Students should initiate an appointment with their DSS Advisor prior to the beginning of each semester in order to determine accommodations needed for each course.
Instructors will not provide disability-related accommodations without receiving a DSS Accommodation Authorization letter.
Exams in Canvas will continue to be administered by faculty and taken from remote locations, unless students need specific accommodations that can only be provided in the DSS office.
Students should contact faculty to determine whether the accommodated exam will take place in the academic department or DSS office
DSS students should take exams at the same time as the class, including final exams. If a scheduling conflict exists, exams should be taken as close as possible to the class exam time with instructor approval.
Students must schedule all exams (including final exams) at the beginning of the semester, or as exam dates are determined, to ensure that testing space is available if utilizing the DSS Testing Center.
When booking testing appointments, students must indicate their specific accommodation needs (e.g. use of computer, CCTV, Dragon, Read&Write, JAWS etc.) to ensure that this technology is available on the day of exam.
Exams will begin promptly at the scheduled appointment time. Students who are late will forfeit this time from their testing appointment.
If a student does not attend the exam at the scheduled appointment time, the exam will be returned to the faculty member.
It is suggested that students confirm their testing appointment with each instructor a couple of days prior to the exam to ensure that the instructor submits the exam to the DSS office. DSS does not contact instructors to request exams.
Bring all required materials needed for your exam (Blue Book, Scantron, pencil, etc.)
All personal items, including electronic devices, must be left outside of the testing room and secured in the student lockers.
Students may only use items approved by the instructor during the exam.
Students may not leave the testing room unless absolutely necessary. Routine restroom breaks are not permitted. Students should not plan on leaving the test room during your testing appointment.
Academic Honesty: The student acknowledges that they are expected to be honest in meeting the requirements of the courses in which they are enrolled. The student also acknowledges that all activities will be monitored by video camera (as well as by DSS staff members) and that any inappropriate behavior as defined by the SSU Cheating and Plagiarism Policy will be reported to the appropriate faculty member.
Faculty Responsibilities
Academic departments are the first option for administering accommodated examinations.
Exams in Canvas will continue to be administered by faculty
Exams that need to be converted into accessible formats should be submitted online at least 72 hours (3 business days) prior to the exam.
This requirement will be included on the student accommodation letter.
Exams may be picked by the instructor or an authorized individual from the department/school by appointment.
DSS Responsibilities
DSS will send DSS Accommodation Authorization letters to each student’s instructor following the student’s DSS Advising Appointment.
The DSS Accommodation Authorization letters will specifically indicate the DSS approved accommodation.
The DSS Testing Center is a resource for instructors who have barriers to providing accommodations or an accessible experience in the classroom.
DSS is available to administer exams that require specific technology that might not be available in academic departments (e.g. CCTV, Dragon Naturally Speaking, Read&Write, JAWS, etc.).
