The Bob Murphy Access Center (BMAC) is excited to announce the launch of MyBMAC, an interactive web-based database which operates by providing a streamlined accommodation process that centralizes the communication of accommodation requests/approval between students, faculty, and BMAC staff. MyBMAC is accessible through the Single Sign-On (SSO) MyBMAC chiclet.

In an effort to guide CSULB faculty within this new system, BMAC encourages faculty to view our Faculty Access to MyBMAC page. This webpage addresses faculty navigation of MyBMAC through video and written tutorial guides, as well as additional information regarding faculty drop-in office hours to assist with MyBMAC questions and navigation.

Allow a variety of assignment options, through an approach that may not be intensely digital. For example, asking students to write a pro-con issue comparison memo in lieu of participating in a classroom debate.

If you have online exams and students require extended time accommodations, remember to extend the student’s time on BeachBoard.

Be aware that some students may need to utilize assistive technology software; Lockdown browser may need to be disabled in these instances.

For BeachBoard Support, please contact (562) 985-8324 and/or beachboard@csulb.edu

During this time of COVID-19, we ask for student/instructor flexibility and understanding as BMAC continues to offer limited proctoring to students on a case-by-case basis whose accommodations cannot be replicated within the home/virtual environment. Instructors will be asked to accommodate students who solely need extended time accommodations. All proctoring reqeusts will be scheduled within BMAC's availability.

Please note that BMAC continues to rely on faculty communication should student accommodations need to be revisited if they constitute a fundamental alteration to the nature or learning outcomes of a course or program. If faculty have concerns about providing an accommodation that is believed to not be reasonable, please contact BMAC for clarification and guidance.

If you would like to learn more about specific accommodations for which students may be approved, please review our Eligibility (Accommodation) Descriptions . Note: you will be prompted to log in via Single Sign-On to access this webpage.

Faculty are encouraged to utilize the following syllabus statement in supporting BMAC's name change and updated building location on campus:

Students with disabilities who require reasonable academic accommodations are strongly encouraged to register with the Bob Murphy Access Center (BMAC) each semester. Students must submit supporting disability documentation to BMAC and provide faculty of any BMAC verification of accommodations as early in the semester as possible. BMAC is located in the Shakarian Student Success Center, Room 110 and can also be reached by phone at (562) 985-5401 or via email at bmac@csulb.edu.

If you have a student that is Deaf or Hard of Hearing, BMAC recommends:

• Adding the BMAC Deaf and Hard of Hearing Coordinator, Gloria Williams, to the BeachBoard course for additional accessibility support.
• Conducting your course online via Zoom and sharing the logistics with Gloria Williams. This allows our team of campus interpreters/captioners to join in the class and provides access to communication.
• Caption videos and transcribe audio content.
• Ensure that your Zoom is updated to the latest 5.2.2 version in order to utilize Zoom’s multi-pin and multi-spotlight features when working with BMAC Interpreters.

Faculty who have (a) student(s) with qualifying disabilities are encouraged to contact the AIM Center to assist with:

• 1:1 Zoom trainings to make their course materials accessible
• An accessibility review of BeachBoard content or Departmental websites and links
• Enrollment in BeachBoard ATI Modular courses for training on how to create accessible content for:
  • ATI Modular Training Microsoft Word
  • ATI Modular Training Microsoft PowerPoint
  • ATI Modular Training Microsoft Adobe Acrobat PDF
  • ATI Modular Training Copyright
•  Document and Form remediation
• Transcripts for videos and podcasts
• Captioning requests based on certain criteria
• Remediation services on a case-by-case basis

Consider saving files in 2 formats, in the original format and a PDF format.

• PDFs are easier to read on phones and tablets, while the original file format often has additional features that are helpful to students who use accessibility software.

If you choose to utilize videos in your course, ensure that they are captioned.

• However, also note that videos take up considerable bandwidth which may make streaming difficult for some students with limited internet.

Ensure that your instructional materials are accessible in the event that you have students that are blind or visually impaired:

• Use clear, consistent layouts and organization schemes for presenting content.
• Structure headings (using heading style features built into the Learning Management System, Microsoft Word and PowerPoint (PPT), PDFs, etc.) and use built-in designs/layouts (e.g., for PPT slides).
• Use descriptive wording for hyperlink text (e.g., “DO-IT Knowledge Base” rather than “click here”).
• Provide concise text descriptions of content presented within images
• Use large, bold fonts on uncluttered pages with plain backgrounds.
• Use color combinations that are high contrast and can be read by those who are colorblind.
• Make sure all content and navigation is accessible using the keyboard alone and choose IT tools that are accessible.
• When you create video segments, consider how you will convey information to learners who cannot see what is happening in a video. Actions that are only visible on screen without any audible equivalent are not accessible to learners who have visual impairments.
• For many topics, you can fully cover concepts in the spoken presentation. If it is practical to do so, you should audibly describe visual events as they happen in the video. For example, if you are illustrating dropping a coin and a feather together from a height, you should consider narrating your actions as you perform them. Ask yourself if your video would make sense if the learner were only listening to the audio content, for example while they were driving a car.

AIM Center Website: Tutorials and Resources

Tools and Resources for Accessible Instructional Materials

Additional Resources:

How to Check Accessibility of Instructional Materials

With the campus largely moving to a virtual delivery of courses, it is essential as faculty to ensure the accessibility of the course instruction. This not only provides accessibility to students with disabilities, but it is inclusive of the concept of Universal Design for Learning which supports all learners.

With this in mind, CSULB has the following recommendations for faculty:

Structure

• Keep the course accessible and mobile friendly: in a crisis, many students may only have a mobile device available, so make sure you are using mobile-friendly formats.

Engagement, Support, and Retention of Learning

• Build in elements of connectivity to counteract social isolation: begin class by asking how the students are doing and encourage them to check in with each other.
• Ask your students how you can assist them during this transition. Students may have additional challenges that can amplify during times of stress or uncertainty. Be helpful and direct them to campus resources. Many students are experiencing food and housing insecurities. They may rely heavily on the support and resources on campus.  Check in about well-being and basic needs.
• Ask your students if they are having trouble accessing housing, food, water, health care, mental health care, or other necessary resources. Class cancellations put housing-insecure students at risk.
• For many students, virtual learning is a new experience. Allow recording of any Zoom video or audio lectures for students to replay the content.
  • Additionally, consider putting all teaching content on BeachBoard so that students do not need to rely so strongly on peer notetakers.
• Reach out individually to students who are missing virtual classes. This may be a sign that they are experiencing accessibility of other challenges.

Instruction

• Present content in multiple ways (e.g., in a combination of text, video, audio, and/or image format); please be reminded that all video content must be captioned, and audio must feature an accompanying transcript to meet accessibility compliance standards.
• Be aware that some students with certain types of disabilities (low vision, migraines, seizure disorders, etc.) may not be able to spend an extended amount of time in front of a computer. As such, you may consider:
  • Making instructional materials available for students to print out.
  • Allow students to participate in Zoom calls with voice-only and no image-heavy needs.