DRC Resources For Faculty

Faculty are at the core of the University's mission. The Disability Resource Center (DRC) is committed to partnering with faculty to provide students with disabilities the opportunity for equal access at SUU. We do this by providing reasonable and appropriate accommodations to ensure that students with disabilities can fully participate in university courses, programs, services, and activities.

SUU employees are mandated by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Section 504 of the 1973 Rehabilitation Act, and SUU policy 11.9 to provide reasonable accommodations to all qualified students who request them.

If a faculty member receives a request directly from a student for a change or modification in the course requirements based upon a disability, they should refer the student to register with the DRC. The DRC is authorized to determine whether or not a student is qualified for accommodations.

Faculty may extend accommodations or modifications to students without DRC authorization; however, they are not required to do so and must do so fairly when other students in similar circumstances request such. Because other faculty may be less comfortable extending accommodations without official approval, faculty are advised to encourage students to register with the Disability Resource Center.

If a faculty member has a question about the appropriateness or reasonableness of a prescribed accommodation, please contact the DRC to address any concerns and discuss possible alternatives.

• Include the required ADA statement in their syllabus.
• Inform students, who may request accommodations directly from the faculty, on how to register with the DRC.
• Maintain confidentiality about any information disclosed in discussions with a student or their DRC Advisor. (Note: Faculty are not entitled to know the diagnosis of a student and should not ask students to disclose the specifics of their disability.)
• Provide accommodations in a timely manner once they have been verified by the DRC and communicated to the faculty member. (Note: Disabilities can be diagnosed at any point. Therefore, students may be approved for accommodations at any point in the semester. Accommodations are not retroactive; however, the student may have experienced challenges prior to an official diagnosis. Faculty are encouraged to extend as much flexibility and support as reasonably possible.
• Inform students that course material can be made available in alternative format with prior request.
• Keep any documentation related to accommodations separate from a student’s departmental file.

Faculty cannot deny an approved accommodation issued by the DRC without engaging with the DRC to discuss their concerns. The DRC may or may not authorize alternative accommodations based on the outcome of this discussion and any additional analysis.

• To ask for verification from the DRC when the student directly requests an accommodation in their course or program.
• To consult with the DRC to discuss requested accommodations.
• To identify and determine essential elements that are fundamental to academic courses and programs. (These standards are not subject to modification based upon disability.)
• To expect the student with a disability to meet the same academic standards as peers in the course.

First Semester

1. The student completes an online DRC intake form; submits supporting documentation with diagnosis(es) and limitations; and completes an interactive intake appointment with a DRC staff member.
2. The DRC staff member and Director review documentation and interview notes. They then determine and approve reasonable accommodations connected to limitations found in the students’ documentation.
3. The DRC emails the student and their faculty members an accommodation letter with the accommodations the student is eligible for. (Due to the volume of DRC students and timing of requests, this process happens without an analysis of course requirements.)
4. If the faculty member has concerns about the reasonableness or appropriateness of a requested accommodation, they should contact the DRC to discuss their concerns.
5. Accommodations may or may not be adjusted based on this discussion and any additional analysis.

Subsequent Semesters

1. Students “renew” approved accommodations by completing the “Activate Current Accommodations” form on the DRC website. If their needs have changed, they may need to submit additional documentation.
2. The DRC emails the student and their faculty members a letter of accommodation with the accommodations the student is eligible for. (Due to the volume of DRC students and timing of requests, this process happens without an analysis of course requirements.)
3. If the faculty member has concerns about the reasonableness or appropriateness of a requested accommodation, they should contact the DRC to discuss their concerns.
4. Accommodations may or may not be adjusted based on this discussion and any additional analysis.

Faculty will receive an email with a letter of accommodation, for any student who has requested and been approved for class accommodations by the Disability Resource Center. A determination of accommodations has been made based on a review of medical documentation and an interactive process with the student about their condition and limitations.

Due to the volume and timing of accommodation requests, the determination has not been made with a review of the student’s course syllabi or course requirements (Accommodation request will always be determined upon documentation and interactive process with the student. We will never take into consideration students' syllabi or course requirements as this is not part of the ADA process. Some accommodations may not be applicable to each of the student’s courses. (For example, a testing accommodation in a class that does not require tests.) Accommodations that are not applicable may be disregarded. However, applicable accommodations should be implemented as soon as possible after receiving notice.

