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Accessing Disability Resources for Faculty and Staff at Carnegie Mellon
What Faculty Members Should Know About the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
Guidelines on How Faculty and Staff Can Assist Students with Disabilities
Guidelines on How Faculty and Staff Can Assist Students with Disabilities
- Accommodation Needs
- Syllabus Statement
- Notification of an Accommodation
- Accommodation Memorandum
- Individualized Accommodation Plan
- Fact Sheets
Equal Opportunity Services, Disability Resources is the designated campus office to determine appropriate accommodations and auxiliary aids for students with disabilities. The determination is based on the disability documentation provided by the student and the functional limitations presented by the disability. Students are responsible for providing appropriate documentation regarding their disability. The person who documents a disability must be a qualified professional. The purpose of the accommodations and auxiliary aids is to give the student an equal opportunity to participate in the academic environment.
Students have the responsibility and are encouraged to make their accommodations known to faculty/staff in a timely manor so appropriate accommodation arrangements can be made. However, they are not required to discuss their disability.
Accommodation Needs
Individual accommodation needs vary from student to student because a disability, even the same disability, may result in different functional limitations. Compensation skills and strategies vary from one student to another, just as instructional methods vary from one instructor to another. Students with disabilities need access to course materials and information presented in your classroom at the same time as all other students. However, students may need said material in a different format or presented in a different way.
Therefore, it may be necessary for faculty/staff to discuss specific accommodations that address the particular needs of the student. Treat all disability-related information as confidential. Conduct disability-related meetings in a private location. Equal Opportunity Services, Disability Resources can assist you with this.
If a student with a disability does not request accommodations, you are under no obligation to provide them.
Syllabus Statement
You can facilitate the accommodation request process by including a statement on your syllabus that invites students with disabilities to meet with you to discuss their needs. Here is an example of a syllabus statement:
If you wish to request an accommodation due to a documented disability, please inform your instructor and contact: Disability Resources, 102 Whitfield Hall 412.268.2013, lpowell@andrew.cmu.edu, as soon as possible.
Notification for an Accommodation
Requesting accommodations is determined on a case by case basis. For classroom accommodations such as extended-time testing or a distraction-reduced environment, requests for exam accommodations must be submitted sufficiently early so that appropriate arrangements can be made. These arrangements often involve finding rooms, arranging proctors, etc. and so cannot be done at the last minute. Therefore, students making requests for special accommodations for exams (e.g., extra time, quiet room) should do so in the following time frames:
- 1 week prior to the date an in-semester examination is given
- prior to the last day to drop a course for a request involving a final examination
Accommodations not requested within the above time frames may not be provided.
For alternative text format, interpreters, etc., a month's notice is appropriate.Accommodation Memorandum
Students request classroom accommodations via an accommodation memorandum. This document that lists specific student accommodations. The accommodation memorandum is the tool students use to notify faculty as to the need for accommodations and request the accommodations. It is the students’ responsibility to share this document with each instructor that the student plans to request accommodations from.
Individualized Accommodation Plan
Many students also have an individualized accommodation plan. This plan details specific physical and learning issues. Generally a copy is given to the individual to share the information in the plan with the campus community as the individual sees fit. The purpose of the accommodation plan is to provide a starting place for discussion of a disability as it relates to accommodations. Disability Resources may also share the Accommodation Plan with members of the campus community on a need to know basis.
Fact Sheets
In addition to the Accommodation Memorandum and Accommodation Plan, Fact Sheets are intended to assist you in helping the students. Fact Sheets provide information on selected disabilities. The information provided on Fact Sheets is generic in nature and not specific to any student.