Academic accommodations

Academic accommodations may be provided to a student when a disability creates functional limitations in their academic pursuits.

An accommodation other than that requested may be provided if it is considered the most appropriate and reasonable. Accommodations are only provided if they are considered reasonable.

List of available academic accommodations

Although unique to each student, some typical accommodations include:

Note-taking services
Tutors
Distraction free rooms for exam and test writing
Extra time to write tests and exams
Voice-to-text
Non-networked computer use for test or exam writing
Allowance for recording of lectures
Assistive technologies in the classroom
(smart pens/recording devices, FM transmitters)
Assistive technologies outside of the classroom
(electronic textbooks, text-to-speech/voice-to-text software)
Reduced course load

Questions? Contact accessibility@mta.ca.

How to request academic accommodations

Before you can request academic accommodations, you must be registered with the Meighen Centre. You'll need to provide disability/medical documentation and have an initial meeting with one of our disability services advisors.

Request accommodations for the semester

You'll need to request all the accommodations you'll need for all classes during the current semester. Accommodation requests should only be made once you've attended your first day of classes and have received your syllabus/course outline.

Submit your request through Accommodate > Semester Request once you know what accommodations you'll need.

Your request will be processed by the Meighen Centre. Once approved, an email will be sent to you and your instructor explaining your accommodation needs.

Test and exam accommodations

Before you can book accommodations for a test or exam, your 'Semester Request' in Accommodate must be processed by the Meighen Centre.

Once approved, you'll be able to log in and schedule to write your test, midterm, and exams in the Meighen Centre with your approved accommodations.

Go to Accommodate > Test and Exam Accommodations.

Requests for test accommodations must be made 7 days in advance of your test date. Requests received later than this may not be processed in time for you to receive your accommodations.

Once your test dates have been confirmed, simply show up at the Meighen Centre at your scheduled time. We will have your test and accommodations ready for you.

Options for test and exam accommodations include:

Extra time
Quiet room
Use of computer/spell checker
Reader service or test-to-voice software
Scribe service or voice-to-text software

Please do not book test dates unless you need accommodations for the test.

Note taking

Students who are eligible to receive note-taking services can sign up through Accommodate > Semester Request.

If approved, notes will be made available through Accommodate > Class Notes.

Tutoring

Tutoring is available to all Meighen Centre students through the Nimbus tutoring app.

To request a tutor: accessibility@mta.ca.

Paying for your tutor:

Many students can access the Canada Study Grant to receive funding to help pay for their tutoring. To find out if you may be eligible, contact accessibility@mta.ca.

Students who are not eligible for grant funding are responsible to pay for their own tutoring services. Students with financial need may be eligible for some assistance through the Meighen Centre.

Credits for non-grant students can be requested directly through the Nimbus app.

Text-to-speech software — Kurzweil 3000

The Meighen Centre has a site license of Kurzweil 3000 reading software.

This software is, in our opinion, the best text-to-speech software available on the market today. This software would typically cost $1,500 for a single user license. Thanks to the generous support of the Scotiabank Innovations Fund, this software is available to all students, staff and faculty at MtA.

This means that you can download a copy of Kurzweil to your computer for free as long as you are a Mount A student or staff member.

The license we purchased gives you access to the following:

Full version of Kurzweil 3000 for download on your computer.
Firefly web software available at www.kurzweil3000.com (this is a version of Kurzweil with basic features that can be used in a web browser when connected to the Internet - e.g., Chrome, Firefox, Safari, etc.)
Firefly mobile app (a basic version of Kurzweil for use on Apple iPad devices. You can download the app from the iTunes App Store. Please note: if you wish to use Firefly on an Android device, this can be done through Firefly web software in a web browser on your Android device).

To register to use Kurzweil please go to the Kurzweil 3000 page on Moodle, where you will find the registration link and instructions:

Navigate to the Moodle > Miscellaneous
Scroll down and click on "Meighen Centre" and log into Moodle with your MtA username & password, if you haven't done so already.
Scroll down to the topic "Kurzweil 3000 Registration" and click on "Instructions for Kurzweil 3000 Registration"
Follow the instructions to complete your registration
Under "Kurzweil 3000 Registration" you may also wish to download a copy of the user installation guide for Windows or Apple OSX

Once you have registered please follow these links to download a copy of Kurzweil 3000 to your computer (Note: Please choose the "web license" option):

Windows: https://www.kurzweiledu.com/k3win
Apple Mac: https://www.kurzweiledu.com/k3mac

If you have questions or would like to schedule a training session on how to use Kurzweil + Firefly please contact accessibility@mta.ca.

For more services, visit programs and resources for Meighen Centre students.

Questions? Contact our Meighen Centre staff.