FAQ for Faculty
Should a student in your class require an academic accommodation (e.g. extended testing time, note-taking assistance, etc) a notification letter typically hand-delivered by the student will be provided to you which identifies those accommodations. If a student approaches you requesting accommodations based on disability without a notification letter from this department, you are under no obligation to provide accommodations; however please refer the student to Disability Services.
If you have any questions of how to accommodate a student with a disability or if you have further questions about a Faculty Notification letter that you have received, please contact the DS office at 907-796-6000 or uas.disabilityservices@alaska.edu.
Students are expected to supply documentation to support any request for an academic adjustment. Disability Services is the designated party at UAS responsible for reviewing such documentation and determining the eligibility for services and accommodations. The purpose of the Faculty Notification Letter is to detail the accommodations that have been found to be reasonable given supporting documentation. Accommodations outlined in the Faculty Notification letters are mandated. In the absence of a Faculty Notification letter, an instructor or professor who decides to honor a students request does so at his or her own discretion, not as a requirement by law.
Yes! Instructors and teaching assistants must maintain a policy of confidentiality about the identity of a student with a disability, the nature of his/her disability and the disability-related accommodations required.
Disability Services encourages all faculty to use a syllabus statement and to include it during the first class session announcements. This allows you to inform students of Disability Services.
example:
If you experience a disability and would like information about support services, please contact Disability Services, located at the Student Resource Center in the Mourant building. Phone: (907) 796-6000.
Including a link or URL address to the Disability Services webpage is also helpful. http://www.uas.alaska.edu/dss
Let all students, whether they have a disability or not, know that you are willing and open to discussing any potential concerns they may have.
While some students with disabilities may need to occasionally leave the room or stand instead of sit, they are expected to be as unobtrusive as possible. Any behavior that is unacceptable for students in general, is unacceptable for students with disabilities as well. All students at UAS are held to the same code of conduct and are subject to the same disciplinary procedures.
We urge all instructors to be clear in their attendance policy. Students with disabilities are held to the same standards as other students in the class. At times a student with a disability may request a letter from this office informing instructors of a disability that my affect attendance. We urge students to discuss possible means and/or opportunities to make-up missed work with instructors, however any exception to a stated attendance policy, is just that, an exception. It is granted at the instructor's discretion.
If the course syllabus mandates that students who miss a test can not receive a make-up then that is the policy to which all students can be held. However, if a student requires testing accommodations that prevent him or her from testing at the same time and place as the rest of the class, they can not be penalized for this alone. If they miss the alternate date and time that has been established, then they are liable for the same repercussions as a student who missed the in-class exam.
It is the responsibility of a student who experiences a disability to initiate contact with a DS staff member every semester to secure updated accommodations. The student must also provide appropriate documentation to DS.
No, documentation of a disability must be sent to DS in order for a student to receive appropriate accommodations.