Faculty and Staff Responsibilities
Procedures and Responsibilities
In order to receive academic accommodations, students must be registered with Student Accessibility. Once an accommodation plan has been established, students and instructors will be notified through an accommodation letter. The letter serves to confirm the student's registration while also outlining the accommodations that have been authorized.
The letters can be viewed on Accommodate.
Accommodation letters are not automatically issued. Students must request their accommodation letters each term before they can be issued. If a student contacts you to request accommodations and you have not received a letter for them, please advise the student to contact us. Once you have received an accommodation letter, it is important to discuss the accommodation plan with the student. While students are advised that they must contact their instructors in order to guarantee they receive their authorized accommodations, instructors are encouraged to reach out to their students in one of two ways:
- Email each student directly, requesting a meeting or discussion. This email could be sent through UR Courses or the student's U of R email account.
- Make an announcement in class. A suggested announcement follows:
"If you have registered for academic accommodations with Student Accessibility and have requested and received your accommodation letter for this class, please contact me so that we can discuss the accommodations you need in this class. If you have not yet requested your letter but will require accommodations, please contact Student Accessibility as soon as possible."
Instructor Responsibilities
- Regularly monitor your email account for accommodation letters and important communication. Accommodation letters and other information can be viewed on Accommodate.
- Discuss accommodation letters with students to understand what is required for your class. Discussions must be private to protect the confidentiality of each student.
- Review and sign the accommodation letter after meeting with each student.
- Implement authorized accommodations for students in a timely manner. Some accommodations may not be required or may not be relevant. Each student should inform you of what is required.
- Ensure that accommodation letters are only shared with others as appropriate. This may include Deans and associate Deans, co-instructors, lab instructors, teaching assistants, and administrative staff.
Please don't hesitate to contact us with any questions or concerns about academic accommodations. Accommodations can be accomplished in many ways, and sometimes it is necessary to connect with us to determine to best support student success.