Faculty Resources and FAQ's

If you have a student with a disability in any of your classes, you may have questions about what to do to assist that student.  On this page, faculty can learn about effective strategies to make their class content inclusive for all learners, including students with disabilities.  Links to disability awareness sites and online training sites are also included. 

1. "At A Glance" resources offer descriptions of specific disabilities along with suggested accommodations and teaching strategies.
2. Organization and Information Resources for links to a variety of disability awareness and online training sites for postsecondary educators.
3. This link will take you the the Test Proctoring Request Form.
4. This link with take you to an example of a Syllabus Disability Statement that can be used or adapted for your course syllabi.
5. The following FAQ's address common questions asked of the Disability Services Coordinator by faculty working with Marquette students with disabilities.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's)

1.  What is a disability?

A disability is a mental or physical impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities of an individual.

2.  What are major life activities?

Major life activities are those activities that the average person can do with little or no difficulty, such as walking, seeing, hearing, talking, breathing, learning, caring for one’s self, and working.

3.  What are substantial limitations?

A substantial limitation is a significant restriction in the condition, manner or duration in which a major life activity is performed compared to most people.  The activity must be limited to a considerable extent by the impairment, after mitigating measures, for that individual to be protected by federal statutes.

4.  Who qualifies as having a disability?

An individual with a disability is any person who:

• has a disability
• has a record of a disability
• is regarded as having a disability or has a relationship with someone who has a disability

Those in category 1 are entitled to reasonable accommodations to ensure equality of opportunity to participate in Marquette’s programs and activities.  Those in category 2 and 3 are protected from discrimination on the basis of disability only.  Students in category 1 must be academically qualified to meet the university’s academic and technical standards for admission or participation in its educational programs and activities.

5.  What is a reasonable accommodation?

Based on current practice in the profession, an accommodation is any change in the enducational environment that effectively and appropriately enables an individual with a disability to have equal educational opportunities to participate in programs and activities.  Examples include:

1. Making existing facilities and programs used by students readily accessible to and usable by individuals with disabilities, and
2. Relocating classes, developing alternative testing procedures, providing educational auxiliary aids, readers or sign language interpreters.

6.  What are academic adjustments?

Academic adjustments affect:

• Academic requirements
• Academic rules
• Course examinations, and
• Auxiliary aids and services

Academic adjustments may include:

• Extending the length of time for completing academic programs
• Substituting specific coursework as a requisite for completing degree requirements or
• Adapting the way specific courses are conducted

Some examples of academic adjustments are:

• Allowing the use of services animals or tape recorders in classrooms for the purposes of accessing learning activities
• Allowing alternative testing procedures for students whose disabilities affect this process to ensure that their achievement is being measured and not the impact of their disability
• Providing students access to oral and print materials in appropriate alternatives

7.  When is an accommodation request unreasonable?

An accommodation is NOT reasonable if it:

1. Poses a direct threat to the health or safety of others, or
2. Requires a substantial change to an essential element of course curricula or a substantial alteration in the manner in which services or programs are offered or provided to non-disabled students, or
3. Poses an undue financial or administrative burden, or
4. Requested for personal use, such as attendant care aids, aids for personal student or equipment of a personal nature.

Reasonable accommodations are intended only to provide students with disabilities an equal opportunity to participate.  They do not guarantee success or prevent failure for the student’s academic program.  If students cannot meet the essential program requirements and achievement standards, with or without accommodations, they are not considered qualified individuals with disabilities and in that regard, are not protected from discrimination on the basis of disability.  Standards do not have to be lowered nor do essential requirements need to be waived to allow students with disabilities to participate.

8.  How are accommodations determined at Marquette?

The Office of Disability Services (ODS) is the designated office at Marquette that coordinates accommodations for all students with identified and documented disabilities.  Students must first identify themselves as having a disability to the ODS Coordinator.  The ODS Coordinator then requests documentation of the disability from an appropriate licensed professional that gives a diagnosis of the disability and how it may impact on the student’s participation in courses, programs, jobs, activities and facilities.  The student and the Coordinator meet early each semester to discuss the student’s disability and its impact on the student’s classes.  The Coordinator then decides on what accommodations may be appropriate, based on the student’s documentation, the student’s self-report, the class schedule and other appropriate resources.

