Facilitating Resources

Faculty and other teaching professionals have the right to:

1. Hold all students to the same essential course requirements and behavioral expectations. Accommodations are intended to provide equitable access to the course and do not require faculty to waive essential academic or program requirements.
2. Receive information regarding students’ approved accommodations. DAS provides faculty with information about approved accommodations and guidance regarding their implementation. Faculty are not entitled to information about a student’s diagnosis, medical history, or other confidential disability-related information beyond what is necessary to facilitate the approved accommodation.
3. Provide input regarding the implementation of an approved accommodation. Faculty may work with DAS to determine how an accommodation can be implemented effectively within the context of a particular course, assignment, or activity. Faculty may not independently deny or discontinue an accommodation approved by DAS.
4. Raise concerns with DAS about the implementation or appropriateness of an approved accommodation. Faculty should contact DAS if they believe an accommodation may interfere with an essential course requirement, learning objective, program requirement, technical standard, or otherwise cannot be implemented as approved. DAS will work with the faculty member and student, as appropriate, to review the concern and determine an appropriate course of action.
5. Consult with DAS regarding disability-related questions or concerns. Faculty are encouraged to contact DAS when they have questions about accommodation implementation, accessibility, or how to address a disability-related concern in their course.

Faculty and other teaching professionals have the responsibility to:

1. Provide approved accommodations in accordance with the student’s accommodation letter. Faculty may implement accommodations directly, coordinate implementation through appropriate teaching staff, or consult with DAS when assistance is needed.
2. Ensure that teaching staff involved in the course are informed of relevant approved accommodations. Faculty are responsible for communicating accommodation-related information to Teaching Assistants and other teaching professionals who are involved in instruction or accommodation implementation, as appropriate, and ensuring that they have access to the information necessary to facilitate approved accommodations.
3. Maintain the confidentiality of disability-related information. Faculty should only access and discuss information necessary to facilitate a student’s approved accommodations. Faculty should not ask students to disclose their diagnosis, medical condition, symptoms, medical history, or other disability-related information. If additional information is needed to understand or implement an accommodation, faculty should contact DAS rather than seeking medical or diagnostic information directly from the student.
4. Contact DAS with questions or concerns about an accommodation. Faculty should not independently modify, deny, or discontinue an approved accommodation. If questions arise about the scope, implementation, or impact of an accommodation, DAS is available to consult with faculty and assist in determining an appropriate approach.

When you receive an accommodation notification from DAS:

1. Review the student’s approved accommodations. Focus on the accommodations listed in the student’s letter and how they apply to your course.
2. Consider course-specific implementation. Some accommodations may require advance planning, particularly for exams, labs, field experiences, presentations, or other activities with unique requirements.
3. Communicate with the student as appropriate. Students and faculty may discuss practical aspects of implementing an accommodation, but students are not required to disclose their diagnosis or medical information.
4. Maintain confidentiality. Accommodation information should only be shared with individuals who need the information to assist with implementation.
5. Contact DAS with questions or concerns. DAS can assist when an accommodation is unclear, presents an implementation challenge, or may interact with an essential course requirement.

Important: Faculty Do Not Need to Know a Student’s Diagnosis

Faculty are provided with information about a student’s approved accommodations, not their diagnosis or medical history. Faculty should not ask students to disclose their diagnosis, symptoms, medical history, medications, or other medical information.

Faculty should:

• Determine the appropriate amount of extended time based on the student’s approved accommodation.
• Ensure the student has access to the full amount of approved time.
• Coordinate with DAS or the appropriate testing resource when an exam requires a separate testing environment.
• Contact DAS if the standard exam format, timing, or administration creates a question about how the accommodation should be implemented.

A distraction-reduced testing environment is intended to reduce environmental distractions that may interfere with a student’s ability to demonstrate their knowledge.

Faculty should communicate to students whether they should book the Accommodated Testing Center (ATC) for exams if this accommodation is approved, or coordinate with the Registrar’s Office to reserve a space for students with accommodations to test. It is helpful to provide this information on the course syllabus. 

For additional information, please visit the Accommodated Testing Center page.

Some students may be approved for accommodations that provide consideration for disability-related absences or reasonable deadline extensions when an episodic or flare-based condition unexpectedly interferes with their ability to attend class or complete academic work.

