I wanted to share our resource Getting the Semester Started: Accommodation Decisions with Deaf Students as a guide to maximize interactions, strengthen accessibility, and implement accommodations for deaf students in their upcoming semester. 

This year, we are focusing on creating a backup plan for when an on-campus interpreter can't make it. We have staff that can adjust schedules at a moment's notice, but if a provider is out ill or we don't have enough people, our current backup plan is pretty rough. We tell students to record class and we can interpret it after the fact. But with today's technology, I know we can do better! We will look into contracts with agencies who provide on-demand VRI, and the technology necessary for students to use this service. We want to view this with an equity lens and not assume students will have devices that provide a comfortable viewing experience for VRI. Our office has tablets, laptops, and microphones that can be checked out, but we don't have a system in place for students to know about this option and use it comfortably or in an emergency. This comes to mind especially today when our campus has closed due to a major snow event here in Wisconsin! Although everything is shut down today, there are times when a provider cannot arrive safely on campus when a student has made the trip, and we can't leave them without access. My priority is to provide someone on campus whenever possible, and typically we can make it work with creative scheduling (having staff interpreters is key for this flexibility), but our Plan B needs to be revamped and written down. I guess it's time to get deaf students together and ask what they want Plan B to look like before I get too far into this idea!