If the faculty member believes that any accommodation causes undue administrative burden or fundamentally alters the learning outcomes, the faculty member should consult with the DRC as soon as possible to discuss possible alternatives.

The most commonly used accommodations are those associated with taking tests. Test accommodations are modifications to testing conditions for students with hearing, visual, motor limitations, or those who have learning, cognitive, medical, or psychological disabilities that significantly affect the ability to demonstrate their mastery of course material under normal testing conditions. Test accommodations may include:

• Extended Test Time
• Distraction-Reduced or Isolated Testing Environment
• Test Reader
• Test Scribe
• Use of a Computer for Tests (very uncommon)

As a faculty member, you should discuss testing accommodation needs with the student and decide how you will provide or implement the approved accommodations. Logistically, it is often difficult to provide testing accommodations in the classroom or department (for example, there is no quiet room available, limited time available, or unable to provide a test reader). Also depending upon the students’ diagnosis, the student may need emotional or mental health support at times while taking the exams.Therefore, the student may arrange to take the test in the DRC testing rooms.

The DRC testing rooms are proctored and can accommodate extended test time, a distraction-reduced environment, reader, scribe, and computers for testing. Using this service requires some advanced planning for both the faculty member and the student.

The DRC has six individual testing rooms. All testing areas are monitored by camera and each computer monitored through LanSchool. Additional rooms and proctors are scheduled during high-volume testing periods (midterms and finals week) when the individual rooms may be full.

Process:

1. The student submits the “Schedule a Test” webform located on the DRC website. This notifies the instructor of the need for an accommodated test.
2. The faculty member completes the online testing form outlining the test parameters for the DRC test proctors.
3. The DRC schedules the exam and notifies the student and faculty member.
4. Faculty provides testing materials to the DRC (if not already provided with the test form).
5. The student completes the exam on the scheduled date and time.
6. Upon completion, a DRC staff member will scan the exam and email it to the faculty member. The faculty member may also pick up the exam from the DRC.

Q: Why can’t the DRC deliver the completed test to my office/department/mailbox?
A: Ensuring test security and integrity for both the student and the faculty member is a high priority for the DRC. Faculty are often not available in the department and completed exams left in mailboxes can go missing. Due to these reasons, the DRC no longer attempts to deliver completed exams to faculty.

Additional time for assignments is implemented for occasional use and not intended for all class assignments. This accommodation is not for exams. Instructors set assignment deadlines and should clearly communicate deadlines to students via the syllabus. However, additional flexibility may be needed due to the chronic nature of a student’s disability characterized by unpredictable or cyclical episodes that may impact the ability to complete assignments by the deadline. (For example epilepsy, migraines, or conditions requiring on-going or specialized medical care.)

In most cases, an additional 1-2 day (24-48 hour) extension is reasonable. Additional time may be appropriate depending upon the impact of the disability. Students must contact the DRC to activate this accommodation per each assignment for which they need an extension. They are encouraged to also alert the instructor before the assignment due date.

Process:
After receiving an accommodation letter which includes a “1-2 day extension on assignments” instructors should contact the DRC to discuss any questions or concerns. The following are potential questions that the DRC and instructors should consider with this accommodation:

• What does the syllabus indicate regarding late work?
• Is late work regularly accepted and/or penalized?
• Will answers to completed assignments be posted or available immediately or soon after the deadline?
• Does additional time for an assignment result in a delay for other students and their ability to move forward in the course?
• Are there group assignments or work that is required in the course?
• Are alternative assignments ever offered in the course?

When the interactive process determines that additional flexibility is reasonable, the DRC and instructors should make additional determinations:

• How much additional time can be granted? Hours, days, weeks, etc.?
• How will the student communicate with the professor regarding the need for more time?
• What will occur if more than the approved accommodation for additional time is needed?

Additional Details:

• Generally, an additional day or two is reasonable as an accommodation, but the amount is dependent upon the specific assignment, student’s condition, and essential elements of the course.
• As an approved accommodation the student is not required to provide faculty with medical documentation verifying their disability-related need for accommodation. DRC will request additional documentation from the student and medical provider if necessary.
• The flexible deadline should not exceed the last instructional day for the course unless an incomplete has been requested or granted.

