[Athen] Question regarding Alt Text requests and agreements

[Teresa Haven]

Hi, Maria.  When I was producing alt format, I had a form available for students but it wasn't the only way for them to provide me with information -- so long as I got the info, it wasn't a big deal whether they used the form or not. They did need to confirm in writing periodically that they understood and agreed to basic copyright protections as well as procedures meant to ensure that everyone got what they needed in a timely manner. We requested syllabi or any other information that would help us schedule production and get materials to all students in a timely manner.  We maintained a database that helped us keep all the various books, chapters, handouts, and other types of readings/projects on schedule for both production and delivery, since we typically were serving 125-150 students at a time, most of whom were taking full class loads.  It was the student's responsibility to notify us if there were changes in requirements, whether those were for different due dates, reduction or addition of materials, etc.   Our goal was always to deliver materials a minimum of a week in advance of the course due date, preferably 2 weeks in advance. Early notifiers often got their materials much sooner, but in many cases students didn't have control over when they got the materials or information from their instructors, so we tried not to penalize the students for what they couldn't control. 

Hope this helps,
Teresa

Teresa Haven, Ph.D.
Accessibility Analyst, Northern Arizona University




-----Original Message-----
From: athen-list [mailto:athen-list-bounces at mailman13.u.washington.edu] On Behalf Of Maria Bohn
Sent: Friday, March 18, 2016 9:28 AM
To: Access Technology Higher Education Network
Subject: [Athen] Question regarding Alt Text requests and agreements
Importance: High

How many of you require a student to fill out a form for Alt Text requests? Including books, handouts etc? Im thinking its more work for the student, but then also thinking no form is more work for me trying to keep track of a syllabus etc. Also do you have students sign any form of agreement at the beginning of the semester? We did just start a paper form that needs to be submitted with anything handed into the office which helps us keep track of requests but Im looking for a "best practices" sort of way to make this smoother on all ends. I always request a copy of the syllabus but I also inform the student they need to email me what they need (or call the office) to assure it is sent on time since I cannot keep track of everyone syllabus and due dates and since dates tend to change is there are class cancellations.


Maria Bohn
Senior Resource Accommodation Specialist Assistive Technology Office of Specialized Services Bergen Community College _______________________________________________
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