Faculty Rights & Responsibilities

A faculty member who suspects that a student has a disability is encouraged to refer the student to OSWD for assistance.

Faculty members are encouraged to involve OSWD to mediate certain student disputes relevant to disability issues and accommodations. Often such meetings result in proactive solutions improving upon accommodations and accessibility.

Faculty members must refrain from personal judgments that affect the student's right to receive accommodations and special services. It is the student's right to receive identified accommodations for which the student has been qualified.


Faculty have the Right to:

  • Deny a request for accommodations if the student has not been approved for such accommodations.
  • Request verification of a student's eligibility for any requested accommodations. Such verification will be in the form of a letter written by OSWD delivered directly to the faculty member. OSWD is the only office on campus designated to review disability documentation and determine eligibility for appropriate accommodations.
  • Make suggestions for appropriate academic accommodations.
  • Contact OSWD on questions regarding a student's accommodations.
  • Refuse to provide an accommodation, academic adjustment, or auxiliary aids not approved by OSWD.
  • Identify a testing site other than OSWD as long as accommodations meet the student's needs.

Faculty have the Responsibility to:

  • Ensure that each course, viewed in its entirely, is accessible in regard to content, texts and materials, assessment method, on-line instruction, and team requirements.
  • Support and implement reasonable accommodations as identified in the student's Faculty Accommodations Letter.
  • Consult with OSWD if requests conflict with course objectives or requirements.
  • Maintain confidentiality. Faculty are encouraged to meet with the OSWD student privately to discuss disability issues. Such issues should not be openly discussed in class.
  • Submit book lists to the bookstore as early as possible.
  • Include an announcement on the syllabus directing students to OSWD if they need accommodations related to a disability.
  • Submit books and class materials to OSWD for alternative formats, i.e., Braille, large print, raised line drawings, and eBooks.
  • Fill out and submit special testing service request forms to allow the student to take an exam at the OSWD testing site.