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General Procedures

Support from faculty is integral to students' academic success. Instructors are key players in ensuring that students with disabilities receive the necessary accommodations in order to reach their potential. It is important to remember that accommodations are not advantages, but rather, they are a means of providing each student with full access to Brown's educational programs. After all, fair evaluations of students should reflect their course achievement and not their disabilities.

An essential point to keep in mind when teaching students with disabilities is that you should treat them as you would all your students. The similarities among students far outweigh any of their differences. After all, students with disabilities came to college with the same range of backgrounds, experiences, intelligence, and skills as other students and harbor the same high aspirations. The only difference is that these students require accommodations in order to achieve their true potential, which is often masked by their disability.

The following are some guidelines for accommodating students with disabilities who may be taking your class. These are general suggestions and accommodations that are provided should be appropriate for each student's situation.

 

General Accommodations

  • Standards for academic credit should not be modified for students with disabilities. All students must meet the required level of understanding and performance competencies for a given course. There may need to be modifications in the evaluation or testing method, but the content should not be changed.

  • It is unnecessary to rewrite an entire course to accommodate students with disabilities; simply modify the presentation of materials to make it accessible to them. If a specific task is impossible for these students to carry out, consider an alternative assignment unless the task is deemed an essential element of the course (see "Essential Components of a Course or Program" for guidelines on determining what are essential elements).

  • Treat students with disabilities as individuals. Be careful of making assumptions based on stereotypes. If one student with a particular type of disability has difficulty with a specific task, do not assume that the next student with the same type of disability will experience similar problems.

  • When ordering textbooks or videos for a class:

  • check with the publisher and get books that available in accessible formats, i.e. computer disk, large print, Braille

  • ask the publisher for an extra desk copy of a text to be made available for services for the hard of hearing/Deaf

  • ask the publisher to donate a copy of the text to Recordings for the Blind and Dyslexic

  • buy versions of videos with closed captioning Early in the Semester:

  • Announce on the first day of class the desire to speak individually with students with disabilities as soon as possible. Ask these students how their disability affects them and how their learning may be facilitated by you.

  • Provide students with a course syllabus in advance, if possible, or at the very beginning of the semester. Placing the syllabus on-line, or handing it out in an enlarged format, will enhance its accessibility. Detail all course requirements, including the material to be covered, grading methods, and due dates.

  • Announce on the first day of class your policies regarding attendance and make-up work. Reinforce this information by clearly stating it in the syllabus. These measures will allow students with disabilities who may anticipate being absent from class to make informed decisions about which courses to take.

  • A syllabus statement, addressing students with disabilities, will let them know that while you are approachable and willing to work with them, it is their responsibility to communicate their needs to you in advance. The syllabus statement might read, "Brown University is committed to full inclusion of all students. Students who, by nature of a documented disability, require academic accommodations should contact the professor during office hours. Students may also speak with Disability Support Services at x3145 to discuss the process for requesting accommodations."

  • Announce reading assignments well in advance since it can take several weeks to get a book tape-recorded. Also consider using a textbook that has a companion study guide which students have the option of using.

 

Common Classroom Accommodations

  • Change of classroom to an accessible location.

  • Preferential seating in the classroom.

  • Use of various modes and formats to present classroom material, including the chalkboard, overhead projectors, videos, or demonstrations. Provide visual and hands-on learning opportunities when possible.

  • Faculty member facing the class when speaking and/or wearing an assisted listening device.

  • Use of interpreters.

  • Permission to tape record lectures.

  • Use of volunteer note-takers.

  • Provision of copies of overhead transparencies and lecture notes.

  • largement of exam questions, notes, class handouts, and required readings.

  • Tape-recording required readings.

  • Alternative access to material covered in an inaccessible field trip or required community event.
  • Extended time for written assignments.

 

Laboratory accommodations

  • providing individual orientations to laboratory and equipment

  • clearly labeling all tools and materials

  • use of specialized adaptive equipment

  • pairing the student with a non-disabled student, the instructor, or a TA

 

Exam accommodations

  • extended time

  • a separate room that is quiet and free of distractions

  • breaks when necessary

 

Rare Accommodations

These accommodations are uncommon and are only provided in extraordinary situations to students with severe and well-documented disabilities.

  • Use of a scribe for in-class written exercises.

  • Tape recording of test and exam questions by faculty member or student assistant.

  • Tape recording of answers to tests and exams by the student.

  • Use of computers in class or access to computers for tests, exams, and other required written work.

  • Alternative test designs, e.g. oral exams, taped exams, take-home exams, proctored exams separate from the rest of the class, and individual demonstrations or presentations.

  • Alternative or supplementary assignments to evaluate a student's mastery of the course material. Examples include taped interviews, slide presentations, photographic essays, or hand-made models, which may lead to more accurate evaluations.

The general guidelines listed above may apply to any student with a disability, and more suggestions can be found in the sections dealing with specific disabilities. In the effort to provide accommodations, faculty are also encouraged to communicate regularly with students about their individual requirements. Students may know from past experience which types of accommodations work for them and which do not. In addition, Disability Support Services may be consulted for questions that may arise regarding accommodations.