YSN values diversity, inclusion, and belonging and is committed to adhering to the Americans with Disabilities Act and working with Yale’s Student Accessibility Services (SAS) to meet the needs of our students. To this end, in an effort to create a smooth testing coordination process and experience for students, staff, and faculty, procedures and responsibilities for students, faculty, and staff are as follows. 

StudentS: 

Seeking Accommodations

• Students go to the Yale Student Accessibility Services for Health Science Students website (https://sas.yale.edu/students/graduate-and-professional-students/health-science-education) and complete the online form to request accommodations.
• If a student is requesting accommodations for the very first time, the steps are slightly different than if they already registered with SAS.
• Students go to SAS Accommodate Portal (https://yale-accommodate.symplicity.com) to request an accommodation for the first time and upload documents form their provider.
• SAS has developed documentation guidelines, found at https://sas.yale.edu/students/documentation-guidelines, to assist students with various disabilities and conditions with requesting the necessary documentation from their treatment providers. SAS treats students’ documentation from their provider as confidential and saves it in the student's file within the SAS internal data management system.
• Students who do not have documentation of their condition and/or who believe they have an undiagnosed condition should contact SAS to discuss their circumstances further.
• SAS will contact the student and meet with them to discuss barriers and potential accommodations to address those barriers. Each student's request and documentation are reviewed on a case-by-case basis and SAS's meeting with student is designed to be an interactive discussion.
• Once a determination has been made regarding accommodation, SAS will issue an accommodations letter to the student via e-mail and send a copy to the YSN Office of Student Life.
• If a student is currently registered with SAS or had SAS accommodations in the past, they need to renew their accommodations for each term (fall, spring, and summer) so they can continue utilizing accommodations. Student needs to go to SAS Accommodate Portal (https://yale-accommodate.symplicity.com), click on the Accommodations tab, then select Semester Renewal to select term courses they intend to apply for accommodations and renew their accommodations*.
• Once a student has submitted a semester renewal, SAS will issue an accommodations letter to the student via e-mail and send a copy to the YSN Office of Student Life. 
• To request a change or addition to their current accommodations, students who have requested accommodations of any type in the past need to follow the Supplemental Accommodations Guide (https://sas.yale.edu/sites/default/files/files/Supplemental%20Guide%20SAS.pdf).

*	GEPN students can use their spring term letter for the summer term.

Upon Receiving the SAS Letter of Accommodation

• Students go into the SAS Accommodate Portal (https://yale-accommodate.symplicity.com) and select the courses for each term for which they wish to utilize their accommodations.
• Students are responsible for forwarding their letter of accommodations received from SAS to their course faculty for courses where they wish to use their approved accommodations. The SAS accommodations letter provided to the student from SAS should be sent to their respective faculty within five business days of receiving it from SAS and at least seven days prior to their next assessment.
• Students should utilize the Qualtrics survey provided in their SAS letter to communicate their accommodation needs to the senior administrative assistants. This provides an extra level of assurance that all needs for testing will be met.
• Students should let faculty know if they decide to not use their accommodation for a particular assessment or if there is a change in their accommodation during the term.
• Students should share a signed lecture recording agreement with the faculty if they have an audio recording for note-taking purposes accommodation and abide by the agreement. 

During the Assessment

• Students must leave all personal items, laptop, and cell phone in their locker, car, etc. Nothing is allowed to be brought into the assigned testing room/area unless determined that they can bring a device in their SAS accommodations letter.
• Students must abide by the YSN Personal Conduct and Academic Integrity Standards and not leave the testing room/area or remove the exam from the testing room and/or building. If a student must leave the room (i.e., bathroom emergency), the student must take the exam to the designated staff person (course instructor, senior administrative assistant, or testing coordinator). 
• For students in settings where Zoom proctoring is being used, students must follow the Student Expectations for Zoom Proctoring.
• Students seeking additional information can access Yale Student Accessibility Services for Health Science Students website (https://sas.yale.edu/students/graduate-and-professional-students/health-science-education).

YSN Office of Student Life StafF:

• The Office of Student Life (OSL) will communicate with the student population about accommodations, student responsibilities, and important deadlines related to securing accommodations in a timely manner.
• In coordination with SAS, OSL will hire and train testing coordinator(s) and connect them to the senior administrative assistants for each program/specialty to plan for use as needed.
• OSL will liaison with SAS regularly and be a resource regarding accommodations for YSN students, faculty, and staff.

Faculty:

• Faculty members must maintain FERPA guidelines and share information regarding accommodations only with those who need to know to facilitate the accommodation for the student.
• Faculty members should check the SAS Accommodate Portal (https://yale-accommodate.symplicity.com) weekly during the first few weeks of the term and no later than seven days before the first assessment. Not all accommodations are assignment/assessment based.
• Faculty members should closely review what is needed for each student and determine if extra assistance is needed for any of the accommodations listed.
• Faculty members should share student accommodation details with the senior administrative assistant.
• Faculty members should make clear plans for any new accommodations they have not encountered before and confirm plans in writing (via e-mail) with individual students for how their needs will be met in their course.
• Faculty members should consider a student's course schedule when scheduling extra time for assessments to not take away from the instructional time.
• Faculty members should provide assessment or assignment content in alternative formats to students and/or proctors per accommodation letter.
• Faculty members should work with the YSN Office of Teaching and Learning if they need assistance ensuring that assessments given in platforms other than ExamSoft are adjusted to meet student needs.
• For faculty using Zoom proctoring for rooms for students using accommodations, they need to set up and share the Zoom link with students and determine the logistics with the senior administrative assistant. 

Senior Administrative Assistant (Sr. AA):

• The Sr. AA will follow up with faculty regarding their assessment schedules (i.e., dates, time, allotted time for exam/quiz) to determine the room needs for students with accommodations.
• The Sr. AA will notify OTL of time adjustments to be made in ExamSoft.
• The Sr. AA will check the Qualtrics survey to ensure that it matches what faculty have sent them and follow up with faculty if it does not match.
• The Sr. AA works with the SAS testing coordinators and faculty to schedule proctoring.
• Each term, the Sr. AA for each program/specialty will reserve rooms at YSN based on student accommodation needs and communicate these directly to the faculty instructor and/or student.
• In situations where testing space is limited (heavy midterm or exam season), the Sr. AA will work with the Business Office to identify any spaces not designated on EMS that may be used only in the rare occasion when testing space is limited.
• The Sr. AA will be responsible for notifying each student who has accommodations with specific information and instructions about the assessment day. Specific information/instructions to students should be sent by email at least the day before.
• Confidentiality of a student’s accommodation is critical. The Sr. AA will be sure to send separate emails to each student or blind copy the group of students.
• Specific information/instructions to the students must include:
  • date and start time of exam
  • where to report on the day/time of the exam
  • the importance of notifying the administrative staff immediately if there is an issue with the space assigned
  • what they are allowed to bring and not to bring: i.e., leaving personal items in lockers, their car, etc.
  • a reference to this protocol so the student may review it in advance.
• The Sr. AA will place a sign outside the testing room that indicates an assessment is in progress.
• In the event of a paper exam, if the Sr. AA is determined as the designee to receive the completed exam, the end time of the exam should be written on the document.