Accessibility Guidance for Pen and Paper Assessments

Overview

Responsibility to provide accommodations to students registered with the Center for Accessible Education (CAE):
When designing pen and paper assessments, please know that some students may have accommodations that require a digital or large print format. For example, students with low vision may use assistive technology to increase screen size for viewing, or students who have physical limitations for writing may need to submit in an alternate format. We even have some students who, due to their disability, have challenges with the color of paper. Many of our students with dyslexia or other disabilities find that the traditional white paper used can cause a lot of visual strain, so sometimes CAE will print exams on a pastel-colored paper. Students with scantron tests that have concerns related to seeing the scantron or filling it in correctly often need a scribe or a scantron-free arrangement to account for the challenge they face in filling a scantron sheet out. 

How to Work with CAE for Accessible Pen and Paper Assessments

Review CAE required accommodations for students in your course, sent to you at the beginning of each quarter, when planning pen and paper assignments such as exams. Review guidance on accessible course design from Center for Accessible Education, and reach out to them  to learn more.

If you are utilizing the support of the CAE Testing Center to proctor, CAE asks for advance copies of the final exam to get them into a large print or accessible print format.

Creating accessible versions of pen and paper assessments and providing needed accommodations takes time. As an instructor, plan to provide your exam to CAE 5 days prior to the testing date (earlier is always appreciated!).

About Printing:

Note that color printing can be costly, TAs do not have funds or resources to easily access color printing. Printing is the responsibility of hiring departments, and TAs and instructors can connect with their departments for more detailed information on printing options.

If printing with color, as a best practice for accessibility, color should not be the only indicator of information as some individuals with colorblindness may not be able to distinguish between different colors on the image. Include color images only when necessary, and add descriptive text or black and white images that convey the same information (example – dotted and dashed lines instead of red and green lines).

When printing in black and white -ensure that any assessment questions can be clearly answered using the black and white copy (that color is not needed to understand a visualization).