Faculty Information
Faculty Notification Letter
The Office of Disability Services is committed to providing students with reasonable accommodations in a timely manner. Students should be encouraged to reach out to the Office of Disability Services as early as they can, in order to ensure that they have accommodations in place when needed.
As Faculty, please know that accommodations are granted through a process, which includes both a review of relevant documentation and interactive meeting with the student to discuss their specific strengths and challenges. Only after completing this process will students be granted appropriate accommodations and receive a Faculty Notification Letter. If a student in your class believes that they should have accommodations, but hasn’t produced a Faculty Notification Letter, please direct them to the Office of Disability Services for support.
Syllabus Statement
As part of the Office of Disability Services goal to provide reasonable accommodations, please include the below statement in your class syllabus and discuss with your students during the first course meeting.
“Albertus Magnus College is committed to ensuring that all qualified students with disabilities are afforded an equal opportunity to participate in, and benefit from, its programs and services in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, as well as Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act."
The Office of Disability Services is responsible for the determination of appropriate accommodations for students who encounter barriers due to disability. Contact the Office of Disability Services at disabilityservices@albertus.edu or 203-672-6671 to schedule an intake interview and provide documentation. If the documentation supports your request for reasonable accommodations, the Office of Disability Services will provide you and your instructor with a Letter of Accommodations. Please discuss the accommodations with your instructors as early in your courses as possible.”
Guidance
In providing accommodations, the College shall not alter the nature of programs, services, or activities; require waiver of essential academic standards or violate accreditation requirements.
Certain accommodations may provide students extended time to turn in course work or allow students additional course absences. In these cases, the student should work with the course instructor to determine how these accommodations are best implemented. The Office of Disability Services trusts faculty members to understand the needs of a specific course, and thereby make decisions on how many absences may be appropriate or what assignments may not benefit from extended deadlines, for example.
If you have any questions or concerns about the implication or implementation of a specific accommodation, please contact the Office of Disability Services.
Resources
Explore the hashtag
Designing an Accessible Online Course - Explore Access
Explore Access provides tools and toolkits for promoting disability access and inclusion in learning. Learn more about designing an accessible online course.
Universal Design Checklist for E-Learning
As you are building or reviewing your online course, consider the following questions rooted in the concept of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and the Quality Matters™ Review Standards (QMRS). Learn more from the Universal Design Checklist for E-Learning.