9.  How are instructors notified about students in their classes?

The ODS Coordinator will provide a letter for each of the student’s instructors that verifies the student’s disability and includes a listing of the accommodation(s) which has/have been determined effective, appropriate and reasonable.  The student is responsible for delivering these letters to their instructors in a timely manner, unless other arrangements are requested.  Students choose when to identify their disabilities both to ODS and faculty.

10.  What rights do students have in their classes?

Students have the right to expect instructors to:

• Read the verification letter
• Be available to meet to discuss class-related accommodations implementation
• Consider the student’s requests

The recommended accommodations as stated in the verification letter should be honored by instructors unless the accommodations  are not appropriate for the class requirements.  Instructors should contact the ODS Coordinator if that is the case. 

11.  What can instructors expect of their students?

Instructors should expect students to deliver their verification letters and meet with them in a timely manner, and follow established ODS procedures for implementing reasonable accommodations.  As instructors are responsible for what occurs in their classes, they should expect students to learn course material, master required skills and perform according to stated and required standards.  Reasonable accommodations are not intended to allow students an unfair advantage or to fall behind course requirements.  Instructors are not required to make reasonable accommodations that haven’t been requested or requested at the last minute.

12.  What about attendance requirements?

Students with disabilities should be expected to meet stated attendance requirements, but there are instances for exceptions.  A class attendance rule should be modified to accommodate a student if recommended in the verification letter, and if attendance is not essential to the meet class requirements.  However, if the class involves weekly labs, involves interaction between students, or students and the instructor, participation in the class is a grade requirement or is an essential element for learning the class material, then the student may not be otherwise qualified to participate and complete the class.

13.  What about homework or research assignment deadline requirements?

Instructors can set deadlines in their syllabi that are distributed at the start of each semester.  Students with disabilities should be expected to meet these deadlines, particularly when the deadlines are explicitly stated and students are given a number of weeks to complete the assignment.  However, occasionally, a student’s disability may require a reasonable extension.  If that student’s disability is subject to acute exacerbation that would delay the completion of assignments, the student is responsible for reporting these occurrences to the ODS Coordinator for review.  The Coordinator will consult with the instructor should the student make the request.  If the course is not amenable to delays, the request may, unfortunately, be denied.

14.  Are students required to receive accommodations in labs?

Student with disabilities should have the opportunity to participate in lab work the same as their non-disabled peers.  Instructors should contact the ODS Coordinator if they have questions or concerns about appropriate lab accommodations or modifications to ensure that all students can perform labs tasks safely.

15.  How much information about a student’s disability is shared with faculty?

ODS maintains the documentation of all students with disabilities.  This documentation will not be shared with instructors as it may contain information that is not necessary for the instructor to know.  The student is the best source of information as to how his/her disability may affect the learning process. With the student’s permission, the ODS Coordinator will provide basic information about a student’s disability in the verification letters.

16.  Who pays for accommodations?

The university is responsible for paying for accommodations for students with disabilities if there is a cost attached. This may include interpreters, real-time captioners, obtaining texts in alternate formats or other appropriate accommodations that are required that provide the student an equal opportunity to participate in the university’s program.  Personal aids, equipment or devices are not covered. As the Office of Disability Services is the designated office to coordinate services for students, payment for costs associated with accommodations for students will be made by this office. 

17.  What if a recommended accommodation from ODS is not appropriate for a class?

Instructors should contact the ODS Coordinator if a recommended accommodation is not appropriate for a class. The goal is for the student to have an equal opportunity to participate in classes, and if the student is eligible to receive accommodations, all measures must be taken to determine what accommodation(s) may be appropriate.

18.  What impact does FERPA have on this process?

Student with disabilities are entitled to confidentiality of the information submitted to ODS.  However, if instructors have a legitimate educational interest in knowing about a student with a disability, FERPA permits the ODS Coordinator to share information with those instructors. This would generally be limited to those aspects of the student’s disability that are relevant to the particular class activities.

19.  Does academic freedom have an impact on this process?

Instructors are assured of their right to teach course content that they deem to appropriate to their classes.  They are also assured of the right to conduct research in whatever areas they choose.  However, how instructors conduct their classes will affect students who participate in those classes, and it is this aspect that protects students with disabilities to ensure that they have the same opportunity to participate. If a student with a disability is eligible to receive accommodations, the accommodations must be provided.

