1. Disability Center New Student Orientation Sinclair School of Nursing
for students in the
Sinclair School of Nursing

2. Who should follow this NSO?
Any student admitted in a Sinclair School of Nursing program (e.g. traditional, accelerated, RN to BSN, MS(N), PhD, DNP)
Any student taking courses within the Sinclair School of Nursing (e.g. NURSE 2000, NURSE 2100)
Pre-nursing students who are NOT taking courses within the SSON should utilize the general New Student Orientation

3. New Student Orientation (NSO)?
What is covered in the
New Student Orientation (NSO)?
This NSO will provide you with instructions on how to start using accommodations, including:
Information to discuss with instructors when requesting accommodations
How to implement exam and notetaking assistance accommodations
And, the process to renew accommodations for future semesters
Also covered in this NSO:
How to apply for tutoring by appointment
Help sessions offered by the Disability Center to answer your questions about accommodations

4. Initiating your accommodations

5. Step One: Generate your Accommodation Notification Letters
Log into myAccess and generate your Accommodation Notification Letters for the class(es) in which you are requiring accommodations
A separate tutorial is available to you to assist in this process
Save a copy of your Accommodation Notification Letter(s) to your desktop for your reference and print a copy for your instructor(s)
NOTE: Once you have requested your accommodations via myAccess, your instructor will be able to see your request when they log in. However, you must proceed to step two to initiate your accommodations!

6. Step Two: Request your accommodations
Meet with your instructors:
Schedule an appointment or go to their office hours so that you can talk privately
Give them your Accommodation Notification Letter
Do not give the letter to instructors before or after class
Discuss details and make plans for each accommodation you wish to use in their class
A thorough conversation is important!
Later in this presentation, we’ll provide some suggested talking points for exam and notetaking accommodations…

7. Requesting Exam Accommodations as a SSON Student

8. Discussing Exam Accommodations with Instructors…
Meet with your instructors to discuss your exam accommodations.
Verify that you’d like to use your exam accommodation(s) in your instructor’s course
Confirm if you’ll be taking your exams within the SSON facilities or if the Disability Center will be securing your exam location
Also confirm if the Disability Center will be providing the proctor or if the SSON is proctoring your exam.

9. Discussing Exam Accommodations with Instructors (cont’d)…
Discuss potential time conflicts due to extended time accommodations.
Back-to-back classes
Example: You have a class at 9am and a class at 10am.
You have a 9am exam and your instructor says you will have 50 minutes for your exam.
If you have “time and a half extended time” as an accommodation, this means you have 1 hour and 15 minutes for your exam.
If you start your exam at 9am, that means your exam will run potentially to 10:15am, causing you to miss part of your class.
This means you will need to discuss with your instructor a different start time for your exam.

10. Discuss Scheduling Exams…
You will take your exam at the same date and time as your class, except for a time conflict as explained in the previous slide.
If you have scheduling conflicts, ask your instructor:
Can I start my exam earlier in the day? Later in the day?
Come up with an agreeable time.
Discuss all exams for the semester, including your final.
It is important that you resolve any exam schedule conflicts before you submit an exam request with the Disability Center.

11. Discussing Notetaking Assistance

12. If you have Notetaking Assistance as an accommodation…
Meet and discuss with your instructors the need for the Notetaking Assistance accommodation.
If you have more than one method option for Notetaking Assistance, let your instructor know your preferred method (i.e. peer notetaker or copies of slides/PowerPoints).
You and your instructor will decide together which notetaking method(s) will work best for the class
If you’ll be using a Peer Notetaker, here’s a few details on that accommodation…

13. Using your Peer Notetaker Accommodation
You confirm the need for a Notetaker within the Notetaking Assistance portal in myAccess.
You can refer back to the guide for confirming a Peer Notetaker here; Service.php
Disability Center will work with instructors to recruit a Notetaker.
Note: If an instructor needs more information about this accommodation, they can find a guide on the Disability Center’s website called Notetaking Assistance – Guide for Faculty

14. Using your Peer Notetaker Accommodation
Download your notes
You will receive notifications once your Notetaker uploads their notes into myAccess and you can then login and download the notes.
To learn more about the Notetaking Assistance module in myAccess, view the tutorial on the myAccess Student Guide found on the Disability Center’s website:

15. A few last notes on peer notetaking…
Notetaking is intended as assistance with notes on days you are present in class
It is NOT a substitute for attending class
You will gain much more information from lectures than they do from notes
If you’re able, take your own notes also and use the classmate’s notes as a supplement

16. Scheduling Exams
If the Disability Center will be proctoring or administering your exam, use the Exam Access Module within myAccess to request your exam

17. IMPORTANT!!
You must request your exams through this system even if your instructor has already contacted the office.

18. You will be asked to log in using your MU PawPrint and password
Log into myAccess…
To access your account go to the Disability Center’s website; disabilitycenter.missouri.edu and click on the “myAccess” button.
You will be asked to log in using your MU PawPrint and password

19. Sign the “Exam Accommodation Policies” Agreement
When the system prompts you - Sign the “Exam Accommodation Policies” agreement electronically in myAccess
Click on the form and read the contents. Then type your name where it asks to confirm your agreement and click on “Submit Form”

20. Go to the “Exam Access” page
On the left hand menu bar under “My Accommodations” Click on: “Exam Access”

21. Select a course in which you would like to request your exam
Once you have selected a course, click the “Schedule an Exam” button to continue.

