UVM has acquired the tool, Blackboard Ally, that gives instructors feedback about how accessible their files are and creates alternate versions of the files that are accessible to a students with a variety of needs or preferences. Read about Blackboard Ally on the Center for Teaching & Learning’s website.
Providing Accommodations in Blackboard
UVM is committed to ensuring all students have access to its academic programs. The office of Student Accessibility Services works closely with students and faculty to develop the best approach to implementing accommodations.
Accommodations are made on a case-by-case basis according to the needs of the individual student. At times, this will necessitate some changes to your Blackboard course space.
Below are some common requests and how to implement them in Blackboard.
Extra Time for Quizzes, Tests, and Exams
If you give Blackboard tests with time limits, you can extend the time for specific individuals with “Test Availability Exceptions.”
Note takers need to post notes to your course
Note takers can be added to your course space as “course builders.” Course Builders cannot see any student data (i.e. grades, discussion board posts, journal entries), but they can add content to your course. To add a Course Builder follow these instructions for adding TAs, Course Builders, and Students with Incompletes.
We recommend that you set up a Blackboard content area linked to the Course Menu so that note takers can easily find the correct place to post their notes.
Note: Course Builders can also delete content, so please have a discussion with any note takers about your expectations.
Interpreters may need to review your course materials prior to a session.
There may be times when it is helpful interpreters to review course material prior to interpreting during a class. For example, if there is disciplinary-specific vocabulary, they need to know what to expect instead of trying to interpret on-the-fly. For this, you can make your course available to guests. See instructions to set Guest Access for your course.
Videos in your course need to be captioned
If you have a student in your class who needs videos captioned in order to have equal access to course information, it’s imperative that this is completed in advance of the showing date, not after the fact. Please plan ahead! Complete the Captioning Request Form to arrange for captioning videos. Student Accessibility Services (SAS) staff can also discuss software packages that allow you to caption your own videos if you want to try. Contact SAS at 802-656-5537 or myaccess@uvm.edu with questions.
Providing a student with a transcript does not fulfill a captioning accommodation request.
More information about accommodations from the SAS website.
- General Information (including syllabus statement)
- Guidelines and Procedures
- FAQs
Blackboard Statement
Blackboard products are accessible to all users and are developed in accordance with the international Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (2.0 Level AA) and the US Section ADA 508 standards. More information on this product’s accessibility can be found on the Blackboard website.