Faculty and Staff Resources

This section is designed to assist faculty and staff in providing meaningful educational opportunities for students with disabilities. While federal and state legislation ensure that all qualified persons have equal access to education regardless of the presence of any disabling conditions, access also means providing students with the tools they will need to be successful in higher education.

Accommodations for students with disabilities are designed to, “level the playing field,” not provide unfair advantages over other students. Reasonable accommodations may include:  use of a notetaker, extra time for tests in a private location, permission to tape record lectures, use of an interpreter or captionist, use of adaptive technology, and special classroom furniture. Failure to make accommodations for students with disabilities can place the University in violation of statutes resulting in costly penalties.

Process for Provision of Accommodations:

• Student registers with the Office of Student Disability Services
• Student provides current, medical documentation of the disability
• If the documentation is adequate, the accommodations will be approved and a memorandum will be provided for each professor for each semester.
• Student is responsible for presenting the memorandum to the professor at the beginning of the semester.
• If testing accommodations are provided, the student is responsible for scheduling the test and completing the Test Assistance Request Form in conjunction with the professor.

All Faculty are encouraged to contact the Office of Student Disability Services with suggestions, concerns, or need for clarification about accommodations.

Links for Faculty Resources:

ASD:  Accommodating Students with Disabilities, Utah State University

http://sds.usf.edu/asd/index.htm

Accessibility:  An Overview Course in Accessibility for the Web and Digital Media

http://sds.usf.edu/SEDBTAC/index.html

Ohio State University:  Fast Facts for Faculty

http://ada.osu.edu/resources/fastfacts/index.htm

The Faculty Room

http://www.washington.edu/doit/Faculty/