Faculty Responsibilities

Faculty are responsible for collaborating with students with disabilities and the Office of Disability Services to create an accessible classroom and learning experience. Provide the approved accommodations, outlined on the student’s Accommodation Letter, in a timely manner. 

Use a Syllabus Statement

It is important to provide a clearly welcoming environment so that students understand they can come forward with accommodation requests. Using an accessibility statement on your syllabus encourages students to identify their needs early and creates a collaborative process between you, the student, and the Office of Disability Services. Students who qualify for accommodations will send you their Accommodation Letter via the DS Portal, and that letter outlines their specific, documented needs. 

Tips:

  • Encourage students with disabilities to approach you as soon as possible by placing a statement on your syllabus such as the one below
  • Be available for accommodation conversations with students during office hours or scheduled appointments, which will allow you to provide privacy in accordance with FERPA.

Sample Syllabus Statement:

UNC Charlotte is committed to accessibility in education. If you have a disability and need academic accommodations, send me your Accommodation Letter through the DS Portal as early as possible. I encourage you to meet with me to discuss the accommodations outlined in your letter. For more information about accommodations, contact the Office of Disability Services at 704-687-0040 or disability@charlotte.edu.

Protecting Students Privacy

Students with disabilities have a right to privacy regarding their disability status, as protected by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). This means:

  • No Disclosure Required: Students are not required to disclose the nature of their disability to instructors. For this reason, a student’s diagnosis is not included in the Accommodation Letter. The information in the letter should not be shared without the student’s prior written permission.
  • Sharing with TAs is the Exception: Instructors are responsible for sharing relevant information from the Accommodation Letter with TAs whose duties include implementing or overseeing a student’s accommodations. For example, TAs who administer tests will need to know about a student’s testing accommodations.

When talking with a student about their accommodations, remember:

  • Avoid Public Disclosure: Identifying a student to peers or making comments about a student’s disability in class violates the student’s right to privacy. 
  • Focus on Accommodations: Direct your conversations and questions on how to best provide the accommodations within your course context.

Disability Services Support: Disability Services (DS) staff can communicate with University officials on a need-to-know basis concerning relevant information, accommodations, and services. Each student has an assigned DS staff member, whose name will be listed on the student’s Accommodation Letter for easy reference.

Accommodation Letters via the DS Portal

Disability Services staff determine appropriate accommodations based on the student’s documentation. These pre-approved accommodations are outlined in the student’s Accommodation Letter. Students who are connected with Disability Services and who have established accommodations will send their accommodation letters electronically and instructors will be notified via email through the DS Portal system. Instructors should review and acknowledge receipt of the students’ accommodations via the DS Faculty Portal. Acknowledging receipt of the student’s accommodations generates an automated email to the student. Note that instructors are still responsible for providing the outlined accommodations even if they do not acknowledge receipt of the letter.

Note:

  • Accommodations may be requested at any point in the semester.
  • Accommodations are not retroactive.
  • Grade the performance of a student with disabilities as you would all other students.

Disability Services staff act as a resource for faculty and staff, too. We encourage you to contact us with your disability-related questions.