Faculty Resources

The Office of Educational Accessibility (OEA) provides for accommodation and support in the removal of barriers to access on the basis of disability for all WCU Golden Rams. The OEA is the designated authority on campus for engaging with students an individualized process that takes into account a variety of factors, including a student's disability, the specific impact of their disability, their history of accommodations, the course/assignment design, disciplinary requirements, and pedagogy to determine what accommodations are reasonable in a given situation.  This process involves an interview with the student, a review of supporting documentation, which is usually from a previous educational institution or medical or behavioral provider, and consultation with the faculty, as appropriate.

Accommodations are written in a way that takes into consideration the wide range of experiences and classroom environments a student might encounter during their WCU career.  Accommodations may vary depending on the specifics of any given course or assignment. Please contact OEA as soon as any questions arise so that we can partner with you to help work through any issues as quickly as possible.

Our policies and procedures are designed to assist students in making a successful transition to college life while ensuring their rights to access are protected, the integrity of the academic program is maintained, and our legal obligations are met. We take a proactive stance that encourages students to understand their needs and strengths in order to best advocate for themselves. At West Chester University, we recognize that some students with disabilities want minimal assistance while others seek out and require the full range of support and services available through OEA. 

The Office of Educational Accessibility is a member of the Academic Affairs Division of West Chester University.  Housed in University College, OEA serves the entire campus in matters regarding the experience of students with disabilities at WCU. OEA provides services and programs that ensure compliance with the letter and spirit of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act (1990). All programs and services are in keeping with the University's mission to provide equal education for all qualified students. Our aim is to maximize student success, self-advocacy, and independence in an accessible academic environment.

Communication Access Real-time Translation (CART)

What is CART?

CART Captioner(s) capture a faculty/student voice and/or audio recording from an in-person or virtual course. Our office works with CART Captioner(s) who attend classes remotely via Zoom. Captioner(s) transcribe verbatim from what is said during the course time. Those transcriptions will be visually displayed in a text format on the attended student's laptop or any other device of their choosing. You can provide students equal and fair access by helping our office provide CART services inside the classroom.

What is Your Responsibility as a Faculty Member? 

Before the Semester Starts:

  1. Create a recurring Zoom session for the class. The Zoom must be specific to this student and course only. Only the OEA Office, faculty member, and captioner(s) should access this Zoom information and, occasionally, the student if needed. Once you have created a Zoom Session, please email the Zoom Link, ID, and Password to OEACA@wcupa.edu. This will allow a remote CART captioner to join the session,  provide live captioning, and communication access to the student. The captions will be sent directly to the student's devices so they can follow along in real-time.
  2. Share your course Syllabus or Course Schedule via email to OEACA@wcupa.edu so that we can share the course assignments, meeting days, etc., with the remote CART Captioners.
  3. Review the Setting Audio and Video for Zoom and Remote CART Captioner pdf for assistance with classroom technology. 
  4. Review the WCU/ OEA Closed Captioning Policy.
For further assistance with classroom technology, please visit IS&T Help Desk, Service Now page, and complete a Multimedia Consultation Request.
Click here to see the step-by-step written directions on how to create a recurring Zoom Session:

Video Directions

  1. Open the Zoom desktop client and sign in to your Zoom account.
  2. Click the Home tab .
  3. Click the Schedule icon.
  4. Provide a topic for the meeting and adjust the date and time.
  5. Choose a meeting ID, which is the number used to create an invitation link for the meeting. For scheduled meetings, we recommend choosing Generate Automatically which provides a unique ID for the meeting.
  6. Adjust the security options, such as Waiting Room, passcodes, and requiring authentication, to suit your needs.
  7. Set the desired video defaults for host and participants.
  8. Set which audio options you want available in the meeting.
  9. Click Save to finish scheduling the meeting.

What Happens After I Provide OEA with the correct information

The OEA will provide you with the remote captioner's name and email address so you know who to expect in the Zoom session, but please note that there may be occasions when a substitute captioner will be present. We ask that you keep the captioner and our OEACA@wcupa.edu informed of any schedule changes throughout the semester. 

What to do at the Start of Every Class

  1. At the start of every class, log into the Zoom session (that you created and shared with our office).
  2. Ensure that the CART Captioner has logged in to the Zoom session and can hear you clearly. It is essential as the captioner can only transcribe what they hear.
    • You can use the chat feature in Zoom to correspond or ask them to unmute. 

Best Practices when Working with CART Captioners

  1. Ensure that the remote captioner can hear all speakers.
  2. If folks are not near the microphone and do not speak up, we ask that you repeat anything the student said to ensure the captioner can transcribe what has been said.

