Notification and Procedures

Faculty are critical players in the provision of reasonable accommodations for students with a disability. However, responsibility for obtaining accommodations begins with the student. Eligible students must register with Disability Services to begin the process for instructors to provide reasonable accommodations.

Faculty Notification

At the beginning of each semester, Disability Services emails a "Confidential Letter of Required Accommodations" on behalf of each registered student. You will receive a letter verifying the disability and listing the required accommodations if a registered student is in your class.  Please retain letters for your records.

Once you've received the letter, please meet with students individually at your earliest convenience to discuss the logistics of providing accommodations. (Students are also instructed to initiate contact with faculty to confirm receipt of the letter.) Faculty are able to provide most accommodations directly; however, some may need to be coordinated through Disability Services.  

Syllabus Disability Statement

It is recommended that a disability statement is placed on the course syllabus to ease the accommodation process.  The following is an example that can be used:

If you qualify for disability accommodations, please request Disability Services send to me a Confidential Letter of Required Accommodations in a timely manner so that your needs may be addressed.  Contact: 303-273-3377 (http://disabilities.mines.edu/). 

The accommodation process should be one of collaboration between student and instructor with support from Disability Services.  A statement on the syllabus and an announcement in class normalize the accommodation process by treating it as just another part of the course. The statement can be altered to meet the specific needs of your department/courses.  It is recommended that instructors for multiple section courses and labs come to an agreement on the statement used.

In addition, a disability statement opens the lines of communication, making the student more comfortable approaching faculty. The statement is intended to encourage students to meet with the faculty member in a confidential environment to review the Confidential Letter of Required Accommodations and course requirements, as well as discuss the logistics of providing accommodations. This is important because the functional limitations of individual students and the specific demands of the course will vary.

You Did Not Receive Letter
If a student approaches you about needing accommodations, and you have not received the letter, you should refer the student to our office immediately. Faculty should not provide accommodations without a request from Disability Services. To do so would leave the University and the individual faculty member open to potential legal difficulties.