Student FAQ's

Q: Is Disability Resources and Services (DRS) open in person?

DRS has resumed some in-person services, including appointments and proctored testing. Our new office is located on the 4th floor of Howard Gittis Student Center South on Main campus. The DRS office hours are Monday – Friday, 8:30 am - 5 pm EST.  We have some (limited) in-person appointments, as well as virtual appointments via phone or video conference, i.e., Zoom.  You can schedule an appointment by logging into MyDRS. You will need to log in using your TU AccessNet credentials.

DRS follows all Temple University COVID-19 protocols. Masks are required in the DRS office. 

DRS Drop-in Hours on Zoom -

Have a quick question? Need to talk to someone in DRS without an appointment? Attend the DRS Drop-in Hours on Zoom.

Zoom Drop-in Hours will resume in Spring 2022.

If you need assistance, please call 215-204-1280 or email drs@temple.edu. 

Note: You must use your Temple University Zoom account.

Q: Is DRS proctoring extended-time exams?  

DRS will be proctoring exams in Fall 2021 for some in-person and hybrid courses. If you are taking an online course, it is most likely that you will be taking your exams online as well.

If your instructor is creating online timed exams, please notify your instructor if you will need extended time. Academic departments are responsible for setting up extended testing time in Canvas.

Please communicate with your instructors to discuss your exam accommodations in their courses. Some instructors may opt for alternative assessments (e.g., essays, untimed exams) that would not require exam accommodations. If you have any questions, please email drstest@temple.edu.

Important! You must schedule your exams seven days in advance through the MyDRS portal. 

Q: I'm struggling with using my equipment at home or accessing my classes using assistive technology. Can DRS help?

Yes! DRS is still available to assist students with needs relating to assistive technology. Please see our AT resources page, or email the assistive technology coordinator Kit Aronoff at kit.aronoff@temple.edu.

Q: I am taking all online courses this semester; I anticipate barriers and would like to request new accommodations. What are my next steps?

If you are not currently registered with DRS, please go to the MyDRS portal and click on "Register with DRS." If you do not have documentation in a digital format, please skip that step and complete the registration.

Please contact your DRS Coordinator via email if you are already registered with DRS. You can also schedule an appointment with them through the MyDRS portal and click on "Schedule an Appointment."

Instructor FAQ's 

Q: What should I be considering concerning disability access in an all-online or hybrid class model? 

Some students may encounter disability-related barriers with online instruction or assessment (e.g., students who use assistive technology, students with medical limitations on-screen usage). DRS staff are available for consultation regarding best practices and accessibility in collaboration with the Center for Advancement of Teaching (CAT). You can schedule an appointment through the CAT Booking System.

If you have students in your course who are utilizing accessible media, please notify Trish McHugh at trish.mchugh@temple.edu.  Trish is proactively working with instructors of Deaf/Hard of Hearing students to provide captioning for prerecorded videos and arranging interpreting/transcribing services for real-time class meetings via Zoom.  

Kit Aronoff is working proactively with instructors of blind students to discuss accessibility strategies for course lectures, documents, activities, etc. She can be contacted at kit.aronoff@temple.edu.

Below are some tips to keep in mind as you are creating virtual course content (adapted from https://www.washington.edu/doit/):

• Use clear, consistent layouts and organization schemes for presenting content, and make instructions and expectations clear for activities, projects, and assigned reading. 
• Offer outlines, scaffolding tools, and adequate practice opportunities to help students learn.
• When selecting new materials, try to find videos that are already captioned, and articles that are available in a text-searchable format, meaning you can highlight and search the text within the document.
• Images can be made accessible to blind and low-vision students by providing captions or inserting alt text into the image. Use large, bold fonts on uncluttered pages with plain backgrounds and color combinations that are high contrast. 
• Provide flexibility and understanding as this experience may disrupt the student's home life and available resources – which may negatively impact a student's disability symptoms.  

Q: How will exam accommodations work? Will DRS proctor online exams? 

Extended time on exams as an accommodation generally only applies to traditional, time-limited exams. If you decide to offer alternative means of assessment (e.g., essays, non-timed exams, project work), then a student's extended time may no longer be applicable. We encourage you to speak with registered students if that is the case.

DRS will be proctoring exams in Fall 2021 for s in-person and hybrid courses. Faculty and academic departments are responsible for setting up extended testing time Canvas for all online courses. Please communicate with your students to discuss their exam accommodations in your courses. If you have any questions, please email drstest@temple.edu.

Q: How do I give students their extended time for online quizzes/exams?

Before making time allotment adjustments, please confirm how much extended time each of your students should get for their quizzes/exams. You can view the extended time multipliers (1.5x, 2x, etc.) for ALL of your students using the MyDRS Instructor Portal.

Q: Where can I find other accessibility resources?

Both the Accessible Technology and the Center for Advancement of Teaching websites have a wide variety of tips and resources for faculty to use to create accessible materials and courses.