Loyola University Chicago

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• Online Faculty Training
• Faculty FAQs
• Faculty Handbook (PDF)
• Greivance Procedures
• Online Resources
• Providing Accommodations

Services for Students with Disabilities works closely with faculty to provide services and accommodations to students with disabilities.  This information is available online in the Services for Students with Disabilities Faculty Handbook.

All requests for accommodations are considered on a case-by-case basis. Students requesting accommodations should meet with an SSWD staff member, as soon as possible, preferrably before the beginning of their first term at the university. Students are required to provide official documentation of their disability from an appropriate professional.

Self-disclosure and submission of documentation can be initiated by the student any time during the year. However, reasonable time must be allowed before this student can expect accommodations to be in place. Self-disclosure and documentation are required only if students plan to request accommodations.

For every semester that a student requires accommodations, the student must contact an SSWD staff member to arrange for accommodations.  It is recommended that students contact SSWD prior to the start of or during the first two weeks of the semester.

Once accommodations are approved, SSWD will write accommodation letters which the student will provide to faculty. Accommodation letters are written verification of a student's disability and a detailed accommodations list.

Faculty are encouraged to contact us with any questions or concerns. 

   Providing Accommodations

The student with a disability is the best source of information regarding necessary accommodations.  In post-secondary settings, it is the student's responsibility to request special accommodations, but a faculty member can make a student comfortable by inquiring about accommodation needs once the faculty member has received written verification of a student's disability and accommodations.  Here are some suggestions:

• Include a statement on the class syllabus inviting the student to discuss academic needs with you.  For example, "If you have a documented disability and wish to discuss academic accommodations, please contact me as soon as possible."
  
• Talk with the student, inquire about special needs in the classroom, in the lab, in fieldwork and on field trips. For example, Loyola owns an accessible van, which can be requested from Public Safety.  Work with the student and Services for Students with Disabilities to determine and provide appropriate accommodations.
  
• Select course materials early. Distribute syllabi, assignments and reading lists in advance and in electronic format (e.g., disk, network) to facilitate translation to audio-tape, Braille and large print.
  
• Face the class when speaking. Repeat discussion questions. Write key phrases on the blackboard.  Hand out assignments in writing.  Provide written summaries of demonstrations in advance and use captioned films if you have a student who is deaf or hard of hearing.
  
• Verbally describe visual aids if there is a student with a visual disability in class. For example, you might say, "This three inch-long steel rod," rather than "this."  Have large print copies of all syllabi and handouts available for students with visual disabilities.
  
• Administer exams for students whose accommodations require extended time.

   Online Resources

• Disability Access Information and Support
• University of Washington Do-It Faculty Training
• Americans with Disabilities Act Homepage
• Office of Civil Rights: Disability Discrimination
• A Systematic Approach for Assisting Students with Learning Disabilities in Postsecondary Education - Learning Disabilities Online
• Teaching Students with Disabilities - UC Berkley
• Teaching College Students with Disabilities - University of Delaware