A message from Provost Jim Dalton
“In accordance with the University’s strategic plan, we all have a shared responsibility to work toward an inclusive environment for students. The Office of Disability Services’ mission aligns with our goal of enriching the learning environment and supporting a diverse student body. As instructors, you are in a position to help ensure students with disabilities receive equal access to an education, and I encourage you to take the responsibility of providing academic accommodations seriously. This will demonstrate continued commitment to access and inclusivity. Roll Tide”
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ODS’ faculty newsletter is issued each semester to provide important updates regarding accommodations, ODS procedures, and news about disability in higher education.
Instructor Checklist
ODS has developed a checklist to help instructors keep track of responsibilities and tasks related to accommodations. The checklist includes hyperlinks to guidance and resources.
Instructors play a vital role in providing accommodations to students.
Each semester, students are responsible for sending an electronic accommodation letter to instructors and discussing how accommodations will be implemented in the course. Instructors should be prepared to:
Step 1: Meet with students privately during office hours or by appointment to discuss how each accommodation will be provided in the course
Step 2: If indicated on the accommodation letter:
- Arrange note takers on behalf of the student and/or allow use of technology for note-taking.
- Develop a plan for providing testing accommodations. If you instruct students to schedule their tests at the ODS Testing Center, a plan should be in place for providing testing accommodations in the event that the ODS Testing Center is booked to capacity.
- Use Panopto to record class meetings for students who have access to missed content.
Step 3: Document your meetings with students, or ask students to send you a follow-up email regarding the accommodations discussed.
- If a student verbalizes that an accommodation is not needed in the course, instructors may want to send a follow-up email to the student confirming what was discussed during the meeting.
- Contact ODS with any questions or concerns regarding accommodations.
- Maintain the student’s confidentiality. Only share information about a student’s use of accommodations on a need-to-know basis.
