Your Role as a Faculty Member
Mandates
The Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 ensures that students with disabilities are provided equal access to education and all of the opportunities and services that the institution provides.
Process
Students must identify the presence of a disability and request accommodations through Disability Services to receive accommodations. Students are asked to complete an application for Disability Services, Release of Information and provide documentation of their disability. The student will receive an Approved Accommodations letter listing accommodations that they may use and recommendations based on the documentation they provided to Disability Services.
Students must request a Self-Identification Letter each term to give to each instructor. The Self-Identification letter is prepared by Disability Services and lists the accommodations that are appropriate for the student.
When a student presents you with a Self-Identification Letter, meet privately with the student and review the accommodations as they relate to your class. You may inquire as to how the student's disability may affect specific tasks required in your class, but never ask the student what is "wrong" with them or for details about their disability.
A student will need to request some accommodations and services directly from Disability Services (e.g. reader for tests), but they may need to request other accommodations directly from you (e.g. test be sent to the library, e-books).
Notice
The Disability Statement in your syllabus serves as a reminder to students to discuss the accommodations they need with you or to apply for services if they have not yet done so. The recommended statement is below.
Edison State Community College will make reasonable accommodations for students with documented disabilities. If you believe you may need an accommodation based on the impact of a disability, contact the instructor privately with your self-identification letter. If you do not have a self-identification letter, contact Disability Services by emailing disabilities@edisonohio.edu or by calling 937.778.8600. Disability Services is located on the Piqua Campus in Room 160.
If you have questions about an accommodation or how to best serve a student, contact Disability Services.
Requested accommodations are not retroactive; that is, you are not required to re-administer tests or make adjustments to course activities that have already occurred if the student makes a request late in the term. However, from the date you receive the Self-Identification Letter moving forward you must make the necessary adjustments.
Confidentiality
Information about a student's disability is classified as health information and is confidential. Disability Services cannot share information about a student's disability unless the student has granted permission to share this information or there is a demonstrated institutional need to know. With the student's permission, designated faculty and/or staff will be advised only of the information that they need to know to accommodate the student or to protect the safety and health of the student or others. Consider any communication regarding a student's disability or special needs to be confidential. Destroy any written communication you receive at the end of each term.
Reasonable Accommodations
Reasonable accommodation of disability is typically an adjustment to the learning environment that eliminates or reduces physical or instructional barriers to learning encountered by a student. The adjustment must be based on the individual student's documented need and tailored to the specific student's disability. Both the student's physical accessibility to the classroom, as well as the ability to fully participate in all course activities, are considered in the process of providing reasonable accommodations.
An accommodation is unreasonable:
- when it creates a change in requirements that are essential to the program of instruction;
- fundamentally alters the nature of the program;
- imposes an undue financial or administrative burden;
- or poses an appreciable threat to personal or public safety.
If you feel a request is unreasonable, discuss your concerns with Disability Services. If there is a difference of opinion, the College will consult with appropriate department administrators and make a determination regarding the appropriateness of the accommodation.
Faculty Responsibilities in Providing Accommodations
Testing
Students may need test accommodations such as extra time, a distraction-reduced environment, a test reader and/or scribe or access to adaptive software. You may work with your student to set up these arrangements or you may choose to use the Library Testing Services to provide accommodations.
When a student needs a reader or scribe for exams, you will need to assist the student in completing the
Testing Request Form. If the date of an exam changes, notify the Edison State Library at 937.778.7950, as soon as possible to ensure that a proctor will be present to assist the student.
Tests are scheduled as close as possible to the date and time that the test is given in the classroom. However, it may be necessary to begin a test earlier, later or on a different day in order to accommodate a student's classes and/or work schedule.
For tests administered in the Library, please send a completed Testing Request Form and the student's copy of the exam to the Library no later than the day before the exam. You may deliver the completed Testing Request Form and copy of the exam in person or via email to library@edisonohio.edu.
Note-Taking Assistance
There are different ways to accommodate a student who requires note-taking assistance. Factors that need to be considered to determine the best option are the student's abilities, the nature of the course and your teaching methods. These following are the most typical options.
- Faculty-Provided Notes
These include the PowerPoint presentation outline of your lecture. Posting your PowerPoint slides in Blackboard before class allows the student to review them before class and use them during class to augment their own notes. This is a universal design that benefits all students. - Student Volunteer
If you do not use PowerPoint for your lectures or the student is unable to take notes independently, this may be the best option. Ask your student if they would like you to request a volunteer note-taker. To recruit a classmate as a volunteer note-taker, Disability Services offers free NCR notepaper and the use of a photocopy machine. Never identify your student to the class in any way. You may wish to make a statement such as;
"We have a student in our class who needs assistance with note-taking. Please see me after class to volunteer. You will be provided with note-taking paper. Your assistance will be greatly appreciated."
You may consider offering incentives to students who volunteer (such as extra credit points). If you and your student have difficulty setting up a note-taking system, contact Disability Services.
Recording Lectures
Reviewing material presented orally in class may be a vital study aid for some students and they must be permitted to record class lectures. You may ask that a student sign a statement promising that recordings will be utilized for personal use only and will not be shared. Please note that use of LiveScribe pens follows the same guideline as the use of tape or digital recorders.
Sign Language Interpreters and Real-Time Captioning
Sign language interpreters and real-time captioning (transcribers) provide communication access services for students who are deaf or hard-of-hearing. A student requiring these services will enter their request via Disability Services. You may request a consultation with Disability Services to better understand the role of an interpreter or transcriber in your class. Please note, it is good practice to repeat questions and comments that are made in the classroom so the interpreter or transcriber can hear and include that information.
Alternate Media Formats
Students may contact you about printed materials that need to be adapted into an alternative format (such as audio or electronic). They may request copies of your handouts and overheads or text information so that printed materials can be ready at the start of the term. They may ask to borrow an extra copy of the text while their texts are used for production.
Media Captioning
All videotapes and DVDs used in class must be captioned or subtitled. Students needing this accommodation may contact you early in the term about your media plans for the course. If your material is not already captioned, Disability Services requires a minimum of three weeks to produce a captioned copy.