Working Together: Faculty and Students with Disabilities at the University of Washington - Seattle

Legal Issues

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, and Washington State laws prohibit discrimination against individuals with disabilities.

According to federal law, no otherwise qualified individual with a disability shall, solely by reason of his or her disability, be excluded from the participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity of a public entity.

"Qualified" with respect to postsecondary educational services, means "a person who meets the academic and technical standards requisite to admission or participation in the education program or activity, with or without reasonable modifications to rules, policies or practices; the removal of architectural, communication or transportation barriers; or the provision of auxiliary aids and services."

"Person with a disability" means "any person who (1) has a physical or mental impairment which substantially limits one or more major life activities [including walking, seeing, hearing, speaking, breathing, learning, and working], (2) has a record of such an impairment, or (3) is regarded as having such an impairment.pDisabilities covered by legislation include (but are not limited to) AIDS, cancer, cerebral palsy, diabetes, epilepsy, head injuries, hearing impairments, specific learning disabilities, loss of limbs, multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, psychiatric disorders, speech impairments, spinal cord injuries, and vision impairments.

UW Identification and Accommodation Process

Faculty members and teaching assistants are encouraged to be responsive to the pedagogical needs of all students. However, students with disabilities may have some additional educational needs which they should discuss with each faculty member. Teaching assistants can also play an important role in making accommodations. It is helpful to include a statement on the class syllabus inviting students who have disabilities to discuss academic needs. An example of such a statement is "To request academic accommodations due to a disability, please contact Disability Resources for Students (DRS), 011 Mary Gates Hall, 206-543-8924 (voice) or 206-543-8925 (TTY). If you have a letter from DRS indicating that you have a disability which requires academic accommodations, please present the letter to me so we can discuss the accommodations you might need in this class."

A student with a disability needing accommodation should provide each instructor with a letter from DRS indicating possible accommodations. The faculty member can then work with the student to make the appropriate accommodation(s) for the specific class. Under no circumstances should the faculty member or teaching assistant refuse to make a requested accommodation; instead, if agreement is not reached on an accommodation, the faculty member should contact DRS for assistance. If, after working with DRS, a satisfactory accommodation is not obtained, the student can appeal to the Office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action at 206-543-1830 or eoaa@u.washington.edu.

If a student does not present a letter from DRS and does not have a visible disability, the faculty member should refer the student to DRS prior to making an accommodation for a disability.

UW faculty members are encouraged to apply universal design principles in their instruction to minimize needs for accommodations and to make their courses more accessible to all students. For more information about universal design of instruction, consult www.uw.edu/doit/equal-access-universal-design-instruction.

Examples of Academic Accommodations

Low Vision

• Seating near front of the class
• Large print handouts, lab signs, and equipment labels
• TV monitor connected to microscope to enlarge images
• Class assignments made available in electronic format
• Computer equipped to enlarge screen characters and images

Blindness

• Audio-recorded, brailled, or electronic-formatted lecture notes, handouts, and texts
• Verbal descriptions of visual aids
• Raised-line drawings and tactile models of graphic materials
• Braille lab signs and equipment labels, auditory lab warning signals
• Assistive lab equipment (e.g., talking thermometers, calculators, light probes, and tactile timers)
• Computer with optical character reader, speech output, braille screen display, and printer output

Hearing Impairment

• Interpreter, real-time captioning, FM system
• Note taker
• Visual aids
• Written assignments, lab instructions, summaries, notes
• Use of email for class and private discussions
• Visual warning system for lab emergencies

Learning Disability

• Note taker and/or audio-recorded class sessions
• Captioned films
• Extra exam time, alternative testing arrangements
• Visual, aural, and tactile instructional demonstrations
• Computer with voice output, spellchecker, and grammar checker

Mobility Impairment

• Note taker, lab assistant, group lab assignments
• Classrooms, labs, and field trips in accessible locations
• Adjustable tables, lab equipment located within reach
• Lengthened pull-chains on safety showers
• Class assignments made available in electronic format
• Computer equipped with special input device (e.g., voice input, alternative keyboard)

Health Impairment

• Note takers
• Flexible attendance requirements
• Extra exam time
• Assignments made available in electronic format
• Use of email to facilitate communication

Useful Teaching Techniques

Below you will find examples of teaching techniques in the classroom, laboratory, examinations, and field work that benefit all students, but are especially useful for students who have disabilities.

Classroom

• Select course materials early so that students and DRS or the ATC staff have enough time to translate them to audio recording, braille, and large print.
• Make syllabi, short assignment sheets, and reading lists available in electronic format (e.g., CD, email, online).
• Face the class when speaking. Repeat discussion questions.
• Write key phrases and lecture outlines on the blackboard or overhead projector.

Laboratory

• Take the student on a tour of the lab they will be working in. Discuss safety concerns.
• Assign group lab projects in which all students contribute according to their abilities.
• Arrange lab equipment so that it is accessible to and visible by everyone.
• Give oral and written lab instructions.

Examination and Fieldwork

• Ensure that exams test the essential skills or knowledge needed for the course or field of study.
• Some students will require extra time to transcribe or process test questions. Follow DRS recommendations regarding extra time on examinations.
• Consider allowing students to turn in exams via email or Collect It (www.uw.edu/itconnect/learn/tools/catalyst-web-tools/collectit/about-collectit/).
• Attempt to include student in fieldwork opportunities, rather than automatically suggesting non-fieldwork alternatives. Ask students how they might be able to do specific aspects of fieldwork.
• Include special needs in requests for field trip vehicle reservations.