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What Does Memory Aid Mean on a DRC Accommodation Letter?

A Guide for Implementation for Students and Professors

Memory Aid

A memory aid is a testing accommodation used to support students who have documented challenges with memory.  It is a tool used to trigger information that a student has studied but may have difficulty recalling due to the disability’s impact on memory and recall.  The memory aid allows the student to demonstrate knowledge of course material by helping prompt the student’s memory, not by providing the answer.  This accommodation is not intended to reduce academic requirements or alter the standards by which academic performance is assessed.
A proper memory aid will not be useful to the student unless the student knows and understands how to use the information to which it refers.  If the student doesn’t understand the course material, a proper memory aid will not help.

Some disabilities that may affect memory include (but are not limited to):
  • Acquired brain injury, Psychiatric disability, Specific learning disability, ADHD, or Medical conditions
How is an accommodation for a memory aid determined and approved?

A student who requests a memory aid must present documentation, from a qualified professional, which supports the need for this aid to the DRC.  A DRC counselor will review the documentation and discuss the request for a memory aid in depth with the student during an interactive appointment.  Students are responsible for learning course material, for discerning which material may require cues or triggers, for developing the cues that will appear on the aid, and for securing the instructor’s review and input of the content.

What does a memory aid look like?

Styles of memory aids may vary. Generally, memory aids can be hand-written or typed on a large index card, be up to one side of a letter-size page (8 1/2 x 11”), or be another tool such as a handout provided or created by the instructor.  A memory aid may or may not include the use of:  Acronyms, short phrases, pictures, schematic diagrams, formulas, names, definitions, tables, sample questions, and key terms/words charts.

Instructor Considerations

If remembering the information on the memory aid is deemed to be an essential learning objective or outcome of the course, please contact the DRC right away to discuss this accommodation.

For example, if the learning objective or outcome of the course is to know the formula, having a formula on the aid may not be allowed; however, if the learning objective or outcome of the course is to demonstrate the ability to apply the formula, then a formula could be allowed on the memory aid.

What is the Process?

Student Responsibility:

  1. Once a student has been approved for a memory aid by a DRC counselor, the accommodation will be included on the student’s DRC Authorized Accommodation Letter.  The student submits the Accommodation Letter to the instructor at the beginning of the semester or at least three business days in advance of the first quiz or exam date.

2.   For each exam/quiz, the student prepares a memory aid that is no larger than one single-sided, 8 ½”x11” page written by hand or 12 size font type, double spaced. An index card may be used instead or another tool.  Please note: a student with a visual impairment may need a larger memory aid with the same number of characters in a larger font.

3.   The student contacts the professor to review the memory aid at least three business days prior to each quiz/exam date.

  • REVIEW AND DISCUSS MEMORY AID CONTENT: Student and professor review the content the student has listed on the memory aid.
  • FINALIZE MEMORY AID CONTENT: During this meeting/discussion, the professor: 1) Approves the content as is; 2) Approves some of the content and removes some; OR 3) Disapproves ALL of the content.
  • PROFESSOR TO SUBMIT MEMORY AID TO DRC WITH QUIZ/EXAM: After the professor approves All or some of the content on the memory aid, it is the instructor’s responsibility to submit the approved memory aid to the DRC Testing Center along with the exam.
  • STUDENT CONTACTS DRC WITH ANY CONCERNS: If the professor communicates that they can’t approve ANY or SOME of the content on the memory aid or that they do not approve use of any form of memory aid, contact the DRC to make an appointment or to participate in a drop in right away for guidance and support.

Instructor Responsibility:

  • Ask the student for a copy of the DRC Authorized Accommodation Letter for your course, and visit MyDRC to acknowledge receipt of the Accommodation Letter.  Look to see that “memory aid” is an accommodation listed on the Letter.  If it is not, explain this to the student and direct them to meet with a DRC counselor to discuss this accommodation request. If you have concerns with the memory aide accommodation, contact the DRC right away and request to speak with a DRC Counselor or Director.
  • In a confidential in-person setting with the student or over the phone or via Zoom, discuss the accommodation and required steps (see student responsibility section above) with the student.
  • Prior to the test/exam, the instructor reviews the student’s memory aid with the student and chooses one of the following options:
    • Option 1 – Approve as is:  Approve the memory aid “as is”
    • Option 2 – Approve partial content: Remove (if handwritten: delete, scratch out, or black out with a marker; if in a Word document: delete) information that the instructor has deemed to interfere with the essential learning criteria they are seeking.  (Retain a copy of the original memory aid so that the student can identify the changes made. The student will contact the DRC should they have any concerns with any removed content).
    • Option 3 – Disapprove ALL content: If you feel you can’t approve a memory aid because the memory triggers on the memory aid are deemed to be essential criteria or learning objectives for the course or another reason, please contact the DRC right away to discuss these concerns.  It is essential that you contact the DRC prior to the start of the exam/quiz with enough time to allow for discussion.
  • Once the memory aid content is approved by the instructor, the instructor signs the memory aid and submits it along with the student’s test/quiz directly to the DRC Testing Center via in person, blue envelope or scans it and e-mails it to drcproctor@palomar.edu.
Important Information
  • Only the finalized memory aid submitted by the instructor to the DRC will be allowed with the test/exam at DRC’s Testing Center.
    • If the student arrives at the DRC Testing Center to test with a memory aid, the memory aid will not be allowed. DRC staff will not contact the instructor on behalf of the student to request approval for a memory aid. This is the responsibility of the student.
  • Once the student completes the exam/quiz at DRC’s Testing Center, the test and memory aid will be returned to the instructor per the instructor’s requested method of return.