Faculty Guide

Office for Students
with Disabilities

at Florida Atlantic University

OSD MISSION STATEMENT

The mission of the Office for Students with Disabilities at Florida Atlantic University is to support students with disabilities in their pursuit of equity and excellence in education. The OSD works with FAU faculty and staff to ensure that reasonable accommodations are provided to allow students with disabilities an equal opportunity to learn in the classroom setting and to have access to all areas of FAU campuses.

REGULATIONS

Florida Atlantic University is dedicated to complying with State and Federal regulations involving the rights of students who have disabilities. Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 provides that no otherwise qualified individual in the United States shall, solely by reason of his or her disability, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.

The Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990 states that a person with a disability is:

a. Someone with a physical or mental impairment which substantially limits one or more major life activities, including walking, seeing, hearing, thinking, breathing, and working.
b. Someone who has a record of such an impairment.
c. Someone who is regarded as having such an impairment.

FAU grants academic accommodations in order to ensure that students with disabilities have an equal opportunity to attain the same quality of education as other students.

REASONABLE ACCOMMODATIONS

• Accommodations are authorized by OSD only after a thorough examination of the student’s documentation.
• Accommodations are determined based on an analysis of the current impact of the person's disability on academic performance.
• Accommodations are, by necessity, highly individualized, and are only granted to students on an "as needed" basis.
• The student is not required to utilize an accommodation authorized by the OSD.  However, the student is responsible for keeping  OSD staff advised of any major changes involving an accommodation.
• A professor and student may agree to enhance an accommodation authorized by the OSD as long as it is mutually acceptable to both parties.
• The professor should consult with the OSD staff with any particular concerns regarding a student’s accommodations.

DOCUMENTATION

Students must present documentation  from a physician or other diagnostician who specializes in the field of their disability. Both diagnostic criteria and an explanation of the current manifestations and functional limitations of their condition must be included. 
This documentation must  be thorough enough to demonstrate whether or not there is substantial limitation to one or more  major life activities.  
The OSD personnel will review the documentation, and then interview the student to determine appropriate academic accommodations.

TESTING ACCOMMODATIONS

• Students who are approved to receive testing accommodations from the OSD must submit a Testing Accommodations Form (TAF) to the OSD with Sections A and B completed at least one week prior to the date of the exam.
• OSD staff will hand deliver the Testing Accommodations Form to the professor or department.
  The professor reviews Sections A and B for accuracy and then completes Sections C and D.
• Section Cinforms the OSD staff what items are authorized for use when taking the exam (calculator, scrap paper, open book, etc.).  The professor should indicate in this section under OTHER any exam requirements such as “must  use scantron” or “must use blue book.”
• Section C also requests the professor’s contact information and the amount of time allowed for the class to take  the exam.  The professor should check off and sign the statement as to whether or not the student has permission to take the exam at a time other than the rest of the class.
• Section D informs the OSD staff how the professor wants the completed exam returned. The professor may pick up the exam or  OSD staff can hand deliver it to the departmental office. The professor should submit the TAF and exam to OSD no later than one business day before the exam is to be administered so the OSD can assist the student with her/his accommodation request, such as enlarged printing or audio recording.
• If the professor has indicated on the TAF that the completed exam should be returned by OSD staff, the exam will be hand delivered to the departmental office within 24 hours (excluding weekends/holidays) after the student has completed the exam. All exams are enclosed in a secure envelope and signature confirmation is required upon delivery of completed exam.

STUDENT’S RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• It is the student’s responsibility to provide appropriate documentation to the Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD) in order to receive accommodations from Florida Atlantic University (FAU) due to a disability.
• It is the student’s responsibility to submit the “OSD Semester Request for Services” form and “Testing Accommodations Form” to the OSD in a timely manner in order to be guaranteed the appropriate accommodations.
• It is the student’s responsibility to utilize authorized accommodations responsibly and keep in close contact with the OSD staff regarding her/his satisfaction with provided services.

CONFIDENTIALITY

Students who have a disability are not required to register with the OSD, but are encouraged to do so in order to receive academic accommodations from FAU. Due to the confidential nature of a student’s disability, specific information cannot be released by the OSD to faculty members unless authorized to do so by the student.
The professor may be presented a letter to  read aloud which requests a volunteer notetaker for a student with a disability.  Please read the memo verbatim, and do not mention the student’s name.  The volunteer is to be sent to the OSD office on the campus where the class is held in order to get more information. Do not introduce the volunteer to the student.

FACULTY RIGHTS
AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• The student will present each professor two copies of a Letter of Notification each semester from the OSD attesting to her/his approved accommodations.  One copy of the letter is to be completed and signed by the professor and returned to the OSD; the second is for the professor to keep. The signed copy is for record keeping as well as State and Federal data collection purposes.
• On the letter, professors  indicate whether  exams with accommodations will be administered by the professor or at the OSD Testing Center. Professors do not have to provide accommodations until they receive an OSD Letter of Notification from the student.
• When  volunteer notetaking service has been approved by OSD, the professor is asked to assist the student in obtaining a volunteer notetaker by reading aloud the provided notetaker announcement and/or soliciting a student from the class.  The professor should contact the OSD if a notetaker has not volunteered.
• Accommodations for a student with a disability must not compromise course content or the requirements for satisfactory course completion. The faculty need not fundamentally alter the nature of their classroom materials.
• Faculty are strongly encouraged to include a statement regarding students with disabilities on their syllabus. For example: “In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) - Students who require special accommodations due to a disability to properly execute course work must register with the Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD) located in Boca - SU 133 (561.297.3880),  in Davie - LA 240 (954.236.1222), in Jupiter - SR 117 (561.799.8585), or at Treasure Coast - JU 312 (772.873.3441), and follow all OSD  procedures.”

Boca Raton Campus:
777 Glades Road, SU Room 133
Boca Raton, FL 33431
tel: 561.297.3880     fax: 561.297.2184
tty: 561.297.0358

Broward Campuses:
2912 College Avenue, LA Room 240
Davie, FL 33314
tel: 954.236.1222      fax: 954.236.1123

Jupiter Campus:
(Diversity Student Services)
5353 Parkside Drive, SR Room 117
Jupiter, FL 33458
tel: 561.799.8585     fax: 561.799.8721
tty: 561.799.8565

Treasure Coast Campus:
500 NW California Blvd., JU Room 312
Port St. Lucie, FL 34986
tel: 772.873.3441     fax: 772.873.3444

Website address: http://osd.fau.edu

Alternate format available upon request

Rev 05/09