To the Faculty of CPCC,
Whether you are taking time off or still teaching (hopefully a light courseload!) during the summer term, Disability Services sends you well wishes for a relaxing summer!
With that being said….the fall semester will be here before you know it! Disability Services wants to help prepare faculty for working with students with disabilities for the upcoming fall term. This blog post focuses on online classes and working with students with disabilities to provide academic accommodations. Here’s a list of helpful tips to assist you as a faculty member:
1. Include a statement in the syllabus about Disability Services. This is something that all faculty are recommended to do as a best practice for informing their students about how to request accommodations through Disability Services. Click here to view CPCC’s syllabus statement for accommodations. Even in online classes, students may need to use accommodations to access the material.
2. Sign the accommodation form once it is sent to you and return it to the Disability Counselor. The form explains what accommodations are approved to be used by the student in your class. Accommodations are considered active once you sign the accommodation form. Clarify any questions about accommodations with the student and/or their Disability Counselor. The Disability Counselor is listed on the accommodation form.
3. If you are teaching an online class and require students to test on campus at some point during the semester, notify the testing center about students in your class(es) who are approved to use testing accommodations (such as extended time for testing) when you submit tests to the testing center. Generally, testing for online classes is done off campus. So as a result, the testing center is not notified about students who are approved for testing accommodations when they are registered for online classes. If you know this type of testing occurs in an online class and you are asked to sign an accommodation form for that class, please take the steps to ensure compliance with the student’s accommodations.
4. View the Disability Services website, Faculty and Staff Resources page, for more information on working with students with disabilities. Here you will find FAQs, directions for the accommodation form, tips for referring students to Disability Services, and directions for using the Disability Services Testing Center. Feel free to also look around the Disability Services website for more department information. We’ve recently updated our website content and will continue to update it, so check back often!
Anytime you have questions about accommodations, students with disabilities, or anything else related to Disability Services, please contact us! We are happy to help all staff and faculty at CPCC. You can visit us at our Central Campus (TE 219) or Levine Campus (room 2223) locations. Or by calling us at x6621. We look forward to working with you in the upcoming fall semester!