Faculty Responsibilities

Faculty Responsibilities and Rights Regarding Disability Accommodations

Each faculty member at Aims Community College is responsible for assuming a shared responsibility in providing reasonable accommodations for students with disabilities by:

• Cooperating with Disability Access Services (DAS) in providing authorized accommodations, in a fair and timely manner
• Arranging a meeting with the student who has identified himself/ herself as an individual with a disability to discuss academic accommodations for the course the student is enrolled in
• Acting as an advocate for DAS when working with a student who has identified as an individual with a disability.

Aims Community College has compliance obligations under federal laws; therefore, faculty members share the responsibility in providing reasonable accommodations for students with disabilities. Also, faculty members act as advocates for DAS. Therefore, it is suggest that the following disability statement be included on each course syllabus.

Students with disabilities who believe that they may need accommodations in this class are encouraged to contact DAS in the College Center, 1st Floor Lobby, or call (970) 339-6388 (voice / TTY), or e-mail to disabilities@aims.edu, or fax to (970) 506-6937 as soon as possible to ensure that reasonable accommodations are implemented in a timely fashion.

This statement is recommended by Jeanne M. Kincaid, Esq, who is nationally recognized for her expertise in the area of disability law and education.

Each faculty member has the right to provide input regarding accommodations in a particular class. Each faculty member has the right to challenge an accommodation request if s/he believes the student it not qualified, the accommodation would result in a fundamental alteration of the program, the institution is being asked to address a personal need, or the accommodation would impose an undue financial or administrative burden.

Therefore, a qualified disabled person with regard to education is defined as a disabled person who meets the academic and technical standards requisite to admission or participation in the institution’s programs and activities. Factors such as safety may be considered in determining whether a disabled person is qualified. A student must be able to comprehend the course material and communicate that comprehension to the instructor, but accommodations must give the student the opportunity to achieve that outcome, so long as the accommodation does not alter the fundamental nature of the course or program.

Even though a faculty member has the right to provide input regarding accommodations; the faculty does not have a right to refuse authorized accommodations or to question a student about whether the disability exists.

Each faculty member has the right to know that a student’s request for an accommodation is valid by asking the student to provide a copy of a memo from DAS validating what is an appropriate accommodation. Each faculty has a right to call DAS if he/she has questions.

All information regarding a student’s disability is confidential and will not be shared with anyone without the consent of the student. All documentation and files relating to a student’s disability are housed in the Disability Access Services office and are not part of the student’s college record. However, Disability Access Services does comply with the Federal Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). See Records, Transcripts, Request for Information section in the Aims Catalog.

Sources:
Smith, Virginia H. ed. College Students with Disabilities:  A Resource Guide for Faculty and Staff. Decatur:  Calhoun Community College, April 1995. p. 10.
Hill, JoAnne. The Policy Book:  Guidance for Disability Service Providers. Horsham:  LRP, 2000. 9:1-9:2.

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