Instructors and students registered with AES have access to a web-based system called Accommodate to help manage academic accommodations.

Accommodate is accessible through the AES PAWS channel. 

• AES PAWS channel

Students registered with AES may require academic accommodations in an online environment. For some students with disabilities, the inability to access campus spaces and resources may actually increase the impact their disability has on their academic performance. Some students with disabilities may not have access to assistive technologies at home that they would normally access on campus. It is important that faculty members and instructors consider their options to expand the ways they provide course programs to students.

Text-based course materials

Course materials should be created in a format that allows students with visual, auditory, neurological and motor disabilities to easily engage with the material.

• How to design accessible course materials

Assessments, assignments and discussions

Online learning courses may present unique challenges for students who are now interacting with course material in ways that differ from the traditional lecture delivery format. Online courses may have heavier amounts of text to navigate and may incorporate more than one medium such as readings and audio/visual components. These changes may mean that students need more time to work through the course information as text or audio/visual heavy courses can both present challenges for students with disabilities.

• Accessible online learning design

Assistive technology

For assistive technology for students with disabilities, AES recommends Read&Write Software. Read&Write is easy-to-use software for PCs and Macs that supports reading, writing, studying, and research. The software is free to all University of Saskatchewan students, staff, and faculty to download to their personal computers. The software makes the web, documents, and files more accessible - any time, any place on any platform or device.

With Read&Write you can:

• Hear text read aloud to improve reading comprehension, with a choice of natural voices.
• Understand unfamiliar words with text and picture dictionaries.
• Highlight and copy text from documents and web pages to create study guides, outlines or complete assignments.
• Supports writing skills with word prediction.
• Turn text from documents and web pages into MP3 sound files for listening on the move.
• Check writing and grammar mistakes with proofreading tools.

• Read&Write Software Guide

Additional remote teaching resources

For information on online tools and programs recommended by the University of Saskatchewan as well as additional technology considerations, please visit the USask Learning Technology Ecosystem Toolkit.

• USask Learning Technology Ecosystem Toolkit

The University of Saskatchewan does not require students to register with Access and Equity Services for a diagnosis of COVID. No formal medical documentation needs to be presented to an instructor; use of the student-signed  Declaration of Absence form is acceptable if necessary. Also, note that the Student Wellness Centre does not provide a medical note for missed academic requirements (including exams) because of illness.

Students who are feeling unwell should contact their instructors who will be able to guide the student with regard to departmental and/or college procedures to determine next steps related to requesting deferred exams, class notes, postponing non-final exams, or requesting extensions on outstanding work.

Should you require further information, please contact your department head or associate/assistant dean.

Letters to Professors

The purpose of Letters to Professors (LTPs) is to:

• provide confirmation to the professor that the student is registered with AES
• outline required academic and exam accommodations they will need
• and state the deadlines they must meet in order to receive exam accommodations through AES.

There is no deadline to register with AES and so an instructor may receive an LTP at any time during the year.

Definitions of accommodations

If you are unsure of what an accommodation entails, please browse through the definitions.

• Definitions of Accommodations

What is the AES Exam Program

The Exam Program is a centralized service that provides accommodations for students registered with AES. Only those accommodations recommended by a student's medical documentation and/or psycho-educational assessment may be provided. Accommodations include a range of services and aids, including additional time; access to a sofa, drafting table, or assistive technology; the use of a reader/scribe; and restrictions on how many exams a student can write within a specified period of time.

AES takes academic integrity very seriously and students writing exams through AES are expected to adhere to all USask examination policies.

The Note Taking Program facilitates the sharing of volunteers' lecture notes, through Accommodate, to eligible students. The program may assist students who have difficulty physically taking notes, who have difficulty hearing the lecture or who may be easily distracted. The program is confidential for both the note taker and the AES registered student. 

Note takers are found through emails sent to all students enrolled in the class and are given a Co-Curricular Record (CCR) notation to validate their volunteer experience. Questions about the program may be directed to aesnotetaking@usask.ca.

Access to the AES note taking program is for students registered with AES on the basis of a prohibited ground(s) only. AES does not provide access to note taking for COVID-19 related reasons.

The Alternate Format Textbook Program (Alt Format Program) assists students with perceptual disabilities in obtaining books in alternate formats, primarily in PDF format. For the purpose of this program, and in accordance with Canadian Copyright Law, Section 32, students with perceptual disabilities include those who have:

• Severe or total impairment of sight or hearing or the inability to focus or move one's eyes,
• The inability to hold or manipulate a book, or
• A reading impairment relating to comprehension

Alternate Format Textbook Program information. Questions about the program may be directed to aesaltformat@usask.ca.

• What are religious accommodations and how are they handled?