Students who have, or suspect they may have, a disability for which they would like to request academic accommodations, should first contact the Accessibility Resource Center to discuss their needs. See Accommodations Process for more information.
Requesting Academic Accommodations
Students with approved academic accommodations must request those accommodations at the beginning of each semester by completing the Semester Request in their Accommodate portal. Once a Semester Request has been submitted, the student’s Accessibility Specialist will notify the faculty via an Accommodation Memo.
Faculty Notification
Students are encouraged to submit their semester request and speak with their professors, within the first few weeks of the semester. Students are responsible for approaching their professors in a timely manner to ensure the Accommodation Memo was received and to discuss the implementation of the accommodations.
The Accessibility Resource Center (ARC) and faculty need sufficient notice in order to recommend and provide reasonable accommodations. They may not be able, nor may they be obligated, to honor last-minute requests. While it is expected that a student will advocate for their individual needs directly with the faculty, ARC may assist in the process if requested.
Exam Accommodations
Students with exam accommodations must make arrangements with their instructors at least nine days in advance of the examination date to allow for logistical and proctoring arrangements. If an instructor is unable to proctor a student’s exam, the student has the option to take their exam with ARC. The student must book the exam with ARC at least eight days in advance of the examination date. The ARC Exam Booking Student Guide will provide you with step by step instructions for how to complete the process.
For more information about taking an exam with ARC, including expectations and procedures, please visit the Test Proctoring with ARC webpage.
Access to Curriculum Content
Peer Note-Takers
Students approved for a peer note-taker accommodation must complete the Note Taker Request form at the start of every semester. A form must be completed for each class that a note-taker is needed. The Accessibility Resource Center will contact the student with next steps, upon the receipt of the form.
Genio Access
Genio is an application that can be used from a computer or mobile device for recording lectures. Users can embed PDFs or PowerPoint slides to accompany the audio recording. Students can add their own text notes alongside the recording and can highlight sections of the audio for future reference. Students with an approved accommodation for the use of Genio will be required to complete an agreement that aligns with TCNJ’s Classroom Recording Policy. More information and tutorial videos can be found on Genio’s website. Instructors who are interested in learning more about Genio, can visit the Genio website or contact an Accessibility Specialist.
Permission to Record Lectures
If a student has an accommodation that gives permission to record lectures (outside of Genio), they must first complete the ARC Recording Waiver with their professor.
Communication Access
Students who require Sign language interpreting services to facilitate communication access in classes and College-sponsored activities should first register with the Accessibility Resource Center through the Accommodations Process.
To request an interpreter for a class or other event on campus, please complete the ASL Interpreter Request Form. Please note that we ask for that this request be submitted at least 2 weeks before the start date of the class or date of the event.
Modifications to Academic/Technical Standards
All students are expected to meet the academic and technical requirements associated with their program of study. Students with disabilities are not exempt from the College’s established requirements, including course prerequisites, GPA standards, technical standards, degree requirements, or other essential program expectations.
In some cases, the College may provide reasonable accommodations to ensure that requirements do not unfairly affect a qualified student because of a disability. However, the College cannot change requirements that are essential to a course, program, or licensing standard. Accommodations also cannot be approved if they would fundamentally alter the nature of a program. Examples of accommodations in this context may include approved course substitutions or flexibility in how attendance policies are applied, when appropriate.
As with all accommodation requests, students must provide supporting documentation. Each request is reviewed individually and decided on a case-by-case basis.