20.  Aren’t students with disabilities receiving an unfair advantage if they receive testing accommodations such as additional time?  Wouldn’t everyone in the class benefit?

What sets apart student with disabilities from their non-disabled peers is that these students will actually benefit from receiving testing accommodations. Their documentation attests to their particular needs that sets them apart from their peers.  And research has found that most students who do not have disabilities don’t benefit from additional testing time as significantly as students with disabilities.

21.  If a student is eligible for an alternative test format, how is that done?  How would a student receive an oral test, for example, in place of an essay exam?

If it has been determined that a student’s disability affects an essential learning function, such as composition skills, it may be appropriate for that student to have test alternatives if such is workable for a specific class.  For some students, they may be knowledgeable about the course content asked on the test, but may have difficulty stating it in writing.  An oral exam may be appropriate where the instructor can ask questions of the student and allow the student to respond orally.  Other students may be able to express themselves in an essay format, rather than having to process all the language of several pages of multiple choice test questions and answers.

Arrangements for alternative tests should be made well in advance of test dates so that the student and instructor can prepare.  Instructors can contact the ODS Coordinator for assistance.

22.  What if a student is disruptive in class, but has identified a disability?  Would an instructor be impinging on that student’s rights?  What about the rights of the other students in the class?

Instructors have the right to conduct their classes in a suitable manner, and students are responsible for behaving appropriately.  If a student is disruptive in class, this becomes a discipline issue, and the student will be subject to appropriate codes or policies pertaining to unacceptable behavior.

23.  If a student feels that he/she has not been treated fairly, what’s the procedure?  What are the rights of the instructor if the complaint is directed at the instructor?

If a student feels that discrimination based on disability has occurred, the student should follow the grievance procedure as stated in the university’s policy document, “Accessibility at Marquette University.”  All parties involved in the grievance will be interviewed by the grievance investigator (Director of Student Educational Services) who will then provide the findings of the grievance in a written response to the complainant.

24.  If a student appeals a grade and states that the reason the grade is in question is because the student believes he/she wasn’t accommodated, what is the proper procedure to resolve this issue?

Students can file grade appeals if they believe an error has occurred in the instructor’s grading process according to the grade appeals procedure.  If the grade appeal is disability-related, the student may be referred to the Director of Student Educational Services to file a grievance.

25.  What happens if an instructor catches a student engaging in academic dishonesty, and the incident occurs during a test or quiz for which the student receives an accommodation, such as extended time and a separate room?  Can the accommodations be suspended?

Students with disabilities are subject to the policy on academic dishonesty the same as their non-disabled peers.  The matter should be discussed between the instructor and the student, and the appropriate college office administrator if appropriate.  However, accommodations are entitlement-based, not rewards for good or bad behavior, and if the student remains in the class, accommodations must be maintained.

26.  What assistance is available to faculty to meet accommodation needs, such as appropriate testing space, proctoring assistance, etc.

The Office of Disability Sevices can assist instructors with testing accommodations on a limited basis due to staff and space.  The Coordinator and Office Assistant are available to assist with test proctoring if available, and have access to Room 024 in Raynor Library for testing purposes.  Instructors are encouraged to work directly with their students as much as possible, as ODS cannot respond to content questions that may surface during an exam.

27.  Are there ways instructors can gear their teaching to help students process and retain the information instructors want them to know?

One way that instructors can make their class information to all students is to employ some Universal Design strategies for Instruction.  Universal Design for Instruction (UDI) is an approach to teaching that consists of the proactive design and use of inclusive instructional strategies that benefit a broad range of learners including students with disabilities.   For further information, instructors can check this web site:  www.facultyware.uconn.edu.

Instructors can also consult with the ODS Coordinator on other teaching strategies for their classes that will help students with disabilities master course content.  The likelihood is that if these strategies are utilized, all students in the class will benefit.

28.  What can an instructor do when a student will not even try to achieve mediocrity?  Can instructors fail students with disabilities?

Accommodations do not guarantee success, nor do they prevent failure.  Yes, instructors can fail students with disabilities the same as they can fail any student who has not met the essential requirements of the class.