STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES

The Role and Responsibilities of Educators

CSULB Office of Equity and Diversity

BACKGROUND

Schools, colleges, universities, and other educational institutions have a responsibility to ensure equal educational opportunities for all students, including students with disabilities. This responsibility is based on Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, which are enforced by the U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights.

ROLE

As part of your fundamental role as an educator, you are responsible for:

• Informing students of their right to request accommodation due to disability and the procedure for doing so

• Seeking advice and information on types of reasonable accommodation - notetaking, tape-recording, test proctoring, alternate format for texts and instructional materials, physical access for off-site locations, equipment and technology accessibility, etc.

• Responding to notice of students' disability in a timely and effective manner and in a spirit which is facilitative and supportive to the student

• Creating and maintaining an academic environment that respects all students and applauds students' efforts and aspirations

• Recognizing that disability and accommodations should be discussed in a confidential and private setting - not the classroom and that every such effort should be made to restrict general knowledge as much as possible

 

POSITIVE STEPS

• Include a statement in course syllabi regarding accommodation such as,

  "If you have a need for accommodation due to a disability, please notify me as early as possible, but no later than two weeks from the date the course begins."

• Consider how instructional materials such as study guides, projector overheads, articles, notes, and tests could be prepared in an alternate format - large print, computer disk, text on tape.

• Research the architectural and/or physical accessibility of instructional activities and instructionally-related sites - entrances, paths of travel, work stations, equipment, restrooms.

• Discuss a student's request for accommodation in private - it is confidential information that is illegal to share with other students.

• Use resources available on campus for advice and assistance, such as the Office of Disabled Student Services and the Office of Equity and Diversity. Many individuals have expertise and experience that can be helpful in making the educational experience of students with disabilities a positive one for them and you.

• Be flexible in ways that nurture academic growth and development, as well as in methods and measurements of learning.

• Be aware that learning disabilities impact how individuals learn, and not how well they learn.

• View accommodation as an equalizer and not as an advantage.

 

For more information, contact:

• Office of Equity and Diversity, 985-8256, Brotman Hall 238
  
• Office of Disabled Student Services, 985-5401, Brotman Hall 270
  
• AHEAD (Association on Higher Education and Disability), (617) 287-3880, http://www.ahead.org

CSULB Office of Equity and Diversity
January 2001