Student Accommodations and Services

The Disability Resource Center collaborates with students, faculty, and staff to create usable, equitable, inclusive, and sustainable learning environments. However, there may be times when there are aspects of the instruction or design of your courses that result in barriers to your inclusion or to accurate assessment of achievement. When that is the case, the DRC staff will work with you to arrange for accommodations.

Request an Accommodation

Get Connected with the DRC

The following video will walk you through how to get connected with the DRC.

Exam Accommodations

The following accommodations are the most common examples, though they are certainly not an exhaustive list of all possible accommodations.

The first steps for a student to receive their exam accommodations are:

Review the course syllabus
Have a conversation with your instructor. Each instructor handles accommodations and assessments differently so having this conversation is important. Some instructors will opt for online exams/quizzes that will be utilizing online proctors while others may choose for a traditional paper/pencil version to be proctored in person.
If in person exams are needed, Purdue Testing Services will be open to assist in the event that instructors are unable to facilitate a student's accommodated exam. To learn more about how request an exam with Purdue Testing Services, please visit our website.

Extended Time

Approved extended time is applicable when the exam has a pre-set limited amount of working time. The pre-set (class time) should be multiplied by what the Course Accessibility Letter states.
If the exam is available for a period of time (such as a day or several days), but you have a defined amount of working time once the exam is opened, your extended time would be applied as is done for an in-class exam.
If the exam is available for several days with no specific amount of time given for the exam, then extended time is generally not applied when the working window is 24 hours or more. Should you have any questions on how to apply the extended time accommodation in a particular student/test situation, feel free to consult with the student’s Access Consultant ahead of time or send an e-mail to drc@purdue.edu
Tests, quizzes, and exams given may be offered through Brightspace.
- In this situation, the platform controls the amount of time and will shut down the exam when the allotted time expires. When the exam has a specific amount of working time, please confirm ahead of time with your instructor they have accounted for your extended time, as it will differ from your classmates who do not have this accommodation.
- Your instructor may choose some other means to administer a timed exam. If so, please talk with your instructor to ensure that your start and end times account for your extended time so there is no questions about the amount of time you have to work the exam.

Breaks During Exams

The DRC recommends students with this accommodation get 15% additional time for each exam and quiz. This should be pro-rated based on the time the class has to work on exams. This accommodation is not to be used for working on the exam. It has been determined the student has a condition that requires this accommodation to “take a break” from the exam. If students feel they have a need for longer breaks, on a regular basis, they need to let the faculty member know as well as their Access Consultant. The Access Consultant needs to provide specific guidance to the instructor. Note: As with an in-class exam, the Purdue Code of Honor applies to student’s appropriate use of accommodations.

Food/Drink in Classroom Setting

Students are encouraged to speak with their instructors about this particular accommodation in advance to ensure they have a plan for how this would work should they need to take a break. That would include communicating that the student may need to step out for this purpose, planning to sit near the exit so it is less disruptive, and knowing where they may go that is approved for them to remove their face covering while they consume their food or drink. Students should also have a plan for how they might catch up on any content missed while they step away from the classroom and how it may look different in an exam situation. If students or faculty have any concerns about this adjustment, then please notify the student's Access Consultant.

Other Accommodations

Large print and Assistive Technology use on exams

If students have any concerns about the ability to utilize assistive technology on an exam, please contact your instructor and remind them this is one of your accommodations. Be aware that lock down browsers like RESPONDUS, can interfere with various types of assistive technology solutions. If there are questions about the implementation of Assistive Technology for your exams, please contact your Access Consultant.

Peer Note Takers

Based on course design and delivery this accommodation may be less necessary than when you were physically in a class. An email message has been sent both to peer note-takers and students who use this accommodation. Note-takers will continue to take notes and share them with you unless this new online environment changes your access. If you no longer need access to a peer notetaker, please notify your notetaker and drcnotetaking@purdue.edu. If you have questions, please contact your Access Consultant.

Alternative Formats

Prior to purchasing your textbooks and/or sending a request for alternative formats, please search Purdue's online databases for accessible formats. Contact Alternative Formats to register for a free Bookshare subscription.

Finding Accessible Textbooks Steps to Request E-Text

Other Accommodations

If you receive other accommodations that will be impacted by being in an online learning environment, please communicate with your instructor immediately to discuss options. Access barriers cannot be addressed if we do not know about them. The DRC is always available to assist as needed in conversations regarding the implementation of accommodations.