Most testing accommodations are managed by the student and Goldman Center staff through the Goldman Testing Center. Students should activate their accommodations for the semester and schedule all of their exams requiring accommodations (time, environment, format, etc.) with the Goldman Testing Center through the Portal as soon as possible, but no later than four business days in advance of the exam. 

How do I use my testing accommodations? 

To use your accommodations, log on to our portal at accessibility.tulane.edu, and activate them. After you have done so, an official notification e-mail will be sent to your professors, informing them about your accommodations. You should then reach out to each of your professors to find out how they plan to handle testing. Some professors may provide accommodations themselves. Many will ask you to take your tests in the Goldman Testing Center. If they do, you will need to log in to our portal again and schedule your tests.  Please remember that this must be done at least 4 days before the day of the test.  If you do not remember how to activate your accommodations or how to schedule tests, please review these video tutorials: 

How to Activate Your Accommodations 

How to Schedule Accommodated Exams at the Goldman Center

What if my test is online? 

Some online tests are still proctored in the classroom.  If this is the case, please schedule the test through our portal.  If the class is allowed to take the test from anywhere (they are not required to be in the classroom) then you do not need to schedule the exam with the Goldman Center.  Remember, scheduling exams through our portal is only necessary if they need to be proctored in-person. 

What are the Testing Center hours? 

During the Fall and Spring semesters, the Goldman Testing Center is open from 8:00 AM to 9:00 PM Monday to Thursday, and 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM on Fridays. Between semesters and during the summer we are open 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM, Monday through Friday. 

How far in advance do I need to schedule tests? 

All tests, exams, mid-terms, and quizzes must be scheduled at least 4 business days beforehand.  For example, if you have an exam on a Monday, you must schedule it by 5:00 PM on the previous Tuesday. 

What should I do if I miss the deadline? 

If you miss the scheduling deadline, you will not be able to schedule your test through our portal.  In this case, please send an e-mail to goldmantesting@tulane.edu as soon as possible. We may be able to make an exception and add you to the schedule - however, this is not guaranteed. Before an exception is made, we will also ask you to schedule all your remaining tests for the semester, in order to make sure that the deadline is not missed again. 

What should I do if I am taking a Canvas exam and my accommodations have not been applied? 

As soon as you start a Canvas exam, you should check to make sure your extended time has been applied to the timer. If it has not, do not wait! Contact both your professor and the Goldman Testing Center staff (goldmantesting@tulane.edu) immediately, so that your time can be corrected. 

How are my professors notified of my accommodations? 

When you activate your accommodations, your professors will be sent an official notification e-mail. However, we recommend that you also contact your professors directly to discuss how your accommodations will be implemented. 

The portal says that my professor has not submitted a Testing Contract. Do I need to do something? 

There is nothing for you to do in this case. It is your professors’ responsibility to submit the Testing Contract to us, and we will remind them.  This will not affect your ability to schedule and take tests at the Goldman Center. 

I am not registered with the Goldman Center. Can I take an exam there? 

No. The Goldman Testing Center is reserved for Tulane students who require accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act, and who have registered with us as such. 

My extended time will run over into another class, what should I do? 

You will never be asked to miss part of a class to make use of your extended time on a test/quiz. If you have another class immediately after the one in which you are taking a test, please schedule your test to start early and end at the same time as the class. If you have other classes both before and after the one in which you are taking the test, you will need to schedule the test for another time in the day. In this case, please schedule the test for as close as possible to when the rest of the class is taking it (without running into another class.) 

How are exams proctored in the Testing Center? 

The Goldman Testing Center is monitored by a series of overhead cameras. These cameras are watched live from our Testing Office, and footage is saved for several weeks in case review is necessary after the fact. Additionally, Goldman Center staff regularly circulate in the testing rooms to ensure the integrity of the testing process. 

What items/materials are allowed in the Testing Center? 

You should only bring writing utensils with you to a test. Scratch paper will be provided. Cell phones, smart watches, and vape pens are not allowed in the testing rooms under any circumstances. If your professor has specifically indicated to us that any additional materials are approved for use during a test (notes, books, calculator, etc.), they will be allowed. 

Can I start an exam early? 

Yes, you can start your exam up to 10 minutes early. If you would like to start earlier than that, please discuss it with your professor. If they approve, please have them e-mail us directly to confirm it. 

I am running late for an exam, what should I do? 

If you are late by 10 minutes or less, no worries – you will not be penalized. If you are more than 10 minutes late, your exam time will be reduced by the amount you are late. If you are more than 30 minutes later, please contact your professor. After 30 minutes, we will not allow you to begin your test without written permission form the professor (preferably via e-mail.) 

