What faculty need to know

The student will present each instructor two copies of a Letter of Notification each semester from the OSD attesting to his/her approved accommodations. One copy of the letter is for the instructor to keep. The other copy is to be signed and returned to the OSD for record keeping, as well as State and Federal data collection purposes.

On the letter, instructors must indicate whether they wish to provide the test accommodations, or whether the test accommodations are to be made in the OSD. The instructor is not required to accommodate a student due to a disability unless they have received an OSD “Letter of Notification”.

When a volunteer notetaker has been approved by OSD, the professor is asked to assist the student in obtaining a volunteer notetaker by reading aloud the notetaker announcement and/or soliciting a student from the class.

Accommodations for a student with a disability must not compromise course content or the requirements for satisfactory course completion. The faculty need not fundamentally alter the nature of their classroom materials.

Faculty are strongly encouraged to include a statement regarding students with disabilities on their syllabus. For example: “In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (A.D.A.) - Students who require special accommodations due to a disability to properly execute coursework must register with the Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD) located in Boca Raton in SU133 (297-3880) or in Davie in MOD I (236-1222), and follow all OSD procedures.”

What students need to do

Provide ample documentation to the Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD) in order to receive accommodations from Florida Atlantic University (FAU) due to a disability.
Submit the “Request for Services” form and “Testing Accommodations” form to the OSD in a timely manner.
Utilize authorized accommodations responsibly and keep in close contact with the OSD personnel.

Confidentiality

Students who have a disability are not required to register with the OSD, but are encouraged to do so in order to receive academic accommodations from FAU. Due to the confidential nature of a student’s disability, specific information cannot be released by the OSD to faculty members unless specifically authorized to do so by the student.

The instructor may be presented a letter to read aloud which requests a volunteer note taker for a student with a disability. Please read the memo verbatim, and do not mention the student’s name. The volunteer is to be sent to the OSD SU133 for more information, and is not to be introduced to the student.

Reasonable Accommodations

Accommodations are determined based on an analysis of the current impact of the person's disability on academic or work performance.

The student is not required to utilize an accommodation authorized by the OSD. However, the student is responsible for keeping OSD personnel advised of any major changes involving an accommodation.

Accommodations are highly individualized, and are only granted to students on an "as needed" basis.

Accommodations are authorized by OSD only after a thorough examination of the student’s documentation.

An instructor and student may agree to enhance an accommodation authorized by the OSD as long as it is mutually acceptable by both parties.

The faculty should consult with the OSD staff with any particular concerns regarding a student’s accommodations.

Testing Accommodations

Students who are approved to receive testing accommodations from the OSD submit a Testing Accommodations Form to the OSD at least one week prior to the date of the exam.

The OSD sends the Testing Accommodations Form to the instructor via interoffice mail.

The instructor reviews completed Sections for accuracy and then completes Sections C and D.

Section C informs the OSD staff what items are authorized for use with the exam (Calculator, scrap paper, open book, etc.). The instructor should indicate in this section under OTHER any exam requirements such as use scantron or blue book.

Also requested is the instructor’s contact information, and the length of time allowed for taking the exam. Instructor checks off and signs the statement as to whether or not the student has permission to take the exam at a time other than the rest of the class.

Section D indicates how the completed exam is to be returned. The instructor may pick up the exam, or the OSD personnel can deliver it to the departmental office within 24 hours after the student has completed the exam. When the exam is returned, the person receiving the exam will sign the bottom of the Testing Accommodations form, and a copy of that form will be provided for the instructor’s files.

Exams are secured within the OSD office and access to the exams is carefully restricted.