Student Disability Resources engages in an interactive process with each student and reviews requests for accommodations on an individualized, case-by-case basis. Students must provide appropriate documentation that supports the use of any accommodation. The following services are available to students depending on the nature and functional limitations of their documented disability.  Services are provided to students at no cost.  

Assistance Animals

Digital Course Materials

Digital course materials provide students access to print material through different methods (e.g., electronic files, large print files, audio) to ensure equal access to educational materials.
Read & Write is the most common text-to-speech program with many accessibility tools used by students at Penn State along with Equatio for handling math equations.

Exam Accommodations

Some exam accommodations are provided by having the student schedule and take their exam in the Student Disability Resources Exam Center located in 244 Swift. The SDR Exam Center provides...

  • a distraction-reduced testing environment
  • individualized workstations for each student
  • a professional proctored environment including the use of cameras

Students approved to use the exam center will be directed to a video introduction to the policies and procedures used and then allowed to schedule their exams via an online system.

Exams must be scheduled at least 3 days in advance, by completing this form.  This form is available at any time and can be completed for all exams at the beginning of the semester or can be filled out each time an exam is near.  

Notetaking Accommodations

Student Disability Resources provides note-taking support services as an academic accommodation for students with documented disabilities. Note-taking services are not to be used as a substitute for attending class and do not lessen the student’s academic responsibilities.

Class Notes Options

Notes are provided to qualified students in a variety of ways depending on:

  • Format of the course
  • Service availability for a given course
  • What works best for the student

Instructor-provided

Some courses provide class notes via a course packet, online, or in Canvas.

Jamworks

Jamworks is a note-taking tool that allows students to record lectures and receive detailed notes shortly after class. Access to Jamworks is provided to qualified students at no cost.

Livescribe Smartpen

The Livescribe Smartpen records the lecture while syncing it to the handwritten notes taken by the student.
This method requires the use of the specialized Livescribe Smartpen and special notebooks; both of which are provided to qualifying students at no cost.

Accommodation Usage

Students approved to use the note-taking accommodation will be directed to the SDR Audio Recording Agreement. Students must agree with the recording agreement before being able to request access to any of the available note-taking options.