Effective Classroom Accommodations: Faculty Responsibility

Hearing aid image Faculty members are usually the first to know that a student with a disability is in class. Students with disabilities are not required to register with any agency on campus, unless they request specific classroom accommodations as a result of their disability. At that point they are required to register with the Disability and Access Center.

When a student requests that a faculty member make accommodations to match the student's disability, the faculty member should refer the student to the Disability and Access Center (DAC). The DAC encourages all faculty to work with any student, whatever the situation. However, it is ultimately better for all parties that a student with a disability be referred to the proper agency for support. Once referred, the process of determining whether the student meets state and federal guidelines for a specific disability can begin. That determination is made only by the DAC, which is the only agency at MTSU designated to keep records of a student's disability. Once documentation is provided, the student is officially registered with the DAC as having a disability and accommodation letters can then be distributed to faculty by the student. The letter of accommodation is the letter of record verifying that the student is registered as a student with a disability.

Upon receipt of the letter, each faculty member is responsible for reviewing the information in the letter. Should faculty members have questions or concerns about the information contained in the letter, they should immediately contact the Director of the Disability and Access Center. All questions are to be directed to the Director and not to the student. Until the Director is contacted, the DAC can only assume that there are no questions with any particular student's accommodation package.

Reasonable accommodations in the classroom is an individual civil rights guaranteed by federal legislation (ADA and Section 504). Once the accommodations are identified, the accommodations must be provided. The only option is how the accommodations will be provided. Most classroom accommodations are easy to arrange and will not take much time to administer. If, however, assistance is needed, faculty members should contact the DAC. The DAC will make every effort to make the accommodation process simple and effective for both the student and the faculty.

The issue of fairness and classroom accommodation is often raised. Classroom accommodations provide an opportunity for students with disabilities to compete on equal term with other students in class. Individual accommodations are a civil right guaranteed under federal law. The accommodations prescribed through the Director of Disability and Access Center are not frivolous or arbitrary. They are individually designed for each student based on appropriate documentation on file in the DAC. Although accommodations may appear similar for many students, they are based on individualized need and disability documentation.

Specific Accommodations

Accommodations necessary for ensuring complete access to and full participation in the educational process do not require the instructor to adjust evaluations of academic performance. Rather, the accommodations make it possible for a student with a disability to receive the material presented and for an instructor to fairly evaluate the student's understanding of the material. Examples of some accommodations are:

  • Priority seating in the classroom
  • Change of classroom
  • Faculty member standing facing the class when speaking
  • Assistance in identifying a note-taker
  • Tape recording of lectures
  • Use of scribes
  • Use of sign language interpreters
  • Providing copies of overhead demonstrations and lecture notes
  • Reduced course load
  • Captioning or transcription work
  • Enlarged print on exam questions or class materials