The Centre for Accessibility

Working with us

The resources below provide more detailed information on processes and common questions:

Audio-Recording

For information about accommodations which permit the audio recording of lectures, you can refer to the following website: BC Campus Fact Sheet Audio Recorded Lectures – Academic Accommodation Fact Sheets. We have also included an Instructor FAQ document below.

Exams

For exam-related inquiries, you can contact our Exam Coordinators at exam.coordinator@ubc.ca. If you have questions about how to submit exam information to the CfA on the ClockWork portal, or how to adjust Canvas timing for students writing exams with extended-time accommodations, please see the guides below. To view which students are entitled to write with the CfA, please login to the Instructor Portal for more details.

1. The deadline for instructors to submit their exam details to the CfA by 9:00 a.m. two days ahead of the scheduled exam date. During finals, exams run on weekends.
   1. Instructors receive two reminder emails in advance of the deadline; the second one includes the exact deadline for their exam details. If we do not receive final exam details (duration, format, and allowances) by the deadline, the instructor will be responsible for implementing the exam accommodation, as listed on the Letter of Accommodation.
2. There are two steps for instructors providing exams to the CfA:
   1. Enter exam details (via the Test Information Form in the instructor portal) at least two business days before the exam date.
   2. b. If the exam is on Canvas and you require CfA to adjust Canvas settings, please indicate this when you submit the exam information
   3. c. If the exam itself is not ready when you enter the exam details, please submit it as soon as possible after the exam details have been entered, as CfA needs time to print and process those exams.
   4. d. Please do not send any changes to exams on the day of the exam—CfA cannot make same-day changes.
3. Given the volume and complexity of accommodations, CfA will be unable to provide exceptions to this process as we are serving thousands of other students. However, minor glitches are common (for example, exams starting a few minutes late). The CfA has protocols and procedures to ensure these are quickly resolved and communicated to students, and, when relevant, to instructors.
4. The CfA exam team will contact the person listed on the “Test Information” page for the exam booking if instructor input is necessary or if we need to alert the instructor of an irregularity or challenge. Please ensure the contact you provided is available to answer CfA calls during the exam.
5. The CfA cannot provide same-day exam delivery or pick-up. We appreciate the challenge this presents to instructors but need to maintain exam integrity by carefully sorting packaging and tracking completed exams in alignment with our staffing limitations and Campus Mail processes. During finals, exams can be picked up the next day, including weekends from 10am-4pm, from Room 3080 – Brock Commons South.

FAQs 

1. I am a new instructor, I have received accommodation letters from students, what am I supposed to do? 

That letter is to notify you that the student will write the exam with CfA. To accommodate those students, please submit exam information on the exam portal. Sometimes you will see that the number of letters you have received vs. the number of students booked for the exam on the CfA portal does not match. If a student has not booked their exam with us, you are not obligated to provide students with the accommodation. It is students’ responsibility to book their exams and they receive reminders to do so. If you need more information you can reach out to exam.coordinator@ubc.ca. 

2. My exam is taking place on Zoom (remote invigilation). Will CfA accommodate students? 

The Centre staff can also help with invigilating students on Zoom however, such requests must be made at least 3 business days before the exam date (We will not accept requests for Zoom invigilation 1-2 days before the exam date). 

3. How will the group portion work for CfA students? 

Extended time accommodation does not apply for group portion exams. If you have a group portion in your class then CfA students will be scheduled to write their individual portion with CfA and they will join the class for their group portion. Please indicate group portion details while submitting information on the exam portal, including what time they should return to class for the group portion. We will adjust their timing to accommodate this. 

4. My exam is on Canvas and I do not know how to adjust the time for CfA students. 

CfA staff are trained to handle Canvas exam adjustments and they can help with adjusting time for students provided you submit exam information 3 business days before the exam date on the exam portal. Please note: the extended time can only be adjusted for students who have booked their exams on the exam portal. 

Undue Hardship

To read more on ‘Undue Hardship’, please review the document attached below. Prior to completing this form, we encourage you to read Disability Accommodation Policy, LR7.  Undue hardship is legally determined based on the hardship to UBC, not to an individual instructor.

Accessibility Beyond Accommodation: Going Deeper to Create Accessible Curriculum

• Inclusive, Universal and Accessible Design  - UBC Centre for Teaching, Learning and Technology

• Universal Design for Learning - UBC Centre for Teaching, Learning and Technology

• Resources - Accessibility 101