Suggestions for Faculty

How can you as a faculty member accommodate students with disabilities in your classroom?

You can:

1. Create a welcoming class environment.
2. Know your rights and responsibilities.
3. Recognize the need for alternative media and notify DSS in a timely fashion of alternative media needs.
4. Recognize diversity in learning through Universal Design for Learning (UDL) techniques.
5. Provide an assignment timeline.
6. Summarize material.
7. Know your institution's resources to help students.

1. Create a welcoming class environment. [ top ] Incorporate, read, and emphasize a disability statement on the syllabus that openly expresses a willingness to provide accommodations. Faculty can read the disability statement to the class at the beginning of the course and then restate it at a later date. Having and calling attention to such a statement facilitates open communication and establishes a positive classroom environment. See the Disclosure Definition sub-unit for more information.

2. Know your rights and responsibilities. [ top ]

• Your obligation to accommodate begins when a student who is registered with Disability Support Services (DSS) discloses his/her disability to you and requests accommodations. However, you do not have to provide accommodations for a student who is not registered with DSS. While you do not have to provide an accommodation for a student who is not registered with DSS, in instances when the need is obvious (such as a student rolls up in a wheelchair asking about room access) and the solution is under your control, you can grant the request without involving DSS. However, if the need for accommodations is not obvious, if you have any doubts about when and how to accommodate a student, if there is a dispute over needed accommodations, or if the accommodation request involves policies outside the classroom or additional resources, you should always contact DSS.
  
  
• You should request that the student provide you with an official accommodation letter/form from your DSS office that describes the approved accommodations for that particular student. The only documentation that faculty have the right to see is the letter or document provided by DSS verifying a student's disability and eligibility for accommodations.
• If a student discloses a disability and he/she is not registered with the DSS office, you should inform the student that DSS exists and that they can provide services and information.
• Determining accommodations ideally is a collaborative process. The student and DSS determine accommodations appropriate for the student, whereas you determine the fundamental goals and expectations for a given course and negotiate with the student and the DSS office to ensure that the suggested accommodations will give the student equal access to the curriculum. You are not obligated to make an accommodation that will fundamentally alter the nature of a program or create an undue financial or administrative burden on the institution (5 Law).
• When you, a student, and DSS cannot agree on appropriate accommodations, the initial decision on accommodations is made by DSS unless clearly stated otherwise in policy. However, there is a grievance process designed to protect you and the student if either of you disagree with this initial decision. See Grievance Procedures for more information.
• Because accommodations are not retroactive (5 Law), you do not have to modify grades earned before a student requested accommodations.
  
• You should hold students with disabilities to the same academic standards as those without disabilities.

Video Clip: Equitable Treatment Duration: 0.5 minutes

3. Recognize the need for alternative media and notify DSS in a timely fashion of alternative media needs. [ top ]
If a student requests alternate format materials, please provide DSS with syllabi, textbooks, course packets etc., well before classes begin (several weeks prior to the start of the semester is recommended) in order for students with disabilities to use alternative media when all other students have course materials (4 Law). With such timely consideration, students who have alternative media needs for accommodations and instructional access will be best served. Converting print materials is both labor and time intensive. Alternative media may be print material in Braille, on audiotapes, scanned onto discs, or enlarged.

In addition, work with your DSS to ensure that all audiovisual materials used in class are accessible. For example, ensure that:

• videos shown are captioned for students who are deaf or hard of hearing;
• VCR equipment used has captioning capabilities;
• videos shown will be made with auditory description in some way; or
• written or Brailled transcripts will be provided, etc.

4. Recognize diversity in learning through Universal Design for Learning (UDL) techniques. [ top ]
Universal design is an approach to designing course instruction, materials, and content to benefit people of all learning styles without adaptation or retrofitting. By incorporating Universal Design principles in instruction that allow students with disabilities access to the classroom, you may also be designing instruction that works better for everyone in the class. Classes designed with this concept in mind offer a variety of methods of content presentation, flexible teaching strategies, and options for demonstrating mastery of course content.

Video Clip: Variety of Methods Duration: 0.6 minutes

By incorporating variety in course presentation, faculty are encouraging all forms of learning which benefits all students, with and without disabilities. Some examples of good UDL practices include:

• Providing your syllabus and course handouts in hard-copy form and in a computer-friendly document that can be accessed on the Internet. All course materials posted to the Internet should follow principles of web accessibility to ensure maximum access for users with and without disabilities. For more information, see the FAME Web Accessibility module.
• Using multi-modal instruction such as lecture, small group discussion, videos, hands-on activities, etc.
• Providing alternate means of expression. Giving students the option of alternative but equally rigorous assignments such as choosing between a written paper and an oral presentation takes into consideration students' learning styles, abilities, and preferences and thus maximizes learning.
• Providing handouts of your Power Point presentation or transparencies to students so they can follow along. Also, verbally explain any visuals that may be included in your presentation.
• Providing guided notes.
• Giving exams in multiple formats, such as multiple-choice, essay, fill-in-the-blank, etc.
• Repeat/rephrase questions. For more information, see the FAME Universal Design for Learning module.

5. Provide an assignment timeline. [ top ]
Create a detailed timeline for long-term or in-depth assignments. A timeline will assist students in pacing their workload and goals for an assignment. A possible timeline could include due dates for a topic choice, research, rough drafts, and other components that make up the final assignment.

6. Summarize material. [ top ]
Begin each class with a short 2-3 minute review of what was covered in the previous class before beginning a new lesson. This review will refresh students on the material and give them an opportunity to ask questions.

7. Know your institution's resources to help students. [ top ]
Examples of possible campus resources to assist with student learning or classroom access are:

• Assistive/adaptive technology center
• Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Coordinator's Office
• Counseling services
• Disability Support Services (DSS)
• On campus transportation
• Referral services to campus or community organizations
• Tutoring program
• Writing center