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Accessibility Guide

Student Guide - Accessibility at NorQuest

Glossary of Accessibility Terms at NorQuest

Accessibility: The degree to which a building or learning material provides access for people with differing physical or learning needs.

  • Norquest examples of accessibility include ramps and automatic doors on campus, and the availability of speech-to-text software, or extended time, etc.    

Accommodation:  An alteration of the environment, curriculum format, or delivery. This may include equipment, software, or teaching strategies that allow an individual with a disability to gain access to content and/or complete assigned tasks to their fullest ability.

  • Norquest examples include permission for lecture recording, audio, extended time, etc.

 

Assessment:  The act of making a judgment or decision about something

  • Norquest examples include a referral for a PsychEd assessment (to identify your strengths and needs) or an Accessibility Assessment with a member of the Accessibility Services team (to create your accommodation plan)

Consent: permission for something to happen or agreement to do something.

  • A Norquest example is a Release of Information form when we refer you for a PsychEd assessment

Documentation: The documents, records, etc., that are used to prove something or make something official 

  • A Norquest example is documentation of your need for accommodations, a community professional like a doctor provides that documentation

Exam Accommodation: Exam accommodations refer to an accommodation that applies to any sort of exam, test, or quiz. 

Invalid: Having no effect, or not based in fact

  • A Norquest example is when you write your exam outside of the designated time frame and your instructor considers your exam invalid and you do not receive credit

Referral (Make a): Sending someone to another person or place for treatment, help, advice, etc.

  • NorQuest examples include a teacher referring you to Accessibility Services or a navigator referring you for a Psych Ed assessment

Universal: Affecting, or done by all people; applicable to all cases 

Universal Design for Learning: Remove any barriers to learning and give all students equal opportunities to succeed

  • Norquest examples include time-and-a-half for exams and Read & Write software

Psychological Education Assessment (Psych Ed): A psychological test that looks at a person’s mental processes underlying their educational performance, cognitive abilities, memory, achievement tests, and measures of behavior.

  • At NorQuest, we use the Psych Ed report to understand your learning needs and develop your accommodation plan

Definitions adapted from the Merriam-Webster Learner's Dictionary (2021)