Adjunct Faculty Online Handbook

Keeping Track of the Semester

Student with Disabilities

• The student discloses that he/she has a disability and needs an academic accommodation. Refer to Disability Services Office (DSO), L108, 972-860-8119 Do not provide accommodations for disability until a student brings you an Instructor Memo from the Disability Services Office.
• The Instructor Memo authorizes the accommodations that the student is entitled to under the Americans with Disability Act (ADA). If you have questions, call the advisor who authorized the accommodations.
• Some students may claim that disability exits when, in fact, they do not meet ADA criteria and are not eligible for accommodations. Please do not give accommodations based upon perception of disability, but refer the student to the DSO.
• Students are not required to disclose the nature of their disability or present additional documentation to an instructor.
• You suspect the student has a disability. Never ask. Instead, share your observation that the student is encountering problems and ask if there were handled. If a student mentions content mastery or special helping teachers, or discloses that he/she has a disability, tell them that the Disability Services Office may be able to help them. If no, refer the student to the Disability Service Office
• If a student reports a medical condition (such as undergoing chemotherapy treatment for cancer), psychiatric diagnosis or learning difference please refer them to the DSO. It's possible the student may be aware that he/she is eligible for accommodations.
• An excellent resource site for faculty members can be found at http://www.washington.edu/doit/Faculty/

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