Accommodation information for faculty working with students with disabilities at Penn State Brandywine.
Accommodations
Accommodations that have been determined to be appropriate for a student’s documented disability will be listed in their Accommodation Letter. In addition to commonly utilized accommodations by disability type that are granted to students, flexibility accommodations involving attendance, deadlines, and rescheduling of exams may also be included in the letter.
Instructors are encouraged to contact the Student Disability Resources (SDR) staff member listed on the Accommodation Letter if there are any questions regarding information provided in the letter or the implementation of specific accommodations. SDR staff members can also provide suggestions or advice regarding working with students with disabilities in the classroom. Please note that SDR staff members will not disclose specific information about a student’s disability without their written permission.
Are faculty required to allow accommodations?
Yes, U.S. disability laws require post-secondary institutions to provide equal access to students with disabilities in the form of reasonable accommodations.
Accommodations should not compromise the learning objectives of a course. If you feel that a student is requesting an accommodation that would do this, please contact the SDR staff member listed on the student’s Accommodation Letter right away.
Questions about implementing an accommodation?
If you have a question or think you may have difficulty providing an accommodation listed in a student’s Accommodation Letter, please do the following:
- Review SDR’s Assistance Accommodations Guide, Flexibility Accommodations Guide, and Science Laboratory Accommodations Guide for more information.
- Contact the SDR staff member listed on the student’s Accommodation Letter. They can help clarify any information, discuss questions you have regarding a student’s accommodations, and, when needed, collaborate with you to determine whether a specific accommodation needs to be adjusted for your class.
Accommodation Letters
All students who are registered with SDR receive a new Accommodation Letter each semester. The letter contains suggested classroom accommodations based the student’s documented disability.
It is the student’s responsibility to provide each instructor with a copy of their Accommodation Letter, if they chose to do so. Students are encouraged to share their Accommodation Letters as early in the semester as possible, but may choose to share them at any time. It is important to note, however, that accommodations are not retroactive. Accommodations begin when the Accommodation Letter is shared with the instructor.
SDR Accommodation Implementation Guides
Assistance Accommodations Guide
Information about the use of assistance accommodations, including assistive listening devices (FM systems), sign language interpreters, and captioning.
Flexibility Accommodations Guide
Information about providing flexibility accommodations related to attendance, due dates for assignments, and rescheduling exams/quizzes.
Science Laboratory Accommodations Guide
Information about adapting laboratory courses for students with disabilities.