You are eligible to select accommodations if you are enrolled in classes at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and have a current accommodation plan with the Accessibility Resource Center.
Log into ARConnect with your ePanther ID and password.
Read any required e-forms and acknowledge consent by typing your name and pressing Submit Form.
Select List Accommodations from the left sidebar and follow the steps below.
- Select Classes. Choose the classes for which you need accommodations by clicking on the box(es) next to each course listed.
- Continue to Customize Your Accommodations. Click on this button to open a page where each class has its own tile. You can select specific accommodations for each class by clicking on the check box next to the accommodations you wish to use.
- Submit Request. Click this button to submit your accommodation requests for each of your classes as shown in ARConnect.
What Happens Next
- Between one to two weeks before the semester begins, ARC will email a Faculty Notification Letter to the instructor(s) identified in PAWS.
- You will receive a copy of this email when it is sent.
- Instructors will continue to receive notifications throughout the semester when there are changes to your classes and/or your accommodation requests.
If you have questions about your class accommodations, please contact your ARC Access Specialist.
First, Log into ARConnect with your ePanther ID and password. Then, choose Alternative Formats from the left sidebar. ARConnect syncs with UWM’s bookstore to pull up any required reading that instructors have submitted. If your instructor has requested textbooks from the campus bookstore, your textbooks should be listed in this view. If you do not see any textbooks listed for one or all of your courses, please contact the course instructor directly to request information on textbooks needed.
Before You Make a Request
Begin with Bookshare, an ebook library with a large collection of customizable ebooks. As a UWM student approved for alternative format accommodations, you are registered in the UWM ARC Bookshare account and can log in with your ePanther email and the password you created when you signed up for your individual account. If you do not have access to or need help with Bookshare, contact the Assistive Technology Coordinator.
If you search in Bookshare and find the book you need, you can download your preferred format for free; if you do not find your textbook, you will want to search in similar site called VitalSource.com. VitalSource also provides digital and accessible versions of textbooks. However, you will need to purchase or rent the book from VitalSource. Often, VitalSource is cheaper than the UWM bookstore, so it is worth searching and comparing prices.
If a digital and accessible version of the book is not in Bookshare or VitalSource, you may request an alternative format by following the directions below.
To Submit a Request in ARConnect
- Return to Alternative Formats in ARConnect.
- Click Select next to the book title. You will see a status change in this window for the book that says Processing. As we search for an alternate format, you will receive emails with status updates.
Note: You must upload a receipt of purchase or rental of the book* in print in order to receive an accessible version. Please request an alternative format as soon as possible, even without a receipt, as it takes time to receive accessible textbooks from publishers.
*Proof of purchase, rental, or verification that the text is available in library reserve is required before ARC can release the alternate format to you.
To upload a book receipt
- Return to Alternative Formats.
- Choose Upload Receipt from the top menu.
- Scroll down to Receipt Detail and choose the file to upload (this can be a screenshot of an emailed confirmation or a photo of a paper receipt.)
- Select the course for which the receipt applies.
- Click Upload Receipt
What if I can’t find my textbook listed in the alternative formats view?
To request a textbook that is not listed on your Alternative Formats page or in the UWM bookstore, or for any additional reading materials you may need for class, return to Alternative Formats and choose Requests from the top menu. Scroll down to Reading Materials and follow the steps below.
- Select the class for which this text/reading is required.
- Enter the title of the textbook or reading material.
- Enter the 13-digit ISBN number, the publisher information, author’s information, and the edition of the text, if available.
- If none of the information above is available, enter as many details in the Note section as you can about the reading (i.e. where it is located in the Canvas course site, etc.).
- Click Submit Request. If this is a published book (versus a selection from a published book), you may be asked to upload a proof of purchase or rental.
If you have any technical troubles, contact the Assistive Technology Coordinator.
Before You Schedule an Exam
Instructors must complete an Alternative Testing Agreement and enter exam dates and times. If a testing agreement is not on file in ARConnect, you will not be able to schedule exams for that course; if exam dates and times are not entered, you will not be able to schedule that particular exam. In either case, if you are unable to schedule an exam request, please reach out to your instructor, and/or your Access Specialist, directly for help. If asked, instructors can find the unique link to their testing agreement in the Faculty Notification Letter or by logging into their instructor portal, PROFconnect.
Plan Ahead
Exams and quizzes administered in ARC during the semester must be scheduled at least 5 business days (M-F) before the test date. All exams to be administered in ARC, including final exams, must be scheduled at least 10 business days (M-F) before the last day of the semester. This ensures that you will have a seat in the testing center and allows ARC to prepare for anything you may need during the exam.
Scheduling an Exam, Quiz or Final
- Log into ARConnect with your ePanther ID and password.
- Choose Alternative Testing from the left sidebar.
- Choose a class from the dropdown menu and click Schedule An Exam. (Remember, if you do not see a class listed in the dropdown menu, then your professor has not completed a testing agreement for that course.)
- Fill in the exam details:
- Choose the exam from Available Exam Dates.
- Choose the Campus location (where you will take the exam).
- The time of the exam should populate. If not, you may need to enter the time manually. The time you take the exam should match the time your peers take their exam in class. The only exception is the final exam, which is scheduled in blocks of time.
- Choose your testing accommodations for the exam from Services Requested. Once these are chose, the rest of the form will populate, so that you can see what time the exam will begin and what time it will end.
- Click Add Exam Request to submit your exam request.
What Happens Next?
You will receive an email notification when your exam request is approved. If you have any questions or receive any error messages during this process, please contact your Access Specialist and/or your instructor.