Although Potsdam encourages all students with disabilities who desire reasonable accommodations to seek services through the Office of Accommodative Services, faculty play an essential role in making courses accessible and creating a climate of equity and inclusion. While individual needs are difficult to anticipate, there are many things that professors can do to create inclusive and accessible environments for a wide diversity of learners. If you would like more information or individual guidance, please contact us at oas@potsdam.edu.
Neither the student’s disability nor their status with OAS should be disclosed to any parties other than those authorized by the student. All communications should focus on needed accommodation(s) (not the student’s disability). Students should never be asked or required to disclose their disability. Remember that students may have varying degrees of comfort discussing accommodations or disability. It is the student’s choice to share information, other than what is needed to make approved accommodations.
Each semester, it is important to communicate with the students in your class about how to seek accommodation(s) based on a disability. Sometimes, however, a student may be hesitant to discuss the accommodations. One way to open this conversation is to develop a disability statement for the course syllabus and to make a general announcement in the class. It may be helpful to have a disability accommodation statement on your syllabus and to also make a general announcement at the beginning of the course.
Making a general announcement at the first session of each course will broach the topic of accommodation in a neutral way, and helps students feel more comfortable initiating a discussion with you about their needed accommodation(s). Below is an example of a general announcement regarding the need for accommodation:
If anyone in this course has a disability and wishes to receive accommodations, I am available to discuss reasonable accommodations for those registered with the Office of Accommodative Services. Please contact me [at best private contact method] or make an appointment to meet with me during my office hours as soon as possible to discuss your accommodations. If you wish to receive accommodations due to a documented disability and are not registered with OAS, please contact their office in Sisson Hall.
Other than these general statements, any communication about accommodations should be made with the strictest confidentiality and in a discrete, private manner (email, office hours, etc.).
This resource from the U. of Minnesota offers simplified examples along with dos and don’ts for how you can plan for student variability and encourage active engagement.
UDL in Higher Ed – This link offers an overview of the Universal Design for Learning Framework, along with practical suggestions and examples.
SUNY’s Universal Design for Learning project page offering up-to-date online professional development opportunities.
SUNY Center for Professional Development’s recent ‘Access for All’ Webinar Series – This series offers hour long webinars on topics such as fighting ableism, supporting students with executive functioning, understanding neurodiversity, and more.
Elevating Inclusion: Integrating Accessibility into Everyday Workflows Webinar led by SUNY CPD’s Meghan Martin – offers background and practical tips for improving student access to online course materials.
Accessibility Resources and Support - Stony Brook’s Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT) has created this page to provide resources and support options when creating accessible content.
Web Accessibility Best Practices – This simplified guide created by Brandeis offers basic how-to for making your digital course materials accessible.
ASU Accessibility Guide – An in-depth guide into digital accessibility and our role in meeting compliance with the W3C's Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1.
Questions?
If you have questions or would like more resources or assistance, please contact the Office of Accommodative Services (OAS) at oas@potsdam.edu.