These accommodations are not blanket permissions for unlimited absences or extensions. They are intended for infrequent situations in which a disability-related flare-up makes it not reasonably feasible for a student to attend class or complete and submit coursework by the established deadline. Students are expected to make reasonable efforts to attend class and complete coursework according to the course schedule whenever they are able to do so.

Absence and deadline extension accommodations are generally intended for episodic or flare-based conditions in which symptoms vary significantly over time and may periodically prevent a student from participating in academic activities. They are not intended to provide ongoing flexibility for conditions in which symptoms are persistent or chronic, such as anxiety or ADHD, where other accommodations may be more appropriate to address the disability-related barriers experienced by the student.

Students approved for these accommodations are provided with resources and guidance for managing coursework, communicating with faculty, and planning around deadlines. The accommodations are intended to provide flexibility in occasional, disability-related circumstances when completing work or attending class is not feasible, rather than to replace regular attendance, time management, communication, or responsibility for completing course requirements. A significant degree of independence and responsibility is expected of students using these accommodations.

When a student experiences a flare-up and needs to use the accommodation, the student is expected to contact DAS and provide information regarding the disability-related circumstance affecting their academic participation. This allows DAS to understand the circumstances and, when appropriate, assist in facilitating the accommodation. Students are not required to disclose their disability, diagnosis, or specific symptoms to their professors. Faculty should not request this information and should instead focus on the student’s approved accommodation and the academic requirements of the course.

These accommodations generally do not apply to scheduled medical appointments, personal obligations, or other non-disability-related absences or circumstances.

Exams, labs, and other course activities that cannot reasonably be replicated or made up require additional consideration. Students are informed that absences from exams, laboratory activities, or other essential course requirements are reviewed on a case-by-case basis. A make-up opportunity cannot always be provided when doing so is not feasible or would fundamentally alter an essential course requirement.

If a student is requesting frequent absences or repeated deadline extensions, or if the requested flexibility appears to interfere with an essential course requirement, faculty should contact DAS rather than independently modifying or discontinuing the accommodation. DAS can consult with faculty and the student to determine whether the requested accommodation can be implemented reasonably within the context of the course.

Ultimately, these accommodations are designed to provide limited flexibility for disability-related flare-ups while preserving the essential academic expectations of the course. Students remain responsible for communicating in a timely manner, monitoring their use of the accommodation, making reasonable efforts to meet course expectations, and completing required academic work.

Students who are approved for an audio-recording accommodation may audio record class lectures for the purpose of personal study. This accommodation is intended to supplement, rather than replace, the student’s class notes and does not replace the expectation that the student attend class. Students may only record class sessions they attend.

The accommodation applies to lectures and instructional content presented as lectures. It does not extend to labs, class discussions, group activities, or other interactive portions of a course unless otherwise approved by DAS. Instructors may also ask a student to stop recording during portions of a class that involve personal discussion, self-disclosure, sensitive information, or other content for which recording would be inappropriate. This may include role-playing exercises or activities in which students are expected to share personal experiences or information.

Students are expected to notify the instructor in advance when they will be recording. The accommodation authorizes audio recording only; it does not authorize video recording.

Recordings are strictly for the student’s personal educational use. Students may not copy, distribute, share, publish, upload, sell, license, or otherwise provide recordings—or transcripts of recordings—to other individuals without the written permission of the instructor. Recordings and transcripts may also contain copyrighted material and must be handled accordingly. Students are expected to take reasonable steps to protect recordings from unauthorized access or disclosure and may not use recordings or transcripts to harass, embarrass, or otherwise act against an instructor, student, or other person whose comments are captured in the recording.

At the end of the semester, students are required to delete or otherwise destroy recordings and any transcripts made from them. The requirements of the student’s Audio Recording Lectures Acknowledgment/Agreement apply to all recordings and transcripts made pursuant to this accommodation.

Faculty concerns about the scope or implementation of an audio-recording accommodation should be directed to Disability & Access Services. DAS can assist in determining how the accommodation should be implemented in a particular course or activity.

Course materials should be provided in formats that can be accessed using common assistive technologies whenever possible. Faculty may be asked to provide materials in an accessible format when an accommodation requires it. For example, students may need to use text-to-speech software to have exam questions and answers read aloud, in which case the exam would need to be in an accessible online format as opposed to on paper. 

Consider:

• Using accessible document templates.
• Providing digital materials rather than scanned images of text.
• Adding alternative text to meaningful images.
• Using appropriate heading structures.
• Captioning instructional videos.
• Ensuring presentations and documents have sufficient structure and readability.