Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD) Accommodation Information

The Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD) is responsible for determining accommodations based on the individual's current functional limitations. Students registered with OSD may be eligible for accommodations for course exams (midterms, quizzes, final exams). The School of Biological Sciences adheres to Academic Senate policy to make accommodations.

Once an electronic Authorization for Accommodation (AFA) has been received, the School of Biological Sciences OSD Liaison (bioosd@ucsd.edu) will send an email confirmation with information on how to register for in-person course exams at the Triton Testing Center (TTC). Biology students with exam accommodations on their AFA letter are responsible for scheduling all of their accommodated exams directly with the TTC.

If You Are a Student with Accommodations:

Please review your AFA letter thoroughly and confirm all accommodations listed are correct. It is your responsibility to verify accommodations and work directly with your instructor to discuss support needed for assessments/exams. If you have testing accommodations/will be taking exams at the Triton Testing Center (TTC), please register for exams at the TTC.

Registering at the Triton Testing Center (TTC), Steps for Students:

Update Your Testing Accommodations: Complete the Accommodations Update Request Form with your UC San Diego email before you move to step 2. The form will be processed within one business day, so it's important to plan accordingly.
- Scheduling the test before your form is processed can result in scheduling the test without accommodations.
- Note that accommodations are granted each quarter for every course. This means you are required to complete the form every quarter.
- New accommodations don't apply to retroactive reservations. If you already have accommodations but need to update them for the quarter, you will need to
  - complete the Accommodations Update Request Form
  - reschedule your tests.
Once the TTC has approved your accommodations, log in to RegisterBlast to confirm accommodations and schedule all in-person Biology course exams within the parameters (e.g., testing window) provided by the course instructor(s). Please do this as soon as possible to secure accommodations.
1. Please reference these instructions: Scheduling a Test on RegisterBlast
2. If you are unable to find your course exam(s) on Register Blast, contact your instructor and request that they add your course exams.
3. Prioritize scheduling your exams at the TTC as soon as you are able to, as space is limited.
Review the TTC's Testing Day Policies & Procedures prior to your exam

To receive exam accommodations:
Students must register for any exam at least 72 hours (3 business days) prior to the scheduled exam. If students delay in completing any steps related to receiving accommodations, this reduces the potential for exam accommodations to be fulfilled.

Remote Exams & Classroom Accommodations: OSD exam accommodations are only for in-person exams. Students enrolled in remote classes or who have classroom accommodations not related to exams will need to work directly with the class instructor to receive accommodations.

UC San Diego Extended Studies Students:

Students enrolled in a Biological Sciences course through UC San Diego’s Division of Extended Studies (DES), please review DES’s Services for Students with Disabilities for more information on requesting accommodations.

Enrolling in a Different Section of a Class:
If you enroll in a course, and then drop the course to enroll in a new section of the course with a different instructor, the new instructor may not receive a copy of your AFA letter. If you have switched to a new section of a course, you must ensure that an AFA letter is sent to the instructor of the new section so they are aware of your approved accommodations. If you need help with this, please contact bioosd@ucsd.edu. It is your responsibility to verify accommodations and work directly with your instructor to discuss support needed for assessments/exams.

Additional Resources:

If You Are an Instructor:

Students who have approved accommodations for a course through the Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD) are issued an AFA letter for their course and are instructed to contact their instructors to review the course syllabus and discuss accommodation arrangements for the quarter. AFA letters are sent out to instructors starting on day one of instruction via email AND throughout the quarter, as new students register with OSD and are provided with accommodations.

Please review OSD’s page on What Faculty Need to Know About Accommodating Students with Disabilities. Please also see OSD's Faculty & Staff Supporting Students page and the Frequently Asked Questions listed at the bottom of that page for more information on commonly asked questions and common scenarios.

Accommodations Concerns:
If you have concerns about accommodations, particularly with accommodations you feel constitute a fundamental alteration to your course, please email the OSD at osd@ucsd.edu and include this subject line: Faculty Concerns about Accommodations. Your email will be addressed by the Disability Specialist working with the student or by the OSD Director.

If a student requests accommodations but does not have an AFA letter, direct the student to contact the OSD for help; the student can also refer to the OSD's instructions for requesting accommodations.

Registering at the Triton Testing Center (TTC), Steps for Instructors:

Please prioritize scheduling your Biology course(s) paper-based exams at the Triton Testing Center (TTC) in order to more efficiently manage student OSD exam accommodations. The TTC will have access to all student accommodations and will provide those to students for the exam.

Please review the TTC's Getting Started page for instructors. If you don’t already have a Register Blast account at the TTC, complete the Instructor Enrollment Form. Please allow one business day for your account to be activated before moving to Step 2.
- Guidance on utilizing your account and how to register your testing date(s) and upload your test file(s) will be sent once your account is approved.
Register all course exam dates and times (including midterms and final) at the TTC by the end of Week 2 each quarter.
Now that you have registered your tests, here is some important information to convey to your students.

Instructors will be responsible for uploading a copy of their exam to Register Blast at least two days prior to any scheduled exam. Students are responsible for registering for all course exams.

See the TTC website for instructions on how to retrieve completed exams.

Important TTC Deadlines:

Instructor: Register exam dates with TTC by the end of Week 2 each quarter to ensure the TTC has adequate space and staffing to administer your tests. If you can't for any reason, the latest you can do so is 5 days before the testing date(s).
Instructor: Upload exam to Register Blast at least 1 business day in advance of the testing window opening.
Student: Schedule a time to take the test at least 3 business days in advance of their test day.

If you have any other questions, please contact bioosd@ucsd.edu.

MyOSD Instructor Login:
In addition to getting an email, you can also find out and get information about the students enrolled in your course(s) who have accommodations via MyOSD. Using Single Sign-On, log into https://myosd.ucsd.edu. Select your department and the term and then click “View.” If assistance is needed to log in, please contact osd@ucsd.edu for help.

Please note AFA letters sent to your UC San Diego email are still the primary resource for tracking approved accommodations for students, as some students may opt out of appearing in the MyOSD portal.

Additional Resources:

OSD Liaison Contact Info

Location

Urey Hall 1510

9500 Gilman Drive
La Jolla, CA 92093-0348

Phone

(858) 534-0557

Office Hours

Available online Monday through Friday by appointment only via bioosd@ucsd.edu

Questions? Contact the School of Biological Sciences OSD Liaison at bioosd@ucsd.edu