Information for Faculty
Faculty Rights and Responsibilities
Rights
- Classroom Behavior: All University students must adhere to the University code of conduct regardless of whether they have a disability. Infractions of this code should be directed to the Office of Student Affairs, located at 73 Tremont, 12th floor.
- Challenge Accommodations: Reasonable accommodations are based upon the student’s diagnostic documentation, functional limitations caused by the disability, and individual circumstances. In some situations the requested accommodations may not be appropriate for the course. A faculty member has the right to challenge an accommodation request if he/she believes the student is not qualified, the accommodation would result in a fundamental alteration of the program, or the accommodation would impose an undue administrative burden. Faculty should contact the Office of Disability Services (ODS) as soon as they have cause for concern that an accommodation is not appropriate. ODS will work with the faculty member to determine if that is the case and, if so, provide alternative accommodations to the student. Faculty can call ODS at 617-573-8034 or email the director.
Responsibilities
- Shared Responsibility: As employees of the University who have compliance obligations under federal laws, it is the responsibility of faculty members to assume a shared responsibility in providing reasonable accommodations for students with disabilities.
- Referral: If a faculty member is notified by a student that he/she has a disability or if the student brings a medical statement to the instructor, it is the faculty member’s responsibility to refer that student to the Office of Disability Services. If an instructor notices that a student is not performing up to standards and suspects there might be a disability impacting their learning, he/she may also refer the student. However, the instructor should not make assumptions about whether a disability exists, and should not discriminate against the student on the basis of any perceived disability.
- Disability Accommodation Letter: Faculty should receive a letter from the Office of Disability Services verifying the student is eligible for accommodation(s) based on a disability. Faculty are not to provide academic adjustments unless they receive a letter from the Office of Disability Services certifying the student is qualified to receive services and the nature of the accommodations. Once faculty do receive an accommodation letter from a student, they are obligated to provide the accommodations listed in that letter for the student. Students may choose when to give their accommodation letters to faculty; there is no time limit for doing so within the semester. However; accommodations are not retroactive and the guidelines for activating each accommodation should be followed. Any questions about accommodations should be directed to the Office of Disability Services.
- Exam Accommodations: Exam accommodations apply to an exam, quiz, or test that an instructor chooses to give to his/her students. Exam accommodations are not limited to just those exams listed on the course syllabus, but also include any assessment done spontaneously or planned but not announced to the class. Faculty should contact the Office of Disability Services to best plan for how to accommodate students in these unplanned circumstances.
- Syllabus Statement: Each course syllabus should contain a statement to ensure that Suffolk is in compliance with the law and that students are aware of the services provided to them.
Example:
“If you anticipate issues related to the format or requirements of this course, please meet with me. I would like us to discuss ways to ensure your full participation in the course. If you determine that formal, disability-related accommodations are necessary, it is very important that you be registered with the Office of Disability Services (located at 73 Tremont St., 9th floor, 617-573-8034) and notify me of your eligibility for reasonable accommodations. We can then plan how best to coordinate your accommodations.”
Confidentiality
Students with disabilities are protected under FERPA and the Americans with Disabilities Act civil rights laws. At no time should faculty make any statements or implications that the student is any different from the general student population. Faculty should also not share knowledge of a student’s disability with any other faculty or staff unless verbal permission is received from the student to do so.
Contact the Office of Disability Services at any time for help or suggestion by email or by phone at 617-573-8034.
Quick Tips
Your attitude is key: Stigma that you recognize or do not recognize in yourself is quickly obvious to these students and can easily get in the way of good learning.
People first: Students with disabilities are people first. A disability is just a part of who they are and is probably not the main thing that defines them. Use people-first language such as a "student with a mental illness," a "person with CP," "students with disabilities," NOT "disabled students," "the learning disabled," "the mentally ill." Encourage all of your students to do the same and to recognize the difference.
Treat these students as you would anyone else: They still must do your class assignments and tests, do their reading, and be graded by the same criteria that you do others. They must take responsibility for coming to school and meeting the requirements that go with an undergraduate or graduate education.
Collaborate with your students: Early in the semester meet with students individually to discuss their needs. They usually know best from their experience what is needed.
Put language in your syllabus that makes it clear that you want to support students with disabilities and what procedures they should follow to be sure that their needs are addressed. For example:
“If you anticipate issues related to the format or requirements of this course, please meet with me. I would like us to discuss ways to ensure your full participation in the course. If you determine that formal, disability-related accommodations are necessary, it is very important that you be registered with the Office of Disability Services (located at 73 Tremont St., 9th floor, 617-573-8034) and notify me of your eligibility for reasonable accommodations. We can then plan how best to coordinate your accommodations."
Universal Course Design
When considering the learning styles of all of your students you will quickly recognize that no two students learn alike regardless of whether or not they have a disability. By diversifying your instruction you can effectively engage a wider array of learners, including those with disabilities.Diversifying your instruction is also common referred to the Universal Course Design (UCD) approach. UCD is constructing college courses—including course curriculum, instruction, assessment and the environment—to be usable by all students, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for accommodations.
Learn more about UCD:
Curriculum Design [PDF]
Instruction [PDF]
Assessment [PDF]
Environment [PDF]
Example of a UCD syllabus [PDF]
For assistance with any of these strategies, contact Andrew Cioffi.
Do's and Don'ts
| Do's | Don’ts |
| Make class syllabus available to students during registration period so that students might get texts in electronic format. | Do not announce to the class that a student has a disability. Speak to the student privately. |
| Begin class with a review of the previous lecture and an overview of topics to be covered that day. At the conclusion of the lecture, summarize key points. | Do not ask the student for documentation other than the Disability Verification Letter from the Office of Disability Services. |
| Highlight major concepts and terminology both orally and visually. | If the student has an interpreter, do not speak only to the interpreter. Speak directly to the student. |
| Speak directly to students; use gestures and natural expressions to convey further meaning. Be concise and avoid double negatives. | Do not use a grading standard that is any different from the rest of the class. |
| Offer alternative ways to participate in your course (writing down thoughts, speaking in class, emailing you after class). | Do not give students with disabilities an advantage or disadvantage over the rest of the class; the idea of the law is to give equal access or equal opportunity provided through reasonable accommodations. |
| Make available handouts in alternative formats if needed (e.g., 18 pt. font instead of 12 pt.). | Do not assume a student cannot do something. Ask them if they can see the board or if they would like help with a task. |
| Provide timelines for long-range assignments. | Use excessive auditory and visual aids. |
| Encourage students to seek assistance during your office hours and to use campus support services. | |
| Give sample test questions; explain what constitutes a good answer and why. | |
| Give assignments both orally and in written form; be available for clarification. |
Teaching Hybrid Courses
Suffolk University offers online and hybrid courses for its students. Online and hybrid learning is a wonderful way for students to engage with course material at their own pace with classroom guidance from an instructor.
When designing an online or hybrid course it is important to keep in mind the importance of providing equal access to your course materials to all of your students. Each faculty member has access to a self-paced course to help develop accessible course content from the start. The course is in their Canvas site titled "Making Online Courses ADA Compliant." The following documents have been created to help you plan, develop and implement your materials in a fully accessible manner.
Send us an email or give us a call at: 617-573-8034 to schedule a time to meet.
Planning an accessible course [PDF]
Check list for creating accessible hybrids [DOC]
Creating accessible Word documents [DOC]
Creating accessible PowerPoint documents [PPT]
Creating accessible Excel documents [XLS]
Creating accessible PDF documents [PDF]
Creating accessible videos [PDF]
Checking the accessibility of a website [PDF]
Making your iTunes U videos accessible [PDF]
Creating accessible iBooks