Faculty Information

Accommodations

All accommodations included in the accommodation letter are mandatory and must be provided. If, for some reason, a professor feels that the approved accommodations will compromise the course objectives, the professor should communicate in writing to the Office of Student Accessibility within three (3) days of receiving the student accommodation letter. The written communication should include why the accommodation will compromise the course or fundamentally alter the course objectives. The professor should include alternative accommodations where possible. Please note that, while alternatives are being considered, the accommodations must be implemented as written.

The OSA will respond to the written communication within three (3) days. The response will be the result of an interactive process with the professor and appropriate dean, if necessary, where the course objectives and the requested accommodations are discussed. Any questions or concerns professors may have about a student's approved academic adjustments should be addressed to the OSA Director.

Determining What is Fundamental to the Nature of a Program

Students must be able to perform the essential functions of a program with or without accommodations. Postsecondary institutions are not required to waive or substitute elements that are fundamental to the nature of the program. It is not up to an individual faculty member to decide what is fundamental to the nature of a program. Office for Civil Rights (OCR) and case law provides guidance for this decision‐making process.

The OSA staff is available to assist with this process and to help answer any questions about the disability issues. It is common for OSA, the professor, and the departmental leadership to partner in these discussions.

Accommodation Letters

All requests for accommodation must be done through the Office of Student Accessibility; do not offer an accommodation unless the student has provided you with an official “Accommodation Letter” from this office. 

At the beginning of each semester, faculty should receive a letter from the office for each student receiving accommodations. This letter will verify that the student has a documented disability and explain the accommodations he or she will need in order to access class.

Office Responsibility

The OSA and program offices are prepared to assist professors by providing alternate testing rooms or proctors when necessary. It is between the student and the professor, however, to decide how such services are rendered and to contact this office if assistance is required. The office also assumes responsibility for recruiting and hiring class note takers and alternative texts. See Procedures for Common Academic Accommodations for a general outline of how to implement accommodations in the classroom.