Individuals with disabilities are protected from discrimination and are guaranteed access to all public accommodations by federal and state law. It is the joint responsibility of the Office of Accessibility Resources and faculty/staff to ensure that access to all programs is readily available to all students with disabilities.
It is important for faculty and staff members to understand that all individuals registered with Accessibility Resources have presented documentation from an appropriate professional that establishes the presence of one or more disabling conditions that create a functional impact on one or more major life activities. These may include, but are not limited to activities such as learning, walking, speaking, hearing, seeing, etc. These students have also disclosed their disabilities to the Office of Accessibility Resources and have requested the accommodations that they require in order to fully access the programs of the University. In order for accommodations to be approved, they must be necessary for access, as well as appropriate in meeting the individualized needs of each student.
Best practices for accessibility
- Keep in mind that tests written directly in Moodle have been problematic in the past, as those tests may not then work with screen reader and other accessibility software. Writing your test in Word, and then uploading to Moodle, is suggested. At the time of this writing, we have not identified a similar issue in Populi.
- Avoiding the use of scanned and uploaded chapters should be avoided if at all possible. These documents, which are really images and not “real” PDFs, will not be accessible for certain students, and will require significant remediation if required.
- Most meeting platforms, including Zoom and Microsoft Teams, allow for the recording of in-class discussions, demonstrations, etc. Do consider making these available for student use as well.
- Consider whether synchronous instruction will meet the needs of all of your students. Certainly, there may be those who are in a distant time zone, who may not be able to join you because of the time difference. Other students may have health or other disability-related concerns that might make this difficult as well.
Providing Accommodations
Students with disabilities who request accommodations will provide each professor with a letter from Accessibility Resources. This letter identifies the individual as a student with a disability and lists the accommodations that are approved for that student. Students with disabilities and their professors are expected to have a private, confidential conversation about how these accommodations will be arranged. Any questions or difficulties with arranging accommodations should be addressed to Accessibility Resources.
Professors are strongly encouraged to provide classroom accommodations only to students who have identified themselves through the process outlined above. Oftentimes questions will arise regarding the accommodations of students who have not registered with Accessibility Resources, including legal entanglements and conflicting student expectations. If you are ever uncertain about your obligations in this process, please do not hesitate to contact Accessibility Resources.
Accommodations that constitute a fundamental alteration of the curriculum are not appropriate and will not be approved by Accessibility Resources. Additionally, accommodations are never provided retroactively; requests for accommodations after a test is administered or an assignment is due will not be provided.
Flexibility with Attendance Plan
Instructors have discretion to determine how or whether to modify class attendance policy based on their assessment of the course’s core requirements. Each request should be considered on a case-by-case basis, and instructors must work with both the student and Accessibility Resources, as applicable. If, based on this analysis, the instructor determines that a modification in attendance may alter an essential course requirement, academic standard or educational experience or outcome, the instructor must consult with us to determine what course specific adjustments may be applicable.
Extensions on Assignments Plan
Instructors have discretion to determine how or whether to modify due dates for particular assignments based on their assessment of the course’s core requirements. Each request should be considered on a case-by-case basis, and instructors must work with both the student and Accessibility Resources, as applicable.
If, based on this analysis, the instructor determines that an assignment extension may alter an essential course requirement, academic standard or educational experience or outcome, the instructor must consult with Accessibility Resources to determine what course specific adjustments may be applicable.
If a student accrues excessive extensions, even pursuant to a previously approved accommodation, the instructor should consider submitting a referral through Student Services so the student may explore options such as reduced course load, course withdrawal, or a Medical Leave of Absence.
Faculty Rights & Responsibilities
Professors have the right to:
- Expect all students to abide by Cherry Hill Seminary’s Academic Honesty and Student Conduct Code.
- Challenge accommodations that are believed to jeopardize the academic standards or integrity of the course.
- Deny testing or assignment accommodations if a written request is not provided at least three days in advance.
Professors have the responsibility to:
- Provide accommodations to students when notification letters have been received.
- Refer students who report having a disability to Accessibility Resources.
- Include a reasonable accommodations statement on all syllabi.
- Share the implementation of student accommodations with Accessibility Resources.
Confidentiality for Faculty
All disabilities-related records and information are confidential; this information will only be disclosed to other faculty and staff on a need-to-know basis and will generally not be released without prior notification to the student. Professors will not be allowed to examine disabilities-related documentation for any student.
Faculty and staff are encouraged to be mindful of confidentiality during the accommodations process. It is the responsibility of the student to disclose specific information about his or her disability to the professor. Students are encouraged to discuss with professors how their disabilities affect performance in the classroom and how their accommodation needs can best be served.
The following suggestions are illustrative of how faculty may avoid breaching confidentiality or creating uncomfortable situations for a student with disabilities.
Faculty members should:
- Avoid making any statements or implications that a student with a disability is any different from the general student population.
- Do not ask the student for documentation other than that provided by Accessibility Resources.
- Discuss the student’s disability, needs, and accommodation(s) in a private place.
- Look at the student as an individual without comparison to other students, even other students with disabilities.
- Hold students with disabilities to the same standards as the rest of the class. The idea of the law is to provide meaningful opportunity through reasonable accommodations—not to provide two different sets of requirements.
Teaching & Learning Suggestions
With appropriate accommodations, qualified students with all types of disabilities have been successful in post-secondary education. Accessibility Resources uses a case-by-case analysis to determine reasonable accommodations for a student with a disability, making each student’s accommodations individualized. However, there are some general pedagogical techniques which are effective for a wide variety of students with disabilities and are considered effective teaching strategies—for all students. Consider incorporating the following suggestions into your teaching repertoire:
- Include a statement on your syllabus about disabilities. For example, “If you are a student with a documented disability who will require accommodations in this course, please register with Accessibility Resources (found under For Students on the CHS web site) for assistance in developing a plan to address your academic needs.” Encourage students to make a private appointment with you to discuss the need for accommodations and how they will be put into place.
- Make course expectations clear.
- With each class, briefly review the previous lecture.
- Write key words/technical terms/proper names on a Zoom whiteboard or provide a lecture handout.
- Begin each lecture with an outline of material to be covered during that class.
- Provide guided lecture questions.
- Briefly summarize material at the end of class.
- Give assignments orally and in writing.
- Provide frequent opportunities for questions and answers.
- Well in advance of an exam, provide study questions that illustrate the format as well as the content of the exam.
- Explain what constitutes a good answer and why.
- Be sure exam questions are clear and provide the appropriate amount of white space on the page for responses.
- Distribute samples of finished papers as examples, or post a model on your Populi class page.
- Use captioned videos whenever possible. They have proven to be helpful not only students with disabilities, but to international students as well.
- Provide PowerPoint slide copies before the lecture (may be uploaded to your webpage).
- Have students work in groups with hands-on activities or very specific group assignments.
