Fall 2017 Semester Updates for Instructors

The Disability Center has primary responsibility for ensuring that students with disabilities are allowed an equal opportunity to pursue an education, but we can’t do this alone!  It is a shared responsibility.  We depend on instructors to actively support and promote access and inclusion as well.  This means ensuring that all course materials, technology, and…

Published: Jan. 8, 2018

The Disability Center has primary responsibility for ensuring that students with disabilities are allowed an equal opportunity to pursue an education, but we can’t do this alone!  It is a shared responsibility.  We depend on instructors to actively support and promote access and inclusion as well.  This means ensuring that all course materials, technology, and course content are accessible, committing to inclusive classroom practices, adopting universal design for learning principles in course design, calling attention to and addressing physical barriers on campus, and planning events and activities with access and inclusion in mind. It also means partnering with the Disability Center when necessary to implement appropriate accommodations.

Syllabus statement

The Disability Center recommends that all course syllabi include a statement advising students with disabilities how to request reasonable academic accommodations.  Such a statement not only helps to fulfill our institutional responsibility to inform them about the process, but also demonstrates our commitment to a positive and welcoming environment for students with disabilities.

This sample syllabus statement can be used as is, or can be adjusted to meet specific needs. For online courses, the statement should reflect the desired mode of communication (e.g. via email) and can eliminate the reference to building evacuation.

Students with Disabilities:

If you anticipate barriers related to the format or requirements of this course, if you have emergency medical information to share with me, or if you need to make arrangements in case the building must be evacuated, please let me know as soon as possible.

If disability related accommodations are necessary (for example, a Notetaker, extended time on exams, captioning), please establish an accommodation plan with the Disability Center (http://disabilitycenter.missouri.edu), S5 Memorial Union, 573- 882-4696, and then notify me of your eligibility for reasonable accommodations. For other MU resources for persons with disabilities, click on “Disability Resources” on the MU homepage.

This sample statement is posted on the web at http://provost.missouri.edu/faculty/syllabus-information and at http://disabilitycenter.missouri.edu/faculty/syllabus, and is also included in the Support & Academic Policies section for all course sites in Canvas.

Instructor Portal:  

  • NEW THIS SEMESTER: The Disability Center Instructor Portal, accessed from the Disability Center home page, is a pivotal new tool allowing instructors to view Accommodation Notification Letters, provide exam administration preferences, upload exams, view course note takers and much more.  A tutorial will be available starting the week of January 9.

Accommodated Exams:

  • Reminder:  All completed exams will be delivered to department offices ONLY, not to instructors’ offices.  This change, implemented in spring semester, 2017, was necessary to ensure that exams are delivered timely, and that exam security is not compromised.  Instructors can select a different delivery option while completing the Exam Access Agreement in the Instructor Portal if using the department delivery option is a concern.
  • As in past semesters, exam deliveries are scheduled Monday through Friday at:  8:00 a.m., 12:00 p.m., and 3:00 p.m.  Reminder emails for upcoming accommodated exams will be sent out prior to the date of the scheduled exam.
  • We always encourage instructors to provide testing accommodations for students who qualify, however we know that under many circumstances it isn’t possible.  Instructors simply need to provide exam administration details to the Disability Center, furnish the exam, and we will proctor the exams on instructors’ behalf.

Communication Access:

  • Captions are essential to ensure communication access for those who are deaf or hard of hearing, but they also benefit many others:  those with learning and attention related disabilities, traumatic brain injuries, other cognitive processing disorders, as well as non-native English speakers.  To learn more about MU’s contracted vendors, and how to create captions and transcripts, visit  http://actcenter.missouri.edu/technology/captions-and-transcripts1.html.
  • Do you need to provide a sign language interpreter for an event or activity on campus?  The Disability Center offers sign language interpreting services at a very competitive rate.  To request a sign language interpreter, select the “Request an Interpreter” button on our home page at https://disabilitycenter.missouri.edu/.

Notetaking Assistance:

Acquiring a Volunteer Notetaker is vital to providing equal access for students who require Notetaking Assistance as an accommodation. Students who serve as Notetakers can qualify for the Notetaker Stipend. To ensure that the accommodation can be implemented effectively, we rely on instructor’s assistance to recruit Notetakers from classes.

New this Year

  • Notetakers now are eligible to receive a stipend ($100 for one course and $125 for two or more courses) at the conclusion of the semester, IF they complete the required Notetaker training online, provide notes timely and consistently throughout the semester, and if their notes meet standards outlined by the Disability Center.
  • Recruitment of Notetakers can now be done in a number of ways:
    • Invite a Disability Center Senior Notetaker to visit class to explain Notetaking opportunities
    • Read an announcement in class and/or show a Disability Center provided slide
    • Add the Accommodations Coordinator to Canvas or Blackboard profile to post announcements
    • Instructors may also select a class Notetaker and refer to the Disability Center.

To learn more about the process, including how to recruit Notetakers, view the Faculty Guide for Notetaking Assistance.

Relevant Resources: