Student Accommodations

Purdue recognizes that inclusion and access are a university-wide responsibility. Active participation of all campus stakeholders is key to creating an accessible campus environment. Instructional faculty and staff have a responsibility to implement required accommodations (link opens in a new window), and the below resources are designed to help you fulfill that responsibility. We also encourage the instructional community to leverage resources provided on the Teaching at Purdue website (link opens in a new window) to build or augment their knowledge and experience related to creating an accessible learning environment. 

Purdue Accommodation Resources  

Disability Resource Center (DRC): 

Purdue’s Disability Resource Center (DRC) (link opens in a new window) works directly with students to ensure accommodations are available to students with disabilities. The DRC serves disabled undergraduate and graduate students enrolled at Purdue’s West Lafayette and Indianapolis campus, as well as Purdue Polytechnic Institute Statewide Programs, whether part-time or full-time (including students taking online courses). The DRC strives to proactively identify and remove barriers to access, promote inclusion and minimize the need for individual accommodations. The DRC also determines whether students are eligible for reasonable accommodation and, if so, the nature of the reasonable accommodation. The DRC does not test for, diagnose, or treat disability, but relies on third-party documentation when determining accommodations. 

Instructional faculty and staff are encouraged to use the DRC Instructor Resources (link opens in a new window) section of the DRC website. 

Faculty Accessibility Consultant: 

To help address the growing demand for accommodations and reinforce a commitment to student wellness, Purdue instructors have a partner in the educational process as they implement required accommodations provided by the Disability Resource Center (DRC), which was a new initiative that began in early 2024. The Faculty Accessibility Consultant, Dr. Leslie Miller, in the Center for Instructional Excellence, is part of Purdue’s shared responsibility to provide educational access to all students. Miller will collaborate with all of the PWL instructional community, including Purdue in Indianapolis, to assist with thinking through ways to implement students’ required accommodations while maintaining the core elements of the course design and respecting the instructor’s time.  

Examples of common accommodations on which Dr. Miller can consult with instructors include, but are not limited to, those related to: 

• Ways to incorporate alternate assignments 
• Modified attendance 
• Oral presentations 
• Group work 
• In-class participation 

• Extended deadlines 
• Other required accommodations as detailed on the Disability Resource Center’s glossary of accommodations and descriptions.  (link opens in a new window), 

Please contact: Leslie A. Miller, PhD, Faculty Accessibility Consultant, Center for Instructional Excellence, by emailing millerles@purdue.edu, or schedule a consultation. (link opens in a new window), 

Assistive Technology and Digital Accessibility 

The Innovative Learning Team can help you with assistive technology and digital accessibility (link opens in a new window), in the classroom. 

For help with Assistive Technology hardware and software support in your classes, please contact David Schwarte, Assistive Technology Specialist, at schwarte@purdue.edu. 

David provides consultations and general support on the following: 

• Text-to-Speech Software 

• Read & Write 
• Dolphin EasyReader 
• Fusion is two programs in one. It can be used as: 

• JAWS for Windows 
• ZoomText Magnifier (Windows) 

• Kurzweil 1000 
• SARA (Scanning And Reading Appliance) 

• Speech-to-Text Software 

• Dragon Naturally Speaking 
• Resources for Video Captioning 

• Screen Enlarging Software 

• JAWS for Windows 
• ZoomText Magnifier (Windows) 

• Braille 

• Duxbury Braille Translator 
• ViewPlus Delta Embosser 
• Everest Braille Embosser 
• Focus 80 

• Alternate Keyboards 

• KeyOvation GoldTouch Ergonomic Keyboard 
• IntelliKeys 
• Bat 
• Windows Keyboard Utilities 
• Macintosh Keyboard Utilities 

• Alternate Pointing Devices 

• Kensington Trackball 
• No-Hands FootMouse 

• CCTVs (Closed Circuit Televisions) or Video Enlargers 

• FreedomScientific Topaz 
• VisioBook 
• TSI Voyager XL 

• Opti Lite 
• Optelec ClearView 

• Adjustable Furniture 

• Electrically Adjustable Tables 
• Manually Adjustable Tables 

• Assisted Listening Systems 

• Assistive Listening Systems are available in several classrooms on Purdue’s campus. These systems can be helpful to individuals who are hard of hearing or in other ways benefit from amplification of the instructor’s voice. 

• Assistive Technology Availability in other ITaP Labs 

• Most Assistive Technology Lab software can be made available in other computer labs across campus for class use. Please contact the Assistive Technology Lab staff for more information. 

For help with the accessibility of course materials and Brightspace, please contact Alex Mason, Assistive Technology Specialist, at mason3@purdue.edu.   

Alex provides consultations and general support on the following: 

• Brightspace Course Accessibility 
• Document Accessibility 

• Microsoft Office 365 Applications 
• Adobe Acrobat DC 

• Accessibility Best Practice / Tips & Tricks 

• Multimedia (audio/video) 
• Captioning 
• Audio descriptions 
• General webpage design 

Schwarte and Mason are both part of the Consulting & Training (C&T) team. C&T supports the instructional community related to Brightspace and any globally supported tools (e.g., Kaltura, Gradescope, iClicker Cloud, etc.) The group provides daily Brightspace and Instructional Technology Drop-In Help Sessions and consultations. For a listing of all workshops, you can visit the Instructional Development Workshops calendar. (link opens in a new window), Individuals or groups may also request On-Demand Workshops (link opens in a new window), on a number of different topics.