Faculty & Staff
Responsibilities of Faculty and Staff
1. Faculty and staff will cooperate with the CSD in providing authorized academic accommodations and/or support services for the student in a fair and timely manner.
2. Faculty will review the "Individual Student Plan" with the student.
3. When a student requires testing accommodations and will be writing the test in the CSD Test Room, faculty will complete their portion of the 'Testing Accommodation' form. It is the student's responsibility to pick up the form, fill in the student's portion, bring to the professor for completion and signature, and to return to the CSD. Faculty will pick up the completed test in the College Test Centre, room C224.
4. For final exams, the same process will be followed as with accommodations for tests. A 'Final Exam Extended Time' form will be available from the CSD prior to the Final Exam period.
5. Faculty will consult with the Centre for Students with Disabilities on questions concerning academic accommodations.
6. Faculty will allow recording of classes by students with disabilities when such recording is necessary to provide equal access to course material. (The student may be required to sign an agreement protecting copyright and can be asked to turn off the recorder during discussions of a sensitive nature.)
7. Faculty will provide a classroom atmosphere that is harassment-free in nature that is inclusive and nondiscriminatory for students with disabilities.
8. Faculty will encourage students with disabilities to identify themselves privately to the professor. Faculty will protect student confidentiality by providing time during office hours. Student confidentiality must be respected.
9. Faculty and staff will maintain the student's rights regarding confidentiality and will not disclose personal disability-related information unless the student has provided written authorization to the faculty or staff member.
10. Faculty and staff will promptly inform the Centre for Students with Disabilities of any disability-related issues.
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Responsibilities of Academic Administrators
1. Administrators will make available (in department offices) to each faculty member copies of the Algonquin College’s Directive E4 - Students with Disabilities.
2. Administrators will provide any necessary support to faculty whose students are receiving academic accommodations.
3. If an authorized accommodation is challenged, the department chair or dean (responsible administrator) will ensure that the accommodation is provided until the matter has been formally reviewed and resolved.
4. Administrators will ensure that the faculty and staff within their departments understand Algonquin College's commitment to implementing law and policy assuring equal opportunity and nondiscrimination on the basis of disability.
5. When necessary, administrators will consult with the CSD regarding disability-related accommodation issues in co-op placements, field placements, and internships.
6. Administrators will foster an environment of mutual respect between the areas they represent and the Centre for Students with Disabilities
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The Seven Point Guide to Professors
1. The Centre for Students with Disabilities is the designated campus office to determine appropriate accommodations and auxiliary aids for students with disabilities. The determination is based on the disability documentation provided by the student and the functional limitations presented by the disability. Students must provide the CSD with this documentation before services are initiated. The person who documents a disability must be a qualified professional. The purpose of the accommodations and auxiliary aids is to give the student an equal opportunity to participate in the academic environment.
2. Students with disabilities have a right to meet with you privately regarding disability matters, and their confidentiality must be maintained. Treat all disability-related information as confidential medical information. Conduct disability-related meetings in a private location. Provide plenty of opportunities for students to meet with you to describe their disability-related needs, to arrange test accommodations, to ask for clarification about what was presented in class, to get help with in-class note taking, etc. Also, a student is asked to provide you with an "Individual Student Plan (ISP)." It is important that you review this plan with the student. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the accommodations that are outlined on the ISP, your concerns should be brought to the attention of the CSD counsellor. Each ISP is signed by the student's counsellor and the direct telephone extension of the counsellor is given. Please note: there is no duty to accommodate for a disability if you have not been informed. If you have not received an ISP from a student, it may be that the student has decided that they do not require accommodations for your course.
3. Students with disabilities need access to course materials and information presented in your classroom at the same time as all other students. As an instructor, you play a vital role in ensuring that materials are available in alternative format in a timely manner. Converting print materials to alternate formats-whether to Braille, audio tapes, electronic format, or enlargements-is both labour and time-intensive. Therefore, it is critical that you inform the CSD about the textbooks you plan to use and all other print materials as soon as you are requested to do so, either by the student or the CSD.
4. Students have the responsibility for making their disability-related accommodation needs known to you. Your course outline should welcome students to do so. Students with disabilities are encouraged to make their accommodation needs known to you in a timely fashion so that the appropriate arrangements can be made (they are not, however, required to discuss their disability). You can facilitate this process by including a statement on your course outline that invites students with disabilities to meet with you to discuss their needs. Here is an example of a syllabus statement: "Any student who feels he or she may need an accommodation based on the impact of a disability should contact me privately to discuss his or her specific needs. Please contact the Centre for Students with Disabilities at 727-4723 ext. 7683, or visit C142 to coordinate reasonable accommodations for students with documented disabilities."
Disability, may result in different functional limitations. Compensation skills and strategies vary from one student to another, just as instructional methods vary from one instructor to another. Therefore, it is necessary for you and the student to discuss specific accommodations that address the particular needs of that student.
7. The CSD provides reasonable accommodations, auxiliary aids, and support services that are individualized and based upon disability documentation, functional limitations, and a collaborative assessment of the student's needs. However, if you choose to provide accommodations without making arrangements through CSD, it is important that appropriate accommodations are made. Students with documented disabilities have a right to certain aids and accommodations. Contact the CSD if you are uncertain about what is appropriate.
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Mandated Services
Academic accommodations are legally mandated services, such as:
- extended time on exams and quizzes (generally time and a half, although some students may have double time)
- distraction-reduced test space
- reader and/or scribe for tests
- computer for essay examinations
- access to class notes
Auxiliary Aids
Auxiliary aids are services, equipment, and procedures that give students with disabilities access to learning and activities in the classroom environment, such as:
- sign language interpreting
- assistive listening devices, which amplify sound
- real-time captioning of lectures
- adaptive technology
- a lab assistant
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