22. Select the type of exam Select type: Exam, Final*, or Quiz
* “Final” only refers to exams administered during Finals Week.
If your instructor plans on administering your final exam the week prior, please select “Exam”

23. Select the date and time of your exam
Provide us with the date of the exam using the appropriate format listed.
You’ll also need to let us know what time the exam is to be administered.
If you agreed to an alternative exam time with your instructor due to a time conflict, submit this time here! Otherwise, it should be the same time as your class.

24. Select your accommodations
Select the accommodation(s) you would like to use on your exam.
Once everything is completed, click the “Add Exam Request” button to submit your request.

25. Viewing Submitted Requests
All requested exams can be viewed in the “Exam Access” module within myAccess.
Your request is not fully approved until reviewed by your instructor and the Disability Center exam staff.
If your request states that your instructor has not submitted an exam access agreement, it means that we have not received the necessary information from your instructor to administer your exam.
If you see this, you may want to follow up with your instructor.

26. Viewing Submitted Requests
Once we have received confirmation from your instructor, your request will be updated within the exam module.
From here, you’ll be able to review the status of your exam and modify or cancel your request.

27. Exam Policies and Procedures (Extremely Important!)
Five (5) business days’ notice for all non-finals week exams and quizzes
A little over three weeks’ notice is required for scheduling during final exams week
The office will send out reminders for the deadline for finals requests
ADVISE: Schedule them all at once, if you can!

28. When Can I Take My Exam?
SSON students may request to take exams at the following times:
Monday-Thursday
Exams can be scheduled to start between 7am-8pm, every quarter hour.
Friday
Exams can be scheduled as early as 7am but all exams must end by 5pm.
Finals Week
Monday-Thursday: 7:30am, 10am, 12:30pm, 3pm, 5:30pm, 8pm
Friday: 7:30am, 10am

29. What if an exam needs to be rescheduled?
If it is more than five (5) business days’ notice, log into the myAccess Exam Module and submit a modified request with the updated information.
If an instructor has rescheduled the date/time of an exam with less than five (5) business days’ notice to the Disability Center…
and copy your instructor to the notifying us of the date change as soon as possible. We are not allowed to change your exam date without instructor approval!
Modification requests can be denied at the discretion of the Exams Coordinator due to lack of notice and insufficient availability of exam locations and proctors.

30. If you no longer want or need to take a scheduled or proctored exam with the Disability Center…
as soon as possible to cancel your exam.
If this is not done before your scheduled exam time, it will be considered a no show.
No Shows
Do not arrive for exam + No communication = No Show
You will receive an reminding you of the scheduled exam with our office and the “no show” policy.
2nd “No Show” for the same course
Your scheduled exams for that course for the remainder of the semester will be removed from our schedule.

31. On the day of the exam…
Show up to your designated meeting spot on time if not early.
If your exam is to be administered in the SSON, please confirm with your instructor the location you should arrive at to take your exam.
If the Disability Center is administering your exam in a location other than the SSON, please arrive at the Disability Center first and your proctor will walk with you to your exam location.
If you arrive late for an exam, your proctor has been instructed to notify your instructor to determine if the exam can be administered and/or to determine if you may still receive your exam accommodation(s).

32. Policies regarding your exam…
Bring a non-smart watch!
We do not provide clocks.
We do not provide time warnings!
Turn off cell phones
Put phones and all other materials not allowed on your exam away
You will leave your backpack with your proctor
You are not allowed to leave the room once the exam has started

33. Academic Integrity…
If you look at your cell phone, look at a fellow classmate’s exam, or use any materials that are not allowed on your exam, you have violated academic integrity.
If academic integrity is violated…
Your proctor will stop your exam immediately.
We will confiscate any non-allowable materials used on the exam.
We will report this information to your instructor.
At this point, it will be up to your instructor on what action will be taken.

34. If you have more questions about exams or exam scheduling…
You are welcome to meet with one of our exam staff members for a Help Session
Just ask at the front desk for availability for Help Sessions or the Exams Office:

35. Tutoring for Undergraduate Students…
For undergraduate students, you can request a Tutoring Slip from the Disability Center
The Tutoring Slip is what you will need to take to the Learning Center to verify that you are able to apply for one-on-one tutoring
The Learning Center will inform you of your eligibility and schedule the tutoring appointments

36. How do I get accommodations for next semester?
If you are requesting the same accommodations for next semester, you will simply renew using myAccess.
You will not need to meet with your Access Advisor/Coordinator to renew, unless you are requesting a change to your accommodation plan.
Using “myAccess” you will be able to request Accommodation Notification letters on your own, and with no waiting!

37. “myAccess”is a user-friendly system that will help you keep track of your accommodations, allow you to request Accommodation Notification Letters on your own, and easily implement certain accommodations.
To learn more on how to use myAccess and view specific tutorials visit the “myAccess Student Guide” on the Disability Center’s website:

38. New Student Orientation Summary Link
Congratulations, you’re finished!
A summary of this orientation is provided to you on at the following link as a reminder of the information you learned in the NSO. Please feel free to use this and adapt it to your individual needs.
New Student Orientation Summary Link
Additionally, remember to use the Help Sessions and/or contact your Access Advisor/Coordinator if you have questions or want more assistance.