Students who require additional auditory support are challenged by many typical classroom instructional strategies. Although they can see the lectures and discussions, a large part of traditional teaching is visual and auditory and requires hearing not just the instructor but also their classmates. They use a variety of accommodations, assistive technology, and compensatory strategies based upon their varying needs. Many make use of visual aids, sound amplification, captioning on videos, notetakers, and recorded lectures for notetaking.
Student Accessibility Services (SAS) will be partnering with you to ensure materials are accessible and that the student has the necessary equipment/technology to access your course. Please alert SAS right away if you become aware that a student is encountering any access barriers.
The good practice guidelines outlined below are intended to make course material and methods more accessible to these students. Moreover, improving access for disabled students will benefit other students who may have a variety of undisclosed learning preferences and challenges or for whom English is a second language.
Click on the headers below to expand the details for each section.
Most students requiring amplification, captioning, or ASL interpretation will refer to themselves as Deaf or deaf (D/deaf), or hard of hearing (HOH). You should mirror the student's preferred terminology and capitalization. Terms are not synonymous (see below).
Notes about Repeating:
When offering direction or information to students who require additional auditory support, it is important that the information be organized and structured logically. Provide handouts electronically in advance of the lecture. Even if you do not typically share PowerPoints or lecture notes with the class, please consider doing so, ideally before the class, at least with students requiring enhanced auditory support in case the student has any difficulties accessing material during class.
Please allow SAS access to all class materials in advance so we can convert the materials into accessible format. This includes creating captioned versions of videos.
Please alert SAS if you plan on using videos in class or for assignments so we can ensure all content is captioned.
Please do not show any videos without captioning available and turned on. If you get any of your videos through Jones Media Center, please request a captioned (subtitled) version.
Dartmouth has Panopto software available that has an automatic captioning feature. Since this is computer-generated captioning, the captions will need to also be checked for quality and edited manually where necessary. SAS staff will provide support to ensure the captioning of videos is accurate. The accessible version created with captions will replace the uncaptioned videos.
When you start a Zoom meeting during classroom or remote instruction, please select "Show Captions and "View Full Transcript" to turn on the closed captioning function.
Students who need auditory support do not always require testing accommodations especially if the exam is strictly visual in nature. If testing accommodations are noted in the student's accommodation email, SAS' A11y Testing Center can administer your tests and/or ensure your exams' accessibility (whether we or you administer the test). If students require any assistive technology for exams, they should be allowed to use it (which may include using their laptop). Although it is the student's responsibility to schedule the exam through the A11y Testing Center, it is the faculty's responsibility to complete the Alternative Testing Contract and get the exams to the Testing Center in a timely manner. Please see our Faculty Testing Guide for more information.
If you have further questions, please contact Melanie Morel, Assistant Director, Assistive Technology and Testing:
You can always contact Student.Accessibility.Services@Dartmouth.edu, or respond to the SAS Advisor who sends a student's accommodation email to get connected with the right person about any accessibility need.