Student Accommodation Information for Faculty

Course Syllabus Statement 

Faculty are encouraged to use the following statement on their course syllabi: 

It is the policy and practice of The University of Texas at Dallas to make reasonable accommodations for students with properly documented disabilities. However, written notification from the AccessAbility Resource Center (ARC) is required. If you are eligible to receive an accommodation and would like to request it for this course, please discuss it with me and allow one-week advance notice. Students who have questions about receiving accommodations, or those who have, or think they may have, a disability (mobility, sensory, health, psychological, learning, etc.) are invited to contact ARC for a confidential discussion. ARC is located in the Administration Building, AD 2.224. They can be reached by phone at 972-883-2098, or by email at studentaccess@utdallas.edu. 

Extended Time on Tests, Exams and Quizzes

NOTE: Some students may test at the ARC (Adm. Bldg. Room 2.224), most will need to have an accommodated testing location arranged by you.

• Visit the links on the accommodation letter for all the details and carefully read the email from studentaccess@utdallas.edu that you should receive after a student places a request to take a test with accommodations.

• Tell students you expect them to use the ARC Accommodated Exam Reservation Form at utd.link/arctest at least 5 days prior to any test they want to use their accommodations for (if students fail to do so, you can inform them there may not be time to arrange the accommodations and therefore you may not be able to provide them).

• When you meet with each student, if they take tests at the ARC, they will not be able to do so until they complete the form at utd.link/arctest. Please note, it is extremely important for faculty to be aware that the majority of ARC test takers need to have a testing location arranged by their professors. In the meeting with the student, find out if they would prefer to test in a room you provide, online or at the UTD Testing Center at Synergy Park, of course you can make the final decision from those three options.

• If the UTD Testing Center at Synergy Park is used, please remember they may require faculty to submit exams 5 days prior to the test date.

Note-taking Assistance 

This is one of our most commonly recommended and misunderstood accommodations. 

Students whose disability limitations include hearing loss or deafness, coordination or other motor limitations, or some types of psychological and/or learning disabilities, may require note-taking assistance to fully access your class. In these cases, the need for note-taking assistance will be included in the student’s Accommodation Letter that they will present to you. Some helpful facts: 

• Copies of class notes are provided to students with documented disabilities only. 
• Students must be in class to receive notes (unless determined otherwise by the ARC). 
• Students approved for disability-related accommodations will bring their professors an Accommodation Letter, along with their Provision for Alternate Testing form. 

Sometimes, it is assumed that this service is supposed to provide notes on days students are absent. All students, regardless of whether they have a disability, must find their own way of securing notes on days that they cannot attend. An accommodation should not be a disincentive to going to class. 

Since courses and disabilities have unique concerns, there is no single best way to provide this accommodation. We suggest that students determine which one works best for your class with your help as early in the semester as possible. As always, the student’s first preference should be provided so long as it is reasonable and does not fundamentally alter your class. 

It’s also important to note that faculty must maintain the confidentiality of the student with a disability. Never identify the student receiving accommodations in the classroom; only discuss accommodation matters in confidence, preferably in your office. 

Here are the most common reasonable accommodations in note-taking: 

Student Secures Notes from Classmate 

The student takes the initiative and recruits their own volunteer, making copies of another student’s notes, taking a picture of notes with a cellphone or simply compares notes with a classmate. 

Students also may give a classmate carbonless copy paper. These options may not be best for all students, especially when their disability impacts communication. 

Student Records Audio in Class 

Student uses a smartphone app, voice recorder or smart pen. Recordings of your lecture must be allowed if this is the student’s preference. 

If there are any concerns about how students will use these recordings, you may ask the student to agree to only use the recordings for their educational purposes, to not share the recordings or transmit them to others, and to delete the recordings at the end of the class. 

Students who are recording may need to sit in the front of the classroom. 

Professors Provide Advance Copies of Their Notes 

Many professors already post PowerPoints, skeleton notes, handouts, etc., online in advance for everyone, or when a student with the note-taking accommodation requests; they may simply send these by email. 

If you do not have advance copies of notes to provide, you are not required to create them. 

Professor Recruits Volunteer Note Taker 

The ARC recommends the following guidelines for the implementation of the academic accommodation of a volunteer note taker. This accommodation is approved for students with disabilities who have a documented condition/s, and who are unable to take notes by traditional means. 

Once the Letter of Accommodation has been received and you have met with the student to discuss their accommodations, we recommend faculty take the following steps: 

• Ask for volunteers who would be willing to share copies of their notes with you and/or the student. You are welcome to announce for a volunteer who would like to earn service hours. Our office will provide a letter for verification at the end of the semester. 
• We also recommend identifying a backup note taker for coverage if the note taker is absent. Once volunteers have been found, discreetly ask the student with a disability if they are comfortable engaging with the note taker to receive the notes. 
• Once the arrangements for the exchange of notes have been decided (either by the instructor, if the student does not wish to disclose the disability, or by the student if they are comfortable with others knowing they use a note taker), it is a good idea to ask the student receiving the notes if they are complete and legible. If not, it may be necessary to use the alternate note taker or locate another note taker. 
• If a volunteer note taker cannot be identified, please contact the ARC for additional guidance. 

