Disability Support Services

Working with Students with Disabilities: A Faculty/Staff Guide

Accommodating Students with Disabilities

Accommodations provide equal educational opportunities for students with disabilities. They make it possible for the student to learn the material presented and for the instructor to fairly evaluate the student’s understanding of the material without interference because of the disability. Providing accommodations does not mean compromising the content, quality or level of instruction. All students are required to meet a standard of competency in course work, and students with disabilities are no exception.

A student should have authorization from DSS before accommodations are provided. To request accommodations, the student must provide the DSS office with current documentation from a qualified professional regarding the nature of the disability. After interviewing the student and, if necessary, the instructor, a DSS specialist determines appropriate accommodations based on the nature and the extent of the disability described in the documentation. DSS then develops a memo for instructors specifying the student’s approved accommodations.

The student is responsible for delivering the DSS memo to instructors each term and talking with them about arrangements for accommodations in each course based on the contents of the memo. Students are encouraged to do this as early as possible in the term. The process of requesting and receiving accommodations is interactive; all people involved—the student, the instructor and the DSS staff—have a shared responsibility to make sure the process works. DSS works collaboratively in this shared responsibility so instructors are not managing accommodations in isolation.

Decisions regarding appropriate accommodations are made on a case-by-case basis. No one particular set of accommodations is appropriate for all students. However, the following are some typical accommodations for various disabilities.

Learning Disabilities, ADHD and Brain Injuries:

• Note-takers or tape recorder
• Reduced-distraction room for testing
• Extended time for tests
• Alternate testing formats (e.g., oral, essay to multiple choice)
• Text books on CD
• Computer with voice output or spellchecker

Mobility/Orthopedic Disabilities::

• Note-takers, scribes
• Assistance with library research, lab assistants
• Extended time for tests, alternate testing arrangements
• Classrooms, labs and field trips in accessible locations
• Adjustable tables, lab equipment located within reach
• Computer with voice input, alternate keyboard
• Text books on CD
• Accessible transportation

Deaf or Hard of Hearing:

• Sign language interpreters, transcribers
• Listening devices
• Note-takers
• Captioned films
• Extended time for tests, alternate testing arrangements
• E-mail for class and instructor discussions
• Visual warning systems for emergencies

Blindness or Low Vision:

• Tape-recorded, Brailled, electronically formatted or enlarged lecture notes, handouts and text books
• Verbal descriptions of visual aids
• Raised-line drawings tactile models of graphic materials
• Adaptive lab equipment (e.g., talking calculators)
• Extended time, alternate testing arrangements
• Computer with large screen/print, speech output, Braille printer

Psychological and Medical Disabilities:

• Note-takers or tape recorder
• Preferential seating
• Pre-arranged classroom breaks
• Possible adjustments to attendance requirements and timelines for completion of assignments
• Extended time for tests
• Reduced-distraction room for testing

Note-Taking Accommodations:

If the student needs note-taking accommodations, this will be documented in the DSS memo. Students who have difficulty taking notes can be accommodated in a number of ways, including tape
recording lectures and using a laptop. Usually the student will need to be accommodated by being provided with a copy of class notes.

The instructor should assist the student by recruiting another student in class who is willing to share notes. The DSS memo provides directions for the instructor, including a suggested class announcement that keeps the name of the student with the disability confidential. Instructors can be of great assistance in quality assurance by occasionally reviewing copies of the notes, especially early in the term, and giving feedback to the note-taker.

Testing Accommodations:

If testing accommodations are needed, these will be documented in the DSS memo. The student is responsible for discussing testing arrangements with the instructor.

The Testing Services Center is available to assist with testing accommodations for students with disabilities. The center provides testing for extended time administration, as well as computers, readers, scribes and reduced-distraction testing spaces. All tests are proctored to ensure academic honesty.

To use the Testing Services Center, the student should first provide the instructor with the DSS memo
authorizing the testing accommodations. One week prior to the scheduled test, the student should then submit either the online or paper version of the Test Accommodations Request Form for the instructor to complete and attach to the test. The test should then be delivered to the center at least 24 hours in advance of test time. After the student takes the test, the center will return it to the instructor’s department. For further information, see the Testing Services Center section of this guide.

Class Attendance Accommodations:

Students with disabilities are expected to attend class regularly and comply with class attendance policies. However, there may be times when a student will be absent due to disability-related reasons. For such absences, it may be considered a reasonable accommodation to have the instructor relax a class attendance policy. The student who is approved for this accommodation is expected to contact the instructor in advance of the absence when possible; for unexpected absences, he or she should contact you as soon as possible to discuss making up missed work and/or to verify the reason for the absence.

It is important for instructors and students to realize that this accommodation may not be appropriate for every course, particularly those in which attendance is considered an essential requirement. To determine whether attendance is essential to a particular course, the following factors (based on a 1996 Office for Civil Rights case) should be considered:

• Is there classroom interaction between the instructor and students and among the students themselves?
• Do student contributions in class constitute a significant component of the learning process?
• Does the fundamental nature of the course rely upon student participation as an essential method for learning?
• To what degree does a student’s failure to attend class constitute a significant loss to the educational experience of other students in the class?
• What does the course description and syllabus say regarding attendance?
• What is the method by which the final course grade is calculated?

Instructors are asked to contact DSS if they consider attendance to be an essential requirement of their course or if student absences become excessive. Students who are approved for this accommodation are required to sign a Student Agreement to Follow Procedures for Relaxation of Class Attendance Accommodation, a copy of which can be obtained from the DSS office or on the DSS website at: www.towson.edu/dss.