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GuidesGuides > Student Guide > Faculty Guide

Faculty Guide

• Attitudinal Barriers
• Rehabilitation Act of 1973
• Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990
• Faculty Procedures
• Teaching Students with Disabilities
• Sample Accommodation Letter
• Student Responsibility
• Institutional Policies
• Defining Disabilities
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Interview with Jeanne Kincaid
• Phone Index
• Recommendations for all Courses

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Faculty Procedures

Equal Opportunity and Fairness

The issue of fairness and classroom accommodation is often raised. Classroom accommodations provide an opportunity to students with disabilities to compete on equal ground with the other students in the class. Accommodations for students with disabilities are a civil right and are protected by federal law. Accommodations are prescribed on an individual basis based on the students need and the disability documentation through the ADAPTS Office; they are never frivolous or arbitrary. Accommodations ensure students complete access to and full participation in the educational process and require no adjustments to the evaluation of academic performance. Rather, accommodations allow a student with a disability to truly learn the material presented and for an instructor to fairly evaluate the student's understanding of the course.

Procedures for Providing Accommodations

Any student whom is requesting accommodations as a result of a disability should be referred to the ADAPTS Office. Once referred, the staff in the ADAPTS Office will work with that student to arrange for appropriate accommodations. The student will then receive an accommodation letter detailing their necessary accommodations and should make arrangements to meet with each instructor, bringing with them a letter from the ADAPTS Office detailing the identified accommodations. Should there be any discrepancies with the letter, a call should be placed to the author. See page 18 for a sample accommodation letter.

DocumentationDocumentation

All students with disabilities are required to provide appropriate documentation of his/her disability to the ADAPTS Office. At no time is a student required to provide documentation to any other administrator, dean, or professor. Verification of a disability may be obtained by contacting the ADAPTS Office, 404-894-2564. The right to privacy and the sensitive nature of this issue are protected by not releasing the specific disability in the accommodation letter provided by the ADAPTS Office. It is only necessary for the ADAPTS Office to have this information in order to approve specific accommodations. The accommodation letter serves as the student's official university documentation that they are eligible students with a disability and therefore entitled to effective and reasonable accommodation. If at any time there are questions about any student with a disability in your class, you are encouraged to discuss your questions with the ADAPTS Office. All questions should be directed to the ADAPTS Office and not to the student.

Reasonable Accommodation

Reasonable accommodation in the classroom is an individual civil right guaranteed by federal legislation (ADA and Section 504). Once the accommodations are identified, they must be provided to the student. Many accommodations are easily administered. If assistance is needed, contact the ADAPTS Office at 404-894-2564; the ADAPTS Office will make the accommodation process simple and effective for both the student and the faculty member. For more information regarding the student's responsibility, see page 9.

Common Accommodations

1. Priority seating in the classroom,
2. Faculty member standing facing the class while speaking,
3. Tape recording of lectures,
4. Use of sign language interpreters,
5. Change of classroom location,
6. Extended time for exams and quizzes,
7. Reduced course load,
8. Alternative test formats,
9. Advanced copy of syllabus,
10. Alternative testing sites,
11. Flexible attendance policies,
12. Assistance in identifying notetakers and tutors,
13. Readers,
14. Use of computers in taking exams,
15. Enlarged print on exam questions or lecture notes, and
16. Providing copies of lecture notes

Failure to Accommodate

The accommodations outlined in the ADAPTS letter are not optional and must be provided under two federal pieces of legislation (ADA and Section 504). When accommodation specific questions arise, it is the responsibility of the faculty or staff member to contact the ADAPTS Office, 404-894-2564, to discuss questions.