The Office of Disability Services is asking for your assistance and cooperation in ensuring access for all students, including students with disabilities. Below are things you may want to consider when addressing issues of access in your classroom. For additional information about disability-related definitions, accommodations and disability law, please select from the following links:
Considerations and Instructional Strategies
Conversation Etiquette
Disability and Accommodation Definitions
Disability and the Law
Disability-Related Academic Adjustment
Faculty Reference Manual & FAQ's
Glossary of Terms
The inclusion of an access statement on your course syllabi will facilitate the process of accommodation for students with disabilities. An example:
It is University policy to provide, on a flexible and individualized basis, reasonable accommodations to students who have disabilities that may affect their ability to participate in course activities or to meet course requirements. Students with disabilities are encouraged to contact their instructors and/or the Office of Disability Services to discuss their individual needs for accommodations.
Just because it is in an "electronic" format, does not mean it will be accessible to all students, especially those with visual impairments.
John Gugerty of the University of Wisconsin, Center on Education and Work, has developed several handouts about creating accessible documents (he has given me permission to distribute this information,as long as his credit is still on it). The steps necessary to ensure document accessibility are not that difficult. We ask you to review these documents (found as links below) and strongly urge you to consider utilizing the information when creating course documents.
Making PDF Files Accessible
Making PowerPoint© Files Accessible
Making Word© Documents Accessible
If you plan to use videos in the classroom on BlackBoard, we encourage you to only order those available with captioning. If you plan to have audio files of lectures or other similar audio information available on BlackBoard, access for students with hearing impairments must be considered. A written, verbatim, transcript may become necessary. Please call ODS to discuss specifics.
When planning conferences, events, and activities, have someone in your office be responsible for handling requests for accommodations. In registration brochures, invitations, or fliers, you may want to use the following statement:
"To request disability-related accommodations, please contact (name, department, address, phone number)."
Publications such as course syllabi, college bulletins, program brochures, class schedules, and instructional publications must be available in alternative formats (Braille, large print, tape-recorded, computer disk or CD) upon request. Document conversion can be provided through the Office of Disability Services (ODS) by calling 280-7284. In these publications, you may want to use one (or both) of the following statements:
"This publication/material is available in alternate formats upon request. Please contact (name, address, phone number)."
When planning conferences, events, and activities, have someone in your office or department be responsible for handling requests for accommodations. It would be beneficial to include an access statement on the registration brochure, invitation, or flyer.
It is University policy to provide, on a flexible and individualized basis, reasonable accommodations to students who have disabilities that may affect their ability to participate in course activities or to meet course requirements. Students with disabilities should contact the Office of Disability Services as well as their instructors to discuss their individual needs for accommodations.
Access Statements (MS Word)
Universal design is an approach to the design of all products and environments to be as usable as possible by as many people as possible regardless of age, ability, or situation (from http://www.udeducation.org/)
The following links will provide you with more information about Universal Design and resources for creating courses under these principles:
Cornell Northeast ADA & IT Center
Unniversity of Connecticut FacultyWare Universal Design Fact Sheet
Access IT: The National Center on Accessible Information Technology in Education
Because we never know, or sometimes have little notice, when a student with a disability will be enrolled in a particular course, it is highly advisable when you are planning out a course and plan to show video (whether on site or online) to request the video with captioning.
The mission of the Captioned Media Program (CMP) is to provide all
persons who are deaf or hard of hearing awareness of and equal access to
communication and learning through the use of captioned educational
media and supportive collateral materials.
The Faculty Room is a space created by The University of Washington,
Do-It (Disabilities, Opportunities, Internetworking and Technology), for
faculty and administrators at postsecondary institutions to learn about
how to create classroom environments and academic activities that
maximize the learning of all students, including those with
disabilities. You can visit this site at http://www.washington.edu/doit/Faculty/.
As post secondary education moves toward more web based programming and
distance education, including on-line course offerings, accessibility
considerations must be brought to attention and included in these
designs. The following web sites will provide you with resources to do just this:
Web Accessibility Initiative
Web Accessibility for All
Access IT: The National Center on Accessible Information Technology in Education
Access IT: Tutorial
If an instructor and student agree to have the ODS staff proctor the exam with accommodations in the Accommodative Testing and Adaptive Technology Center (ATATC), Sciences 1046 (Campus Map #34), The STUDENT and INSTRUCTOR must follow the following steps:
- Meet with the instructor and present an Accommodative Testing Form (ATF) for the faculty member to complete. One form must be completed for each test being scheduled in the ATATC
- The STUDENT must return the completed yellow copy of this form to the ATATC one week prior to the scheduled exam.
- The pink copy is for the instructor to keep for his/her records/reference.
- In order to allow students to test in the Accommodative Testing and Adaptive Technology Center, the INSTRUCTOR must complete the bottom section of the ATF form, providing ODS with the necessary instructions to proctor the exam.
- Prior to the date and time of the scheduled test, the INSTRUCTOR must deliver the test to Sciences 1046 (Campus Map #34). This test should be either hand-delivered, faxed (504) 280-3998, or sent via email atatc@uno.edu. If faxing the test, please call to confirm receipt (504) 280-7284.
ODS staff will deliver the test back directly to the faculty member or to the departmental office after the student has completed the exam.
Students and instructors can agree to work out the provision of the necessary accommodations outside of the ATATC. If this takes place, no ATF forms are necessary.
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