What is the ATL?

The Adaptive Technology Lab (ATL) assists Harvard College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences students with disabilities who are registered with the FAS Accessible Education Office (AEO). We provide support through technology, which can include electronic versions of course materials, access to course content in the classroom, and testing accommodations.

We work with faculty, students and the AEO to determine the best way to meet each student's needs. To make sure students have access to the materials and tools that they need, we use many techniques and technologies, including scanning and optical character recognition (OCR) to create files to be used with zooming software and/or document readers, transcribing texts and music into Braille, creating tactile graphics and creating audio files. We also provide a variety of solutions for in-class accessibility.

We provide laptops, when necessary, for exams to students who are provided that accommodation. See below for more information.

The ATL also offers demonstrations of voice recognition software, text-to-speech software, smartboard technologies and any of the other accessible technologies that we use, by appointment.

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How do students with disabilities qualify for accommodations?

Students register with the FAS Accessible Education Office (AEO). The AEO reviews all medical documentation and determines which accommodations are appropriate.

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How can I find out about the technologies that are available?

We are happy to provide demonstrations by appointment. Students likely to be using our other services should first register with the AEO. We will demonstrate any of the hardware and software we use and support. We can also discuss specific needs and circumstances to suggest which technology, if any, would be beneficial.

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How do I know if a student needs accommodations in my class?

If a student requires accommodations, whether it involves our services or not, they should present you with a letter in the first few weeks of class. This letter, written by the AEO, outlines the accommodations to which the student is entitled. If you receive such a letter, please read it right away and make sure all course staff that will be involved with the student also read and follow it.

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My student gets certain accommodations for exams, such as the use of a laptop and a separate room for testing, does the ATL provide those?

We provide laptops with accessibility software (such as a zooming program or a screen reader) for students that are registered as our clients. We can also provide exams in alternative formats (such as an electronic format or Braille) if that is part of the student's accommodation. For Final exams, we provide any alternate formats of the exam and must provide all laptops and other special equipment. See below for more information.

If the test or exam is an in-class exam, we can provide alternate formats of the exam and any laptops or equipment directly to a faculty member or TF.

The ATL does not provide proctors or special rooms for exams. For these, you should contact your department. We also cannot provide a reader (someone to read the exam to the student) or a scribe (someone to write down the student's answers). For readers and scribes, you should contact your department or the Accessible Education Office.

The ATL ensures that all necessary exam conversions are completed by Adaptive Technology professionals, not by student workers. The exams are converted to the necessary format and given directly to a faculty member, TF, or someone from the exams office in a sealed envelope. Digital files for exams are kept on a password protected server and are usually only kept as long as needed to ensure that the student has the exam format they need. Paper or CD copies of the exam are generally shredded after use.

We take the confidentiality of exams - as we take our client's confidentiality – very seriously.

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How do I ensure that students can access class materials?

If you can provide us with a complete syllabus and/or reading list in advance of the semester, that will allow us to begin scanning and formatting materials so that the students may have access to them at the same time as their classmates. We can also format new material added during the semester, the lead time required varies widely based on the quantity, the nature of the material (prose, equations, images, etc.), and the format the student requires. We often contact professors to get syllabi or reading lists for courses our clients are considering before classes begin to help them decide which classes to enroll in.

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How do I reserve a laptop for a student that needs one for exams?

Please call or email the ATL to reserve an exam laptop at least a week in advance. We will need the student's name and will arrange a time for you or your course staff to pick up and return the laptop. We recommend that the exam proctor provide a USB flash drive to make a copy of the student's exam responses after the exam. Keep in mind that, except for final exams, it is your prerogative to decide whether students may use their own laptop or not.

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I have a student that I believe could use your help. Who can I contact about that?

The first person to speak to would be the student. He or she may already be registered with the AEO and working with us directly. Students are also free to choose a lesser accommodation than the one for which they are eligible, including refusing our services altogether.

Please do not contact us, as we will be unable to confirm whether a student is eligible for our services or is working with us, if they elect not to inform the teaching staff, due to client confidentiality.

Any student who might need our services who is not currently registered should be referred to the AEO.

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I want to try dictation (speech-to-text) software, how do I do that?

Please call or email the ATL to make an appointment. We can provide an individual, hands-on demonstration of dictation software in our Science Center office. Please let us know whether you are interested in a demonstration for Windows (Dragon NaturallySpeaking) or Mac OS X (MacSpeech Dictate).

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