Faculty Rights & Responsibilities

Faculty Rights

Disability law does not alter a faculty member's right to:

  • Determine the curricula and assignments for courses.
  • Maintain consistent standards when evaluating student performance.
  • Expect that all students adhere to the Student Conduct Code.
  • Question accommodations that would jeopardize the academic standards or integrity of a course.

Faculty Responsibilities

In keeping with the university's policy, faculty should:

  • Provide accommodations based on a disability only to students who have been found eligible through DSS. Students who request accommodation from faculty but who have not yet been reviewed and found eligible through DSS should be promptly referred to DSS. To assure that all students are treated equally, it is important that students claiming a disability are evaluated by DSS.
  • Protect the privacy of disabled students whenever possible.
    • Students with disabilities should not be actively identified in the classroom.
    • DSS encourages students to discuss their need for accommodation with their faculty, but they are not required to discuss their disability with faculty, even in private.
    • Information pertaining to disabilities is deemed privileged information. DSS alone must review pertinent records. Before providing information about a student's disability to faculty, DSS must have the student's written permission, unless there is an emergency.
  • Provide approved accommodation in a consistent and timely manner. To comply with laws and regulations, it is important that approved accommodations be provided without interruption. Before any changes are introduced, DSS must concur that the changes are needed and appropriate.
  • Grade students based on their performance with accommodation; i.e. students cannot be penalized for using accommodation.