I tried to schedule my test, but the website said that I can’t schedule for the date of my exam, do I schedule it on a different day? 

No. If you are not able to schedule the exam for the day that it is supposed to take place, please do NOT schedule it for another day. In this case, you have likely missed the 4-business-day deadline for scheduling. In this case, please send an e-mail to goldmantesting@tulane.edu as soon as possible. We may be able to make an exception and add you to the schedule - however, this is not guaranteed. Before an exception is made, we will also ask you to schedule all your remaining tests for the semester, to make sure that the deadline is not missed again. 

My professor is letting me take the test at a different time or on a different day, so how do I schedule it? 

You may schedule the test for the day/time that your professor is allowing. However, please have the professor e-mail us confirming their permission for the alternate day/time. We will not approve the request until this is received. 

Can I take a non-Tulane exam (e.g., the LAST, GRE, MCAT) at the Goldman Center? 

Unfortunately, we are not able to offer proctoring services for non-Tulane exams. 

My professor said they are giving accommodations in class instead of using the Goldman Center, can I still schedule my test at the Goldman Center? 

Please follow your professor’s instructions, unless you have a specific reason why you feel that they are not meeting your accommodation needs. In this case, please contact the Goldman Center and speak with a member of our staff as soon as possible. 

Do I have to use my testing accommodations on every test or quiz? 

No, whether you use your accommodations is entirely up to you. If you decide that you would rather not use them, then simply report to class, and take the test/quiz with your professor. 

I took a test and did not receive my accommodations. What do I do now? 

Please contact the Goldman Center as soon as possible to discuss this matter with a member of our staff. 

I need to take a Certiport exam for INFO 1010, how do I get my accommodations? 

Your professor will have provided detailed instructions on how to apply for accommodations with Certiport.  You will need a letter from the Goldman Center to do this – please e-mail us at goldmantesting@tulane.edu to request your letter. 

I am not feeling well on the day of the exam. Can the Goldman Center give me permission to miss my exam? 

The Goldman Center does not have the authority to excuse you from your exam. Please contact your professor as soon as possible to discuss the situation. 

Taking notes during a class lecture is a feat of mind, body, and brain. It involves multiple major systems including sensory, motor, and mental functions working in tandem to synthesize information in the moment it is happening. For students with disabilities, this is a difficult task for myriad reasons. The Goldman Center provides notetaking accommodations for access to class content and has created a skills-support document (available here) for promoting success in the academic environment. Students with notetaking accommodations are still expected to take their own notes and continue honing their notetaking skills throughout their time as a Tulane student. 

Technology-based Notetaking Assistance 

The Goldman Center offers the following assistive technologies for access to the class content at no-cost for students who are approved for the Notetaking Accommodation:

Otter.ai: Otter is an audio-recording program that simultaneously provides a live, AI-generated transcript of the class lecture. Students can have Otter running in the background while they are independently taking notes or can use Otter’s Meeting Gems function to highlight, take notes, make comments, and add action items to the transcript in the moment during class. After the class is over, students can edit the transcript for accuracy (Otter boasts roughly 90% accuracy in initial transcription), add notes, export the audio/text, add images, and teach Otter’s AI new vocabulary terms relevant for class. 

For information on getting started, please contact the Goldman Center and request an Otter consultation. For support using Otter, please reference this user guide. 

Microsoft OneNote: 

Livescribe Pens are smartpens which allow you to record the class lecture via your phone then interact with your written notes to re-listen to what was said when you were notetaking. Livescribe pens require that you write in Livescribe notebooks, which the Goldman Center will provide for you. These pens are ideal in formula and graph heavy classes or if you exclusively prefer to handwrite your notes. 

For troubleshooting your Livescribe pen, refer to Livescribe’s user guide and/or contact the Goldman Center for additional support. 

There are hundreds of ways to use technology to capture lecture content, from something as simple as taking pictures of the board to recording through Microsoft OneNote, Notability, Dynalist, or any other notetaking app. Students are encouraged to explore their options and develop a system that best suits their individual learning needs.

Peer-based notetaking: Peer-based notetaking services are approved on a very limited, case-by-case and class-by-class basis. The Goldman Center reserves the right to determine reasonability of this accommodation based on access concern and class structure, especially in online and experiential environments.  

The Goldman Center also reserves the right to restrict access to provided peer notes based on low-usage, which we track through our online Portal. Students with this accommodation are encouraged and expected to utilize assistive technology to record the class lecture in the event there is an issue with the peer notetaker. 

