu. For all other accommodations support, please contact Crystle McDonald at the Center for Students with DisABILITIES (CSD) at 713-743-5460

• Professors are making their course content accessible in written format or via videos that should be caption-enabled.
• If you are experiencing issues related to online accessibility, you may ask questions and seek support by contacting accessibility@uh.edu. For all other accommodations support, please contact Crystle McDonald at the Center for Students with DisABILITIES (CSD) at 713-743-5460

• You can call the CSD at 713-743-5400 or email uhcsd@central.uh.edu to make an appointment with your counselor. We will respond within 24 hours. I already sent my accommodations to my professor(s) this semester, should I send them again?
• CSD recommends that you send an email to remind your professors of your accommodation form and request to continue using them during COVID-19 remote learning transition.

You can still request your accommodations if you have not yet done so. Please forward your accommodation form to your instructors and follow-up with an email indicating the accommodations you would like to utilize in their classes.

• If you need further instructions on forwarding your accommodation forms, please go to the Student Quick Guide

Absolutely. There will be information on how to register.

Absolutely. Please go to the “CSD COVID-19 Updates” link on our website. There will be information on how to renew accommodations.

If you would like to add accommodations to your list of already approved accommodations, please contact your CSD Counselor.

• One option could be to request an Incomplete (I) from your instructor(s). The assignment of an Incomplete (I) grade is up to the discretion of the instructor.
• Here is the link to the general information about incompletes contained in the Undergraduate Catalog
• Please discuss this with your professor, as each college has specific guidelines.

We acknowledge the significant effort required to quickly adapt your courses to online instruction. We want to collaborate with you to ensure that access for students who have disabilities is maintained through this transition. Some students may encounter disability-related difficulties with online instruction and/or quizzes and exams.

Microsoft Stream, or a similar tool, is availableto caption your videos and audio presentations. Microsoft STREAM for Hosting Videos.

• If you find that Stream, or a similar tool, is not captioning properly due to technical reasons, please reach out to accessibility@uh.edu for assistance.
• If it is not captioning properly due to the complexity of the class vocabulary, please contact the Center for Students with DisABILITIES (CSD) Interpreting Services Coordinator at DHHCoogs@CENTRAL.UH.EDU

To better facilitate accessible online learning, Blackboard Ally has been enabled in all courses. Blackboard Ally helps instructors identify accessibility issues and fix them from within Blackboard.

• To learn more about Ally, please visit the training materials provided by Blackboard. For tutorials on how to fix some of the most common accessibility issues, please refer to the Office of the Texas Governor’s ‘Creating Accessible Microsoft Office 2013-2016 Documents’ website. For additional help with creating accessible PDFs, use the search bar at https://instruction.uh.edu.
• For all other accommodations support, please contact Crystle McDonald at the Center for Students with DisABILITIES (CSD) at 713-743-5460 or crmcdona@central.uh.edu.

If you find that this is not supporting your students who utilize accommodations, please contact CSD for support. CSD staff are available for consultation regarding student accommodations, best practices, and accessibility.

• Phone: 713-743-5400
• Email: uhcsd@central.uh.edu

If you are experiencing issues related to online accessibility, you may ask questions and seek support by contacting accessibility@uh.edu.

Use clear, consistent layouts and organization schemes for presenting content, and make instructions and expectations clear for activities, projects, and assigned reading.

Offer outlines, scaffolding tools, and adequate opportunities for practice to help students learn.

When selecting new materials, try to find videos that are already captioned and articles that are available in a text-searchable format (meaning you can highlight and search the text within the document).

Images can be made accessible to students who are blind/visually impaired by providing captions or inserting alt text into the image. Use large, bold fonts on uncluttered pages with plain backgrounds and high contrast color combinations.

Provide compassionate flexibility and understanding as this experience may cause disruption to the student’s home life and available resources – which may negatively impact a student’s disability symptoms.

During this period in which classes and exams that would normally be held on campus will be done remotely, CSD recommends extending student testing time to double (200%) for all students who are eligible for extended testing time.

Extending testing time for exams is only necessary if the exam is time limited.

Because classes are 100% online during this time, the CSD will not be administering exams at the Center until further notice. If you have the accommodation for extended testing, please contact your counselor and instructor. The extended testing can be set up in the BlackBoard system.

• How to Create a Timed Quiz

Please communicate with your CSD students to discuss their exam accommodation needs. CSD is available to instructors and students for consultation.

If students request the accommodation of paper-only exams, they may take their exam on paper, scan, and upload it to Blackboard. Please make sure that, if requested, the exam is printable.

The extended testing can be set up in the Blackboard system.

During this period in which classes and exams that would normally be held on campus will be done remotely, CSD recommends extending student testing time to double (200%) for all students who are eligible for extended testing time.

As with face to face classes, students who need an extension of a due date for assignments, exams, quizzes or other deadlines should request this accommodation from you prior to each due date.

If online work can be done in a self-paced manner, this accommodation may no longer be relevant.

If online work can be done in a self-paced manner, this accommodation may no longer be relevant. However, if there is a designated time the student is required to be present in your class and they are unable to attend, the student should discuss this with you in advance.

Blackboard Ally helps instructors identify accessibility issues and fix them from within Blackboard.

To learn more about Ally, please visit the training materials provided by Blackboard. For tutorials on how to fix some of the most common accessibility issues, please refer to the Office of the Texas Governor’s ‘Creating Accessible Microsoft Office 2013-2016 Documents’ website. For additional help with creating accessible PDFs, use the search bar at https://instruction.uh.edu.

You can find help for using Stream at http://www.instruction.uh.edu/2020/03/01/microsoft-stream-for-hosting-videos/

Online accessibility issues - contact accessibility@uh.edu

Blackboard issues - contact Theresa Acosta.

Other accommodations support - contact the Center for Students with DisABILITIES (CSD) 713-743-5400 or uhcsd@central.uh.edu