The University of Toledo

Student Disability Services Guide for Faculty

Faculty Best Practices

The following guidelines are considered best practices for faculty regarding accessibility and students with disabilities registered with the Academic Enrichment Center.

Place your book orders early.

The AEC provides books in alternate formats (e-text, audio, Braille) for eligible students. It can take up to six weeks to produce a textbook in alternate format. For students to have access to their books on the first day of classes the AEC needs the book information weeks ahead of time.

Put a statement in your syllabus to initiate dialogue with students.

For example, "Any student who feels s/he may qualify for academic accommodations in this course based on the impact of a documented disability, or who may need assistance in the event of an emergency, should contact the Academic Enrichment Center (AEC) to discuss your specific need(s). If you have already met with the AEC staff and have a faculty memo, please make an appointment to meet with me as soon as possible. AEC staff can be reached at 419-383-4274, AcademicEnrichmentCenter@utoledo.edu, or go the website at http://www.utoledo.edu/med/depts/aec/.”

Verify students' eligibility for accommodations.

When students tell you they will be using accommodations in your class, verify that they are registered with our office and approved for the requested accommodations. Ask to view their Faculty Memo document (in a confidential setting) and discuss how you will implement or arrange for the needed accommodations.

Assist students with notetaker recruitment.

Students eligible to receive a copy of a classmate's notes may need the professor's assistance in recruiting a suitable notetaker. When requested, please assist with this process by recommending a competent student or making the following announcement: "A student in this class is eligible to receive a copy of a classmate's notes. The notetaker is a volunteer position and receives acknowledgement at the end of the semester from the Academic Enrichment Center. If you are willing to provide this service, please raise your hand. [A student volunteers.] Please see me after class ." Please have the student note-taker contact the AEC to make arrangements for getting the notes to the student and for completing the note-taking contract.

Contact the Academic Testing Center to make arrangements for exams.

Students eligible for testing accommodations can take their exams in the Academic Test Center (ATC). Please contact the staff at the ATC (419-383-6566) well before the exam to make arrangements, and contact the student with instructions on where to report for the exam and at what time.

Ensure that material on Blackboard is accessible.

Material posted on Blackboard should be in doc, txt, rtf, or htm format to ensure compatibility with assistive technology. Most PDFs cannot be read by a screen reader. Whenever possible, post handouts and assignments on Blackboard in addition to or instead of handing out a paper copy. Online format allows students with vision impairments and learning disabilities to use screen-reading software to read the document aloud.