Having access to quality notes is, for most students, integral to the learning process. All students are encouraged to be actively engaged with course materials and taking notes is one of the many ways that this occurs. For some students, taking handwritten notes in class presents some barriers. When this is the case, other options might be explored such as using a laptop for taking notes, using a note-taking device, or recording lectures. When these solutions are not options or do not eliminate the barriers for a particular student, note taking is provided as an accommodation. In this case, the Disability Resource Center (DRC) and course instructors should collaborate with the student to facilitate access to quality notes.

Options for implementing this accommodation may include the following:

• The student may choose to use Otter.ai as a note taking app, allowing the student to access notes immediately.
• Instructors may post their own complete notes, copies of overheads, and powerpoints
• Instructors may post the complete notes of a teaching assistant
• Instructors may assign students to teams and rotate responsibility for each team to create a complete set of notes for posting each week (This approach has the added benefit of having students work in teams and share responsibility for each other’s learning.)
• A fellow classmate can serve as a volunteer note-taker for the student. In this case, the following process will happen:
  An email is sent to the class from the DRC requesting a notetaker. If that effort doesn’t produce a volunteer, DRC student staff will contact the professor to ask for time to address the class to recruit a volunteer. The DRC will provide training to the notetaker.

An adjustment to class attendance policies is implemented based upon the impact of a student's disability and should not be used frequently but for occasional absences. Regular class attendance is expected and instructors should establish and communicate course attendance requirements to students. However, modification to the attendance policy may be appropriate due to the chronic nature of a student’s disability characterized by unpredictable or cyclical episodes that may occasionally impact the ability to attend class.

Instructors should contact the student’s DRC advisor to assist in determining when and how often an adjustment is reasonable. The number of additional allowable absences will depend upon the impact of the student’s condition, essential elements of the course, and the interactive or participatory nature of classes.

Process:
The DRC and faculty should engage in an interactive process to determine the specific amount of flexibility that can be offered. The following are potential questions that the DRC and instructors should consider in determining if and how much an adjustment should be made:

• What type of course is it (lecture, lab, activity, synchronous online, etc)?
• What is the written attendance policy in the syllabus?
• Are exceptions to the policy generally allowed for all students for athletic travel, religious purposes, or other reasons?
• Does interaction, group work, and discussion play a significant role in the course?
• Does the design of the course rely on student participation as a significant method for learning?
• How often does the class meet?
• Are there specific days for which attendance is more important than others?
• How is attendance and participation graded?
• To what degree does a student’s failure to attend class compromise the educational experience of other students in the class?

When the interactive process determines that additional flexibility is reasonable, the DRC and instructors should make additional determinations:

• How many additional missed days is reasonable?
• How will the student be able to make up for missed work?
• Are alternative assignments and work available for missed time?
• What will occur if more than the additional allowed time is missed?

Additional Details:

• The student must request an absence accommodation from the DRC prior to the absence, unless their disability prevents them from doing so (e.g. epilepsy, sleep disorders, etc). The DRC will notify the faculty member when a disability-related absence is approved.
• As an approved accommodation the student is not required to provide faculty with medical documentation verifying their disability-related absence. The DRC will request additional documentation from the student and medical provider if necessary.
• Absences that are not related to the effects of a disability are not included in this accommodation (e.g., absences due to a common illness, car trouble, childcare, employment, etc.).

Adaptive technology refers to innovative software, hardware, and other technology devices that allow students with disabilities to access and create information electronically and to accomplish a specific task.

Examples include:

• Kurzweil - Reading software that allows scanned text to display an image of the text on the screen while turning the text into speech. It also supports voice to text as a writing support.
• Otter.ai - A voice recording and transcription tool
• Large print books or handouts
• Digitized text
• Large monitors
• Software to adjust screen colors
• Computers with voice output
• Computers with visual output
• Word prediction software
• Adjustable tables
• Keyboard modifications
• Alternative types of keyboard and mouse
• Accessibility tools built into popular operating systems, browsers, and software

The DRC has technology available to meet student needs for adaptive learning. However, we may need faculty cooperation or the cooperation of the Center for Teaching Innovation for access to course materials.