Faculty Resources

For Faculty

Thank you for your support and assistance with the coordination of academic accommodations for the College of Southern Maryland, (CSM) students with disabilities.

As you know, the College of Southern Maryland is legally required to provide reasonable accommodations for students with disabilities, and faculty play a critical role in the American Disability Act (ADA) process. A broad range of disabilities can affect a student's performance in the classroom, and each student’s specific disability and academic needs are unique.

Students with disabilities have the right to equal access to courses, programs, activities, services, and facilities offered at the CSM. Students with disabilities are also entitled to reasonable accommodations. All information about the students’ disability is kept confidential. Students with disabilities have the responsibility to provide appropriate documentation of disabilities and to register with DSS if they would like to receive accommodations.

Communication with the student is essential to discovering methods of accommodation. Accommodations are made on a case-by-case basis according to the needs of the individual student and the nature of the student’s course of study. It is always most effective and beneficial when the student, faculty member, and Disability Support Services, (DSS) work together to provide these accommodations so that students with disabilities are allowed equal access to all the College provides.

It is important for instructors to remember that providing reasonable accommodations to a student with a disability does not guarantee success in the course. Students with disabilities may not master the course material, just like any other student. Students with disabilities have the same right as other students to fail as part of their educational experience.

Syllabus Statement:

Faculty members are encouraged to include the following statement in the course syllabus and to ensure that students are aware of the statement as they review the syllabus. This approach indicates the willingness of the faculty member to assist students with disabilities who might require accommodations.

Disabilities (ADA) statement:

The following Disabilities statement is embedded in your syllabus to ensure that students are aware of the supports that are available to them here at CSM.  Inclusion of this statement indicates our ongoing partnership between DOL and DSS to work together to assist students with disabilities who might require accommodations.

Faculty have the responsibility to:

  • Refer all students who self-identify as having a disability and need to request accommodations to the Office or website of DSS or by raising a DSS referral through Connect to Student Support (Starfish).
  • Work with DSS and students to make courses, viewed in their entirety, accessible (e.g., content, texts and materials, assessment method, on-line instruction, time requirements).
  • Work cooperatively with locations that serve as affiliates, clinical rotations, and field placements, to assist implementation of appropriate reasonable accommodations for students (if applicable).
  • Support and implement reasonable accommodations as identified in an Accommodations Plan from DSS. Consult with DSS if requests conflict with course objectives/requirements.
  • Protect student’s privacy and confidentiality.
  • Include a syllabus statement directing students to DSS if they have need for an accommodation related to a disability.
  • Assist DSS with identifying student assistants (i.e., readers, scribes) when applicable.

** In accordance with the ADA, faculty do not have the right to question whether a disability exists or examine a student's disability documentation when the disability has been adequately documented and is on file with DSS. The student's approved accommodations plan will act as assurance that the student has provided adequate documentation of the disability and requested accommodations.

The Rights of Faculty members:

  • Maintain the rigor and the fundamental nature of their course content.
  • Require students to demonstrate their knowledge of crucial course content.
  • Report any barriers to the Office of DSS that might be in the way of implementing accommodations.
  • Request a meeting with a student and DSS Coordinator to discuss accommodations and implementation of best practices.

Speaking with Students:

Here are techniques faculty members can use to help facilitate an open conversation:

  • Respect confidentiality:
    • Many students with disabilities are hesitant to let others know about their disability. Faculty members need to respect the student’s privacy when providing accommodations. This means faculty members should not discuss disability-related matters with the student when other students are present unless the student approves.
  • Work collaboratively with the student:
    • The faculty member and the student have the same end goal — to provide the student with a sound learning experience as a part of their graduate study. Additionally, the student would be the expert on how they best learn and work with their disability. Therefore, it is advised to speak openly about how you can best accommodate the student and work collaboratively to come up with alternative when needed.
  • Faculty training and consultation:
    • For specific assistance with working with students with disabilities, faculty members are encouraged to contact DSS for training or consultation. Please treat disability students like you would with any learner in your classroom.

Here are techniques faculty can use to help their students learn the content and concepts in their courses:

  • Provide advance information about course expectations and requirements — this includes early distribution of syllabi, assignments, and readings.
  • Provide structure that more clearly distinguishes main and supporting ideas and shows the relationship of parts of a whole.
  • It is helpful to outline the class sessions and have recordings and notes available on the web.
  • Provide students with feedback on their performance so that they can modify their learning strategies.

Here are a few examples of modifications:

  • Provide lecture notes and other course materials in electronic format. Text in electronic form can be paired with screen-reading software, which makes printed material accessible for students with learning disabilities, visual impairments, or limited mobility. Additionally, students who qualify for use of note takers can access electronic notes independently, instead of relying on classmates to make copies of notes.
  • Provide clear copies of physical handouts. When handouts are copied clearly, they can be easily scanned onto disk for use with screen-reading or Braille-conversion software. This software is made available to students by DSS.
  • Consider creating learning objectives for each lecture. Therefore, all students have a clear understanding of what they should understand by the end of the class. This also will assist students as they organize information for assignments and examinations.
  • Include information about obtaining accommodations on your syllabi. It is CSM’s obligation to inform students of the existence of DSS.
  • Consider students’ diverse learning styles when developing lectures and assignments. Any one of your classes may include students with reading difficulties, auditory processing deficits, and other learning disabilities. You can contribute to the success of your students by incorporating multiple media into your lectures and varying the formats. For example, consider presenting a topic orally and reviewing it with an activity or with a written handout.
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