Tips for Using ARConnect

How To Select Accommodations for Individual Classes

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.

Click on List Accommodations and follow the steps below.

  1. Select Classes. Select a class by clicking on the box(es) next to each course listed.
  2. Continue to Customize Your Accommodations. Click this button to open a window and select specific accommodations for each class. Select your accommodation(s) by clicking on the check box next to the accommodations you wish to use.
  3. Submit Your Accommodation Request. Click this button to submit your accommodation requests for each of your classes as shown in ARConnect.

What Happens Next

  1. Between one and four weeks before the semester begins, ARC will email a Faculty Notification Letter to the instructor(s) identified in PAWS.
  2. You will receive a copy of this email when it is sent.
  3. Instructors will continue to receive notifications throughout the semester when there are changes to your classes and accommodation requests.

If you have questions about your class accommodations, please contact your ARC Access Specialist.

How To Request a Textbook in an Alternative Format

First, Log into ARConnect with your ePanther ID and password. Then, click Alternative Formats. ARConnect syncs with UWM bookstores. If your instructor has requested textbooks from the campus bookstore, your textbooks should be listed in this view.

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 registered in the UWM ARC Bookshare account and can log in with your ePanther email and password. If you do not have access information for Bookshare, contact the Assistive Technology Coordinator.

If you search in Bookshare and do not find your textbook, you may request an alternative format by following the directions below.

Note: You will be asked to upload a receipt of purchase or rental; however, please request an alternative format as soon as possible, even without a receipt. It takes time to get textbooks from publishers, and you can upload the receipt later.

  1. Return to Alternative Formats.
  2. Click Select next to each 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.

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

  1. Return to Alternative Formats.
  2. Scroll down to the Upload Receipt window.
  3. Choose the file to upload (this can be a screenshot of an emailed confirmation or a photo of a paper receipt.)
  4. Select the course tied to the receipt.
  5. 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 with the bookstore or for any additional reading materials you may need for class, return to Alternative Formats and scroll down to Additional Book or Reading Materials.

  1. Select the class for which this text/reading is required.
  2. Enter the title of the textbook or reading material.
  3. Enter the 13-digit ISBN number, the publisher information, author’s information, and the edition of the text, if needed.
  4. Click Submit Request. Once your submit your request, remember to upload a proof of purchase or rental.

If you have any technical troubles, contact the Assistive Technology Coordinator.

How To Schedule An Exam

Before You Schedule an Exam

Instructors must complete an Alternative Testing Agreement. If a testing agreement is not on file in ARConnect, you will not be able to schedule exams for that course. Instructors can find the unique link to their testing agreement in the Faculty Notification Letter.

Plan Ahead

Exams and quizzes administered in ARC during the semester must be scheduled 5 or more working (M-F) days before the test date. Final exams administered in ARC and exams scheduled during the final exam period must be scheduled 10 or more working (M-F) days before the last day of the semester. The ensures that you will have a seat in the testing center and allows ARC to prepare for anything you may need during the test.

Scheduling an Exam, Quiz or Final

  1. Log into ARConnect with your ePanther ID and password.
  2. Click Alternative Testing.
  3. Choose a class from the dropdown menu and click Schedule 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.)
  4. Enter the exam details:
    1. Request type (exam, quiz, final).
    2. Campus location (where you will take the exam).
    3. Exam date.
    4. Class exam start time.
  5. Choose the specific accommodation(s) needed for this test by clicking the box next to each accommodation listed. You should see a check mark displayed in the boxes you select.
  6. 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, please contact your campus testing center or your ARC Access Specialist.

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