We have drafted a sample script to read in class or use as an email to procure a volunteer note taker. Please feel free to use this in your classes. 

Medically Related Absences 

This is probably the most misunderstood accommodation for professors and students alike. 

It’s obvious that students with chronic conditions, medical treatments, etc., may have to miss some classes and most professors are able to work with them. We see concerns arise when the student has missed more classes than the professor considers appropriate. 

When faculty ask us what to do in such situations, we typically ask about your class. Are any grades based on performance? Is it a lab? Is group work done in class? If this is the case, it may not be possible to allow more than a small number of absences. Students should be informed of these concerns when they provide you with the letter of that you will deduct points for missing class. 

Most professors will choose not to deduct points when the student has this accommodation, but you may still do so if you feel the student is going beyond what is reasonable (provided it is discussed in advance). Again, make sure the student understands this at the beginning of the semester. 

Please, do not ask students registered with the ARC to provide you with a doctor’s note for each time they miss class. It is not reasonable and could be considered an undue burden for a student with a disability like cancer, lupus or HIV to make an appointment and often be charged a co-pay to see the doctor just for a note. The ARC letter at the beginning of the semester should be sufficient. 

If students still miss too many classes, a grade of Incomplete may be considered by the professor after the drop deadline. We now suggest that students and faculty complete this modified attendance agreement form (pdf). 

Occasional Extensions of Deadlines or Due Dates 

This is not an accommodation we take lightly. It is rarely granted and only when current, strong documentation is provided from a qualified, treating professional. 

Early in the semester, it is very important to discuss with the student the maximum extension you will allow. Extensions are usually not more than 24-48 hours. 

Like absence leniency, this accommodation may not be reasonable in all classes. If deadlines are established because of lab experiments, performance evaluation as in drama, music or art classes, or any demonstration of knowledge that must be completed prior to moving on to the next module or content, extensions may not be possible. 

If you feel you cannot allow this, please contact the ARC to see if there are other options. 

Alternate Formats of Required Readings (E-Text) 

The ARC provides thousands of pages of digital texts to students who are blind or have severe dyslexia. Primarily, the responsibility for arranging this lies with the student and the ARC. 

• However, faculty can assist this process by doing the following: 
• Select and post your textbook list as early as possible. 
• Distribute handouts by email; if you use PDF files and other digital documents, please ensure that they are accessible. 
• If a student has concerns about access issues due to their disability, contact the ARC as soon as possible. 
• Be flexible — on rare occasions a backlog can develop with our document conversion operations. Consider allowing extensions or delays of tests if you contact our office and confirm there is a backlog. 

Working with Sign Language Interpreters 

Sign language interpreters are professionals who provide the necessary communication link between hearing and deaf or hard of hearing individuals. Interpreters hired by The University of Texas at Dallas follow a professional code of conduct developed by the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf. 

When you are working with an interpreter, consider the following communication tips: 

• Communicate directly to the student. Speak as if the interpreter was not present. 
• Speak in first person and let the interpreter be your voice. 
• Maintain eye contact with the student, not the interpreter. 
• Speak at your normal pace using natural gestures and expressions. 
• Be aware that the interpreter will interpret everything that is said. If you do not want something interpreted, do not say it. 
• Maintain a clear line of visual contact among the interpreter and the student who is deaf or hard of hearing. 
• Make sure there is adequate lighting for the student to see the interpreter during presentations using technology, such as PowerPoint presentations, film/videos, or other web-based materials. 
• Provide the interpreter with necessary course information in advance, such as lecture materials, PowerPoint slides and supplemental reading to enhance course materials. This additional information will enable the interpreter to convey the course content more effectively. 
• Be sensitive to class sessions or meetings extending longer than one hour. The interpreter may require a short break to maintain proficiency in interpreting. 
• If the student who is deaf or hard of hearing does not show up for class or a meeting, the interpreter will generally wait 15 minutes then will notify the ARC. 
• Should an interpreter not be present during a class period, conduct class as usual, recognizing the need of the student who is deaf or hard of hearing to have information given visually (i.e., use of blackboard, clear view of speaker’s face, borrowing notes from a classmate, etc.). 

Emergency Evacuations 

During an emergency, the ability to communicate could pose challenges. Identifying a strategy prior to the incident is crucial to protecting lives. 

Since elevators must not be used during fire emergencies, persons unable to maneuver the stairs safely should go to the nearest stairwell and wait for rescue personnel who are specially trained in the safe, proper evacuation of persons with disabilities. In case of a fire, instructors should err on the side of caution, sound the fire alarm bell and call emergency response personnel at 911. Instructors should inform the emergency personnel of the location of the individual with a disability. 

If a student with a disability is enrolled in a class, we recommend that the instructor discuss their need for assistance when leaving the building during an emergency evacuation. 

Instructors are under no obligation to provide accommodations for a student who does not identify themself as a student with a disability. If a student requests accommodations for a disability but has not provided the faculty member with an Accommodation Letter from ARC, the instructor should immediately refer the student to ARC. 

Providing Accommodations without an Accommodation Letter 

If the disability is visible (use of a wheelchair, hearing aids, service dog, etc.) and the requested accommodation is obviously appropriate, the faculty member should provide the accommodation while the student is in the process of registering with ARC.