STUDENTS APPROVED FOR NOTETAKING SERVICES through peer notetakers should (1) request notetaking services in lecture classes where recording the class audio is insufficient for access to the class content. In activating this accommodation, students should think carefully about which classes seem to require peer notes and which classes do not. Students should (2) CONFIRM their need for peer notetakers in each requested course. Peer notetakers will not be recruited or instated until after the Add/Drop date. It is ALWAYS good practice to utilize technology-based notetaking supports (recording the class audio) in order to ensure access to the class content. There are times where notetakers are delayed or cannot be found in your requested course. 

CART, Communication Access Realtime Translation, allows students across the spectrum of hearing loss to access the classroom environment through live captions. Students approved for this accommodation will work closely with the assistive technology coordinator in the Goldman Center for coordinating schedules and vendors. Professors of students with this approved accommodation will also work closely with the Goldman Center in providing this accommodation; professors can view this info sheet for reference in learning an overview of this accommodation.

Zoom Automated Captions are a way of increasing access to class content where no formal accommodations are taking place. Those interested in allowing automated captions in their Zoom rooms should follow this guide created by the Goldman Center and can contact us for additional guidance on when this function is or is not appropriate for accessibility.

Individuals with hearing loss communicate in a number of ways, including but not limited to lipreading, the use of hearing devices, and ASL. To be inclusive of those with hearing loss and impairments, it is important to consider the following:

• Do not face away from the class (i.e., toward the blackboard) when speaking.
• Repeat questions asked by members of the class.
• Face the student when speaking to them, as they may be utilizing multiple methods to understand speech.
• Be mindful of background noises (music, crosstalk, construction) that may be contributing to communication issues in discerning speech
• Please enable closed captions on videos shown during class or ensure assigned videos have closed captioning options; if you have assigned any podcast for the course, please provide a transcript or consult with the Goldman Center for how to make the podcast accessible.

American Sign Language (ASL)

Students approved for this accommodation communicate via sign. ASL speakers have a variety of backgrounds; some individuals maintain some level of hearing and some do not. Some individuals who sign may exclusively speak ASL and other may speak two or more language (ASL and English). Students who speak ASL will have an interpreter present with them in the classroom (in-person or online). 

When using an interpreter to teach a Deaf/Hard of Hearing student, please remember the following:

• Look at and speak to the deaf or hard of hearing person, not the interpreter, when talking.
• Address the student directly when asking and answering questions.
• Speak naturally at a reasonable, modest pace; the interpreter may let you know when you are speaking too quickly. Be mindful that there may be lag between when you speak versus when the interpreter will begin and end signing so that the interpreter can hear a complete thought before signing. 
• Be mindful of the fact that American Sign Language is NOT a 1:1 equivalent to the English language. ASL speakers writing papers in English may need additional support through writing consultations since the two languages differ.  

View additional resources on working with interpreters here.

Kurzweil3000 is a reading and writing accessibility program available to every single member of the Tulane community to utilize for reading support on electronic documents (PDFs, DOC, PNG, etc) for OCR recognized text to be read aloud to you. In Kurzweil, you can highlight, add notes, and adjust the reading pace for texts written in English as well as languages like Spanish, German, French, Italian, and more. 

You can download this document for information on activating your Kurzweil account with a single sign on option; the document also links to a Box folder filled with mini-lessons on using Kurzweil and Kurzweil's Read the Web browser extension for reading support on the internet. For additional help in operating Kurzweil, please feel free to reach out to the Goldman Center for a consultation. 

The Immersive Reader tool in Canvas increases reading accessibility within Canvas itself. You can learn more about this tool here. 

Alternative Text for Reading Accessibility: The Goldman Center can provided alternative/electronic format of textbooks and class materials to students who have barriers to full access to the traditional printed text. We have connections to multiple databases for PDFs, EPUBs, DAISY text, braille, and more for equal access to class content. 

Voicetyping features through Microsoft apps, Google apps, and Windows/Mac OS are available through these specific programs for using your voice to type instead of write. Voicetyping can be useful in brainstorming, organizing thoughts, and addressing access concerns with written expression in addition to serving visual accessibility needs. 

Any other resources, such as inquiries about JAWS and its associated programs like ZoomText, should be made to goldman@tulane.edu.

Instructors are strongly encouraged to consider the way in which the academic environment can be inclusive for students of all abilities, which eliminates the need for accommodations. The Center for Engaged Learning and Teaching (celt@tulane.edu) can help faculty and graduate students create inclusive syllabi and course policies. These teaching interventions include flexibility, recorded lectures/notetaking support, and eliminating timed assessments or providing extended time to every student in the classroom. Inclusive teaching through a universal design framework reaches students with learning styles across the spectrum of ability. It is only through close faculty partnership that the Goldman Center can continue its mission in recognizing that a community rich in diversity acknowledges that great minds think differently.