FACULTY RESOURCES
The Access and Accommodations Center (AACE) is designated to determine reasonable disability-related accommodations. A student’s access to approved accommodations is a right under the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendment Act (2008) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Accommodations provide students with an equal opportunity to access the academic environment. Please contact AACE if you need assistance in implementing accommodations. An instructor may not deny an approved accommodation. However, if instructors believe an accommodation may result in a fundamental alteration of course/program requirements, they have the right to engage in an evaluative process with AACE to verify the alteration and determine any potential alternatives.
Faculty Notification Letters
Each semester, students registered with AACE request academic accommodations by sending their instructors a Faculty Notification Letter (or accommodation letter). This letter is sent by students using our Accessible Information Management (AIM) system. It contains a list of the student’s accommodations and a brief description on how each accommodation should be implemented.
If the student is receiving “Alternative Testing” as an accommodation, the letter will also have a link to an Alternative Testing Agreement form that must be completed by the instructor. Instructors can use this agreement to let AACE know whether their exams will be proctored by AACE or by themselves. If instructors choose AACE to proctor their exams, this Alternative Testing Agreement provides AACE instructions for proctoring their exams as well as the date and time when each exam will be proctored.
The dates and times provided on the Alternative Testing Agreement form are considered tentative and must match the schedule on the course syllabus. Changes to any exam date and time can always be updated by revisiting the Alternative Testing Agreement form in the AIM faculty portal. Steps to do this are described here.
Also, there may be instances when a student is not able to take an exam on the date and time specified on the course syllabus due to a time or schedule conflict. This typically happens when students have back to back classes, and because of their extended time, they are not able to arrive on time to their next class. In that case the student and the instructor will need to meet and agree on a different date and time that allows the student to test at AACE and doesn’t interfere with the student’s ability to arrive to class on time.
Once a new date and time is agreed upon, then the instructor submits the Alternative Testing Agreement and the student schedules the exam on AIM. The Alternative Testing Agreement can be completed by selecting the link on the Faculty Notification Letter or by logging in directly to the AIM faculty portal. Steps to do this are described here.
Below are instructions on how to complete the Testing Agreement Form and how to edit an existing one using the AIM faculty portal.
Testing
Instructors will need to upload to AIM all exams and quizzes that will be proctored by AACE. After students finish testing, each completed exam will be scanned and uploaded to the instructor’s AIM portal. The instructor will be able to download and print out the exam after inserting a code sent by AIM via email. Below are instructions for uploading exams and retrieving completed exams on AIM.
Online Resources
- View Teaching Online information for assistance with online platforms.
Faculty Workshops
AACE is excited to announce our upcoming Faculty Workshops. These sessions are designed to provide practical guidance and effective techniques to ensure accessibility for all students, as well as an opportunity for faculty to give feedback on how AACE can better support you in the academic environment.
Please click on the link to review the details and register for the interactive workshops below:
- Blind and Low Vision Accommodations in the Classroom March 28th, 2025
Event Accommodation Requests
Georgia State is committed to making necessary arrangements for the provision of accommodations at non-academic events or activities sponsored by the university with sufficient notice. For students registered with AACE requesting disability-related accommodations at such an event, please complete and submit an interpreting request or captioning request below. For departments or individuals not registered with AACE, services are available at a fee.
Do
- Review Faculty Accommodations Notification Letter: Carefully review the faculty accommodation notification letter provided by the student to understand their specific needs and required accommodations
- Discuss the student's needs and potential accommodations early in the semester, creating an open dialogue
- Respect the privacy of students with disabilities: While they must disclose disability to AACE in order to set up accommodations, this does not require disclosure to everyone. Treat disability information disclosed to you as confidential.
- Refer students to AACE and request a Faculty Accommodations Notification Letter before providing accommodations: This protects students, faculty and the institution by ensuring consistency and allows accommodation decisions to be made by those with specific training and expertise.
Don’t
- Make assumptions: Do not assume a student's abilities or learning style based on their disability.
- Question the disability: Avoid asking unnecessary personal questions about the student's disability.
- Decide not to provide reasonable accommodations, or the academic adjustments approved by AACE and listed on the faculty accommodations notification letter received from the student/AACE. You may subject Georgia State or yourself to liability.
- Create your own accommodation version: For example, do not say I am giving everyone in the class more than enough time to complete my exams; therefore, the student with disability does not need the extended time.
- Refuse to provide accommodations until you receive a doctor’s note or disability documentation from the student: Eligibility for services under the ADA is the job of the AACE staff, not the instructor.
- Treat accommodations as a favor: Providing accommodations is a legal requirement, not a favor to the student.
Contact Us
AACE Alpharetta Campus
Building AA 3705, Suite 1440
3705 Brookside Pkwy
Alpharetta, GA 30022
AACE Decatur Campus
Building SF, Suite 2300
3251 Panthersville Road
Decatur, GA 30034
AACE Atlanta Campus
Student Center East, Suite 304
55 Gilmer St SE
Atlanta, GA 30303
AACE Dunwoody Campus
Building NA, Suite 2100
2101 Womack Rd
Dunwoody, GA 30338
AACE Clarkston Campus
Building CB, Suite 1300
555 N Indian Creek Drive
Clarkston, GA 30021
AACE Newton Campus
Building 2N, Suite 2405
239 Cedar Ln
Covington, GA 30014