Faculty FAQ

Faculty are responsible for implementing approved accommodations in a timely manner. Students may request accommodations at any point during the semester. Please reach out to SASC if you have any questions about implementing or supporting these accommodations.  You may not deny an approved accommodation, share information about a student's accommodation with other students, or ask a student to identify their disability. 

Clinical accommodations are addressed on a case-by-case basis. Collaborative team meetings help clarify technical standards, program requirements, and site-specific considerations. SASC partners with placement liaisons and, when appropriate, site supervisors to determine and implement reasonable accommodations.

Requests for virtual learning are evaluated based on disability-related barriers to in-person attendance and participation. SASC engages in a collaborative process to determine whether virtual access is reasonable, provided it does not fundamentally alter the course.

SASC consults with professors to identify students currently or previously enrolled in the course who may be interested in this paid opportunity, as these students are often strong candidates. Positions are also posted on Handshake. Paid notetakers attend class, record organized and clear notes from lecture material, and upload their notes to a shared folder within 24 hours of each session.

We appreciate faculty being proactive and attentive when a student appears to be struggling. We encourage you to share a list of campus resources, including SASC, so students can determine what support best meets their needs. Please avoid assuming a student has a disability or referring them to our office without their consent.

The Flexibility with Attendance and Assignment Deadlines Plan (Flex Plan) is an accommodation designed to address disability-related concerns that impact classroom attendance and assignment deadlines. Flex Plans allow for necessary adjustments to these policies on a case-by-case basis while maintaining the requirement for attendance and submission of assignments. In such cases, flexibility in attendance/assignments may be considered an appropriate accommodation.

If you have any questions about this accommodation, please contact SASCFlexPlans@stonybrook.edu

The amount of flexibility with absences depends on the interactive and participatory nature of a course, or is based on department, college, or accrediting agency rules. The amount can vary significantly from course to course. Some instructors whose courses are recorded and aren't participatory in nature find that they can be even more flexible. If interested, faculty are encouraged to contact SASCFlexPlans@stonybrook.edu for course-specific questions before submitting their Flex Plan.

When evaluating how much flexibility can be provided, faculty should consider the learning objectives and requirements of the course. Not every course component can be provided with an extension. Depending on the course pacing, amount of time already given for an assignment, or the collaborative nature of the assignment, extensions may look different. If interested, faculty are encouraged to contact SASCFlexPlans@stonybrook.edu for course-specific questions before submitting their Flex Plan.

When a student renews or is approved for this accommodation and requests a Flex Plan for their class, the Accommodation Flex Specialist will reach out to the appropriate faculty member to create and implement a Flex Plan for that course. Once finalized, the Flex Plan is then sent to the student. Flex Plans do not apply to all SASC students in your course, only the ones who are approved for this specific accommodation.

Faculty receive an emailed Accommodation Letter from SASC for each student with accommodations in their specific course. Faculty can view all the Accommodation Letters sent to them through our ClockWork Portal.

Genio Notes is the primary application for note-taking accommodations. Genio offers students an easy way to record, organize, and refine their notes while utilizing a platform designed for students with disabilities.  

Following a simple and structured process, students can capture audio and slides, annotate key moments with text, labels, and handwritten notes.

Genio Notes was vetted and approved in collaboration with Information Security, University Counsel, and Procurement. This process includes a review of their contract and security documentation and is repeated for every contract renewal. Genio Notes has been approved by the university for use in class.

It depends on the accommodation! For reader and alternate format textbook accommodations, SASC provides programs or alternate formats for students with these accommodations to use. Typically, these programs will work with standard course material, but if possible, try to stay away from scanned documents, as they are not accessible. 

For captioning accommodations, ensure that any material shown in class or posted online has captions available for the student.

SASC will collaborate with faculty to address these concerns. Ultimately, the student will need to use their computer or the software in some capacity - but we are happy to find a solution that works for both the student and the professor. Some solutions we have come up with in the past are:

Having the student sit in the back of the class if the professor is concerned about the screen distracting others. 

Having the student start the recording on their mobile device and keep it at the front of the room with the professor.

Exams may be emailed to sascexams@stonybrook.edu, or delivered to the SASC Testing Center, located in the Student Union room 112. Please ensure exams are submitted at least two business days before the student’s scheduled test appointment.

When sending exams, please include: 

• The exam format (paper/scantron, online/Brightspace, etc.)
• The standard duration (without accommodations).
• A list of permitted materials  (ex: calculator, notes, formula sheet, etc.)
• A contact number or email for the proctor to use if questions arise during the exam. 

Please note:  Staff does not maintain 24/7 access to email.  Exams received outside of business hours (8:30-5 PM) will be processed the following business day.  Please, do not email exams to individual SASC staff.

If a student requires assistive technology (e.g., digital reader, large print), please provide the exam in a digital format (Word preferred) at least two business days before the appointment so we can complete necessary conversions.  Our Assistive Technology Specialist will facilitate implementation.

Because extended-time accommodations may create exam overlaps, SASC will work closely with both the student and faculty to coordinate an appropriate schedule. We appreciate your partnership in this process and ask that faculty work collaboratively with us to adjust exam times when needed to ensure compliance with accommodation requirements

Exam security is a top priority for SASC. Each exam is placed in an envelope with a unique barcode. Exams are logged into our database, and logged out when instructors pick them up. Only SASC professional staff have access to the sascexams@stonybrook.edu email and to the exams. Exams are kept in a secure location. In addition, all staff sign confidentiality agreements to protect the identities of our students and the course materials of SBU professors.

Completed exams can be picked up by a faculty member, a Teaching Assistant, or department staff from the SASC Testing Center.  Upon request, exams may be scanned and emailed.  Please allow 48 hours to receive emailed exams. SASC does not interoffice or mail exams to faculty.

During Finals, we suggest that you do not pick up exams around 8:00AM, 11:00AM, 2:00PM, and 5:00PM. These are busy times when our staff is seating students for their final exams, and it can cause delays at the service window.

• Yes. If SASC is proctoring an online exam that students complete in person, please ensure:
  Exam access is set to open at the student's scheduled start time
• Extended time is correctly added
• Any required passwords are provided in advance

SASC also provides virtual proctoring through Zoom upon request.  Please reach out to SASC to discuss this further.