Please review the following carefully. Adhering to these guidelines will ensure we have the information we need for you to be able to use your accommodations effectively.  Note that all academic accommodations remain in effect, regardless of mode of instruction.

Registering Accommodations

In order to utilize an approved academic accommodation, students must register their accommodation(s) in AIM at least 5 business days in advance of a class assessment or assignment. Students must register their accommodations for their courses every semester for each course they plan to use their accommodation(s).  Written and video instructions for registering an approved accommodation can be found on our AIM information page. Registration will open prior to the start of classes and we will send email reminders every semester.

If you’re approved for:

Exam Accommodations

If a timed assessment is given via Lyceum, the instructor will adjust the allotted time according to the your approved accommodation.  Remote, unproctored exams do not need to be scheduled with our office.  If you plan to take an in-person exam with the Office of Accessible Education, you must:

1. Talk to your professor first, and well in advance of your first quiz/exam, about implementation of a testing accommodation.
2. Schedule with us a minimum of 5 business days in advance. Failure to do so may mean that you are not able to take your exam here.
3. Schedule your exam during the class time. Our policy is that exams must be scheduled as close to the actual class time as possible.

How to Schedule an Exam:

Students must log-in to the Accessible Information Management (AIM) portal to schedule an exam. Step-by-step written and video instructions are available. Please note the following:

1. Be sure to schedule on time. Schedule your exams a minimum of 5 business days in advance.
2. Schedule your exams for a time block that overlaps with your class.  Due to the current global pandemic we have new capacity restrictions and cleaning protocols.  To ensure the safety of our students, staff, and faculty to the greatest extent possible, exams will only be proctored at designated start times: 8:15, 10:20, 12:25, and 2:30
3. When scheduling, please indicate ALL approved accommodations you plan to use (for example: extended testing time, computer use, any assistive technology, separate location, etc).
4. Coordinate with your professor to have the exam sent to our office. Make sure we have the exam here and ready to go for you!
5. Arrive for your exam on time. Come to Ladd Library G35 ready to begin on time. Late arrival won’t extend your scheduled end time; you will be given the remaining time after you arrive to complete the exam.
6. Contact us with any questions. If you need assistance scheduling an exam, please stop by Ladd Library G35 or contact us at accessibility@bates.edu or 207-786-6222. Our office hours are Monday-Friday 8:00am-4:30pm.
7. Be familiar with and follow the Exam Accommodation Guidelines.

Peer Note Taking

To utilize a peer note taking accommodation, you must:

1. Register your accommodations as soon as possible through AIM. Identifying peer note takers can sometimes take up to 2 weeks or more depending on the course.
2. Access your notes through AIM. Your assigned note taker will upload their notes into AIM for you to access.
3. Let us know ASAP if there are any issues so we can address them. We won’t know unless you tell us.

Text in Electronic Format

If approved to receive textbooks in electronic format, you must:

1. Check Bookshare or look for an electronic version of the textbook first (we can help you create a Bookshare account if needed). Check the Text in Alternate Format page for additional resources.
2. If you are unable to locate an electronic version of your text, send the following to accessibility@bates.edu as early as possible: Title, author, ISBN #, copyright year, and publisher. It can take up to several weeks, in some cases, to get an accessible file.
3. Provide proof of purchase. We cannot request a file from a publisher until we have this. You can drop off a copy of a receipt or email us the purchase confirmation.
4. Use these files for your personal use only. Files may not be distributed or shared with other students.