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Implementing Accommodations

It is the responsibility of the DSS office to review student documentation and determine appropriate accommodations.  DSS works in collaboration with faculty and staff regarding the provision of accommodations to assure full campus-wide accessibility for students with disabilities.

Faculty members are required to allow approved accommodations for students registered with DSS who choose to utilize their approved accommodations. However, the accommodations should not compromise the academic quality of the course. If a faculty member is in disagreement with an approved accommodation, they are to discuss their concern with DSS directly rather than confer with the student. It is the responsibility of the faculty member to ensure the student's confidentiality. Faculty should refrain from discussing a student's issues regarding disabilities and/or accommodations in front of the class, in the presence of other students or to faculty or staff not directly involved in the accommodation process.

In the event a faculty member is approached by a student requesting accommodations directly, the student should be redirected to DSS. Faculty are not required to allow accommodations to students until they receive a notice of accommodations from the DSS Coordinator. Copy of the student's Accommodation Letter will be emailed to the instructor by the student's DSS Coordinator. Students are responsible for coordinating and communicating with their instructor regarding how approved accommodation will be utilized if the student chooses to utilize their accommodations. 

Some frequently requested academic accommodations are:

• Time extensions for exams/tests/quizzes

• Separate test areas

• Recording lectures

• Note-taking services

• Sign language interpreting services

Course Syllabus Statement

Disability Support Services (DSS) provides support services for students who have appropriate documentation of a qualifying disability. Students requiring classroom/academic, pregnancy/parenting, or other disability related accommodations are responsible for contacting DSS located on the central campus, Building 215, Room 111, (254) 526-1863 or (254)-526-1822. This service is available to all disability students, regardless of location. Reasonable Accommodations will be given through DSS in accordance with American with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 Rehabilitation Act. Additional information from DSS is available at http://www.ctcd.edu/disability-support.

Online Environment

As an instructor, it is important for you to consider accessibility when creating materials for the online environment. The inherent issue concerning Web accessibility is complexity. There are some excellent resources available on the topic to assist you in making the Internet more accessible to students with disabilities. The World Wide Web Consortium or W3C is the international standards organization for the World Wide Web at http://www.w3.org/WAI/.

A few other resources include:

• The National Center for Accessible Media (NCAM) at http://ncam.wgbh.org/

• WCAG Tutorial at http://www.evengrounds.com/wcag-tutorial