Faculty Toolbox

Faculty, the Office for Students with Disabilities is here for you!

We’re Not Just For Students

The entire Office for Students with Disabilities team is available to support you as you transition your course(s) both on campus and online.  Please do not hesitate to reach out to us via phone, email, or simply stop by:

• East Region : (407) 582-2229 or osdeast@valenciacollege.edu
• West Region : (407) 582-1523 or osdwest@valenciacollege.edu
• Osceola Region : (407) 582-4167 or osdosc@valenciacollege.edu

Our process has changed a little, however, we are still providing accommodations and services to the Valencia community. 

Student Registration Process

We have transitioned to a fully remote registration process for students interested in receiving accommodation.  Students who are interested in services can use the following steps:

• (Optional) Contact one of our representatives to discuss disability and services available via the OSD.  Our offices can be reached at:
  • East Region : (407) 582-2229 or osdeast@valenciacollege.edu  
  • West Region : (407) 582-1523 or osdwest@valenciacollege.edu
  • Osceola Region : (407) 582-4167 or osdosc@valenciacollege.edu
• Submit documentation of a disability via ATLAS account
  • Log in to the “Student Resources” tab in Atlas
  • Expand the “Academic Resources” tab
  • Click on the “Office for Students with Disabilities Document Upload Form”
• Meet with an OSD representative via phone or video conference
• Accommodation letters are issued via email

Requesting Letters of Accommodation

Students are still required to request a letter of accommodation for every course they want to use approved accommodations.  Students can request their letters online via our letter of accommodation request form here.

Accommodation Letter Delivery

Letters will be sent via email directly from the OSD representative to you to ensure delivery. 

Delivering Accommodations in the Online Environment

Though some accommodations, like additional time on exams , use of a calculator, and permission to take breaks , easily translate online, some like preferential seating do not.   Some students, especially those with sensory barriers (such as deafness and blindness) may require other accommodations such as a live reader and note taker.  If these accommodations are necessary, the OSD will provide the personnel to support these students, we will reach out to you to discuss how we can work together to accommodate the student. 

Tier 2 Accommodations

Some students may require additional considerations due to the nature of their disabilities.  Their requests may be so unique that there are concerns that it could impact the outcomes of your course.  Any accommodation of this nature will have an additional information on the letter of accommodation explaining the request and asking you to contact our office to discuss it further. 

Alternative Format Materials

Some students are eligible for alternative format materials.  Alternative format materials allow students to have access to material in a different form than it is delivered to the rest of the course.  Traditionally, this involves providing students with electronic copies of the material so that it can be accessed via special software called a screen reader.  As many courses have now shifted online, your course material may already be in an accessible format.  We encourage you to contact Steven Costa, the College’s Assistive Technology Specialist, at scosta3@valenciacollege.edu or (407) 582-1005, if you see this accommodation on a student’s letter of accommodation and need to discuss it in detail.  

Students may also request their books in alternative format by using this link.  The Office for Students with Disabilities team will oversee the production of alternative format materials needed for your course.  

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Accessible Course Materials

What to Know When Considering Materials

Selecting textbooks and online content is an important part of designing instruction. By reviewing the accessibility of materials before purchase, faculty are able to support equitable access and reduce the amount of adjustments that may need to be made to materials. There are some simple questions that you can ask of publishers to learn more about accessibility of their materials.

• Are your books available in an accessible, electronic format for students with print disabilities? (Publishers should be able to tell you that they do provide books in accessible formats, such as PDF, HTML, or Daisy)
• Can you please send me the 508 Compliance statement for the materials we are requesting? (This statement clearly outlines what is and what isn't accessible. Feel free to contact the OSD on your campus for assistance with reading this statement.)
• Are all video materials in online support materials captioned or do they have a full transcript? If they have a full transcript, will you provide us with permissions to make the videos captioned using the transcript? (By using materials that are already captioned, you do not have to invest the time to manually caption materials.)
• Are all online lessons compatible with a screen reader, such as JAWS? (If all students, including those with visual impairments, can access the online materials, you will not have to supplement your lessons with alternative assignments)

These are questions to ask as your selection process is starting. Please remember that the OSD is available to you as a resource as you move forward in the important task of selecting class materials.

Captioning Materials in YouTube

YouTube is a great resource for multi-media materials. However, please be sure that any videos you use in class or in an online course are correctly captioned. If you are using your own materials, you can use YouTube to assist with captioining. NOTE: Please do not use auto captions without editing content.

• Set up an account. You can do this in Google or at Youtube.com.
• Upload a short video into your account, so that you can edit the material.
• Create a Transcript File
  • Listen to your video, and type what is said, using the formatting rules below.
  • Type the text of what was said in your video and save it as a plain text file (.txt). You can convert other formats (like Microsoft Word, HTML, PDF) into a plain text file or you can use native programs on your computer like TextEdit or Notepad.
  • In order to get the best results, use these formatting tips:
    • Use a blank line to force the start of a new caption.
    • Use square brackets to designate background sounds. For example, [music] or [laughter].
    • Add >> to identify speakers or change of speaker.
  • Transcribe and Set Timings
    • You can transcribe your video and automatically line up your text with the speech in the video.
    • A transcript contains the text of what is said in a video, but no time code information, so you need to set the timing to sync with your video.
    • Since the transcript text is automatically synchronized to your video, the transcript must be in a language supported by our speech recognition technology and in the same language that's spoken in the video. Transcripts are not recommended for videos that are over an hour long or have poor audio quality.
    • Choose the language for the subtitles or closed captions you want to create. You can use the search bar to find languages that don't automatically show in the list.
    • Select Create new subtitles or CC.
    • Underneath the video, click Transcribe and set timings.
    • Type all of the spoken audio in the text field. If you already have a script in word or .txt, you can copy and paste it.
    • If you're creating closed captions, make sure to incorporate sound cues like[music]or[applause]to identify background sounds.
    • Click Set timingsto sync your transcript with the video.
    • Setting the timings can take a few minutes. While you wait, you'll be brought back to the video tracklist. Once it's ready, your transcription will automatically be published on your video.
  • Editing Your Captions
    • Go to your Video Manager.
    • Next to the video you want to edit captions for, click Edit > Subtitles and CC.
    • Click on the caption track you want to edit.
    • Click inside any line in the caption track panel and edit the text.
    • Click Save changes.

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Selecting Accessible Course Materials

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Just In Time Training