Faculty Guide to Alternate Format
Introduction
A student may provide you with a letter of accommodation anytime through the semester that can include an accommodation for alternate format. You can help facilitate the process of making your course material accessible by working closely with Nicole Sims and Felix Fergon of the alternate format team (accesstext@uic.edu) when they reach out to you via email in response to a student request for alternate format in your course.
This need can be met proactively by ensuring that course materials such as syllabus, hand-outs, textbooks, and supplements meet digital accessibility guidelines. For more information about creating and sourcing accessible materials, visit accessibility.uic.edu.
Questions and Resources
Verify the student has completed the alternate format request form
The student should submit the Alternate Format Request Form to start the process to get their course materials convert into an alternate format
Please note:
- Turn-around time for this service depends on the nature of the request and the time during the semester it is received. If you have any specific concerns about turn around time of your request, please email the alternate format team at accesstext@uic.edu
The faculty role in the alternate format process will vary based upon the student’s request
For all requests: ensure that the student has completed the Alternate Format Request Form.
For textbook conversions: the alternate format team will coordinate textbook conversions using our online resources. This will likely not require any additional steps on the faculty member’s part.
For students who require all course material (course material provided by faculty including articles and/or book chapters) in an alternate format, the DRC Alternate Format team will reach out to faculty when they receive a request via email. Faculty will need to share materials with the Alternate Format team by following the steps below:
- Make sure that you have a UIC Box account set up by following the steps here: Create A UIC Box Account. If you need assistance with this step, you can contact ACCC at consult@uic.edu (312) 413-0003
- Once your Box account is created, the alternate format team will share a Box folder with you titled with the course name, number, and semester. Each course folder will house weekly folders for uploaded content.
- It is the responsibility of the faculty member to upload and organize course material in Box in advance of when they are required for the course
- Please remember to inform the alternate format team via email (accesstext@uic.edu) with any changes to your course material as soon as possible.
Please note:
- Turn-around time for this service depends on the nature of the request and the time during the semester it is received. If you have any specific concerns about turn around time of your request, please email the alternate format team at accesstext@uic.edu
- Except under special circumstances, the alternate format team cannot be added to faculty’s Canvas pages to gain access to course material. We simply lack the bandwidth to do so as we serve students enrolled in hundreds of classes every semester
Thank you for your understanding and cooperation!!
If you need assistance at any point in this process, you can contact us directly at accesstext@uic.edu.