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Suggested Syllabus Statement Disability Related Accommodations and Academic Support

Teacher passing out syllabus to a class

As a faculty member, you are encouraged to give notice to students with disabilities about requesting disability-related accommodations. Access for students with disabilities begins with using universal design in instruction in the classroom. This includes having closed captioning on all videos, providing materials that can be accessed by screen-reading software, and assessing students’ knowledge in a variety of methods. In addition to this, some students may require testing or classroom accommodations. Examples of some more typical accommodations include, extended time for testing, use of laptop or note-taking technology for taking notes, use of a computer for all written work and alternate format of texts.

If a student wishes to request disability-related accommodations, they must register with the Academic Support and Access Center (ASAC). Once the registration process is complete and appropriate accommodations are determined, a letter of accommodations is given to the student. The student is responsible for delivering the letter to their professors. Professors should not provide disability-related accommodations in the absence of a letter from the ASAC. Additionally, accommodations are not retroactive, so early disclosure is to be strongly encouraged.

Please include the following notice in your syllabus, which informs students with disabilities how to appropriately request accommodations through the Academic Support and Access Center:

Students with Disabilities
If you wish to receive accommodations for a disability, please notify me with a memo from the Academic Support and Access Center (ASAC). As accommodations are not retroactive, timely notification at the beginning of the semester, if possible, is strongly encouraged. To register with a disability or for questions about disability accommodations contact the ASAC at 202.885.3360 or asac@american.edu.

If you would like to let students know about academic support resources available through the ASAC, please consider including the following statement in your syllabus:

Academic Support
 

All students may take advantage of the Academic Support and Access Center (ASAC) for individual academic coaching, the Writing Center, workshops, tutoring, peer tutor referrals, and Supplemental Instruction. The ASAC is located in Butler Pavilion 300. Additional academic support resources available at AU include the Bender Library, the Math Lab (located in Don Meyers Technology and Innovation Building), and the Center for Language Exploration, Acquisition, & Research (CLEAR) in Anderson Hall. A more complete list of campus-wide resources is available in the ASAC.