Things to know about Captions when showing videos in class

Instructors who intend to use DVDs, VHS, or web-based videos and/or podcasts in their courses should be aware that they are responsible for offering accessible versions of this course material. Videos are accessible when they are captioned. Podcasts are accessible when a written transcript accompanies the audio file. If a video is not captioned or a podcast does not have a transcript, instructors will need to arrange for an ACCURATE, accessible version to be produced.
The campus library is available to assist instructors with locating captioned versions of videos. IS&T offers Faculty and Staff Training (FAST) on adding captions to videos for classroom materials.
To learn more about how to use Zoom please visit the Zoom Support page >>>

Faculty Guide to Accessibility Resources

What can I do to improve access for students with disabilities? 

What is my responsibility to students with disabilities in my class?

You are responsible for providing the accommodations as laid out in the Letter of Accommodation and in the RAMS - Accommodate portal.  The Office of Educational Accessibility engages in an interactive process with students to determine what accommodations are reasonable based on a student's disability in a given situation, that is they don't fundamentally alter a course or its pedagogy. If you believe that a student's accommodations may not be applicable in your course, please contact OEA as soon as possible. WCU uses RAMS - Accommodate and the Letter of Accommodation to communicate a student's approved accommodations.  If a student requests accommodations that do not appear on their LOA or in your Accommodate portal or does not have an LOA, please have them contact OEA immediately to modify or establish accommodations.  Faculty should only provide accommodations laid out in the most recent LOA.  Providing accommodations without an accommodation letter can prevent a student from completing the OEA disclosure process, which guarantees that their accommodations will be available to them across their WCU experience rather than only in your class.  Always refer students back to OEA with any questions -- they can conveniently request any additional accommodations through their RAMS - Accommodate portal by going to Accommodations > Supplemental.

How can I help students who I think are impacted by a disability get connected with OEA?

Faculty can be of great assistance in helping students with disabilities to self-identify. The vast majority of students with disabilities resist disclosure due to fear of discrimination. The University and the OEA make every effort to inform students of all available resources in advance of their arrival at WCU. Nevertheless, the first personal contact many students have upon entering the University is with a faculty member in class. Thus, the role of the faculty member is crucial in maximizing the success of students with disabilities.

Should I put anything on my syllabus for students with disabilities?

West Chester University requires the inclusion of a syllabus statement that invites students with disabilities to come forward early in the semester with requests for accommodations and services. Such a statement is one of the most basic ways faculty members can demonstrate that they are making their class an inclusive environment and that they are making a good faith effort to teach in a way that is supportive, inclusive, and in compliance with the law. The following syllabus statement has been approved by CAPC:

West Chester University is committed to providing equitable access to the full WCU experience for Golden Rams of all abilities.  Students should contact the Office of Educational Accessibility (OEA) to establish accommodations if they have had accommodations in the past or if they believe they may be eligible for accommodations due to a disability, whether or not it may be readily apparent.  There is no deadline for disclosing to OEA or for requesting to use approved accommodations in a given course. However, accommodations can only be applied to future assignments or exams; that is, they can’t be applied retroactively. Please share your letter from OEA as soon as possible so that we can discuss accommodations.

If you have concerns related to disability discrimination, please contact the university’s ADA Coordinator in the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (phone 610-436-2433).

RAMS - Accommodate Resources

How do I access my RAMS - Accommodate Portal?

You can access your RAMS Accommodate Portal by using the link below

or by going to 

WESTCHESTER-ACCOMMODATE.SYMPLICITY.COM

select Faculty and login using your WCU username and password

How do I view my student's Letters of Accommodation?

You can view the accommodations for all of the students in your course in one place.
*only those student who have chosen to disclose their accommodations to you will appear in your portal

Log in to your portal

Courses > Select Course > Enrolled Students

It is possible to further filter each of your courses.

 

How do I know when a student has requested a test or exam through the Proctoring Center?

You will be notified via email, and it will also appear in your portal.

Courses > Select Course > Alternative Test Room Bookings > Approve

How do I submit and receive my testing materials through the Proctoring Center

All testing materials must be submitted and picked up either through RAMS - Accommodate (preferred) or in person during office hours.

We are no longer accepting or returning testing materials by email.

To submit testing materials through the RAMS - Accommodate secure file system:

Courses > Exam > Add New > Submit

When your student has completed their exam, materials will be returned either via RAMS - Accommodate or will be available in OEA for pick up during office hours.  Exams can be picked up through RAMS - Accommodate:

Courses > Exam > Select Exam

More information is available on the Proctoring Center website.

How do I view any notes that have been taken for an OEA student in my class?

You can view the notes that have been provided to an OEA student enrolled in your course if they are receiving notes from either a volunteer notetaker (someone already enrolled in your course) or an OEA professional notetaker (an OEA employee who attends your course for the express purpose of providing notetaking accommodations).  Notes that are provided through our note taking service, NoteTaking Express, are only available to the student through the NTE Hub and are not available to faculty.

Are there RAMS - Accommodate Information Sessions being held?

The OEA staff is available for 1:1 information sessions as well as departmental faculty meetings.  If you would like to schedule one of these sessions, please email rams-accommodate@wcupa.edu.