Improve Faculty and Student Engagement with Your Institution’s Disability Accommodations Process

The rapid shift to remote instruction in 2020 was tough for many students. However, some students thrived with the extra flexibility their teachers and instructors provided during the pandemic. When they could learn in a comfortable space without harsh lighting, take extra time to complete an exam, or review a recorded or transcribed lecture, many of these students realized that with the right support, they could succeed and thrive in the classroom.

The return to in-person learning spurred many students to take the next step: a formal diagnosis of autism, ADHD, or another psychological disability. Disability services offices are now seeing profound increases in registered students, driven almost entirely by psychological disabilities.

Disability services staff struggle to keep up, especially amid higher education’s talent crunch. But institutions can alleviate some of that workload by making disability accommodations easier to understand for both students and faculty. Below are two recommendations on how higher ed institutions can make the accommodations process easier to navigate.

Directly address two common student misconceptions about college accommodations

The college accommodations process is unfamiliar and confusing for many students who are often navigating the process without family support for the first time. Students may not know how to obtain an accommodation or how to let their instructors know about it. EAB’s research identified two common student misconceptions about accommodations that colleges must rapidly address.

Student misconception #1: High school IEPs stay through college

Students who had a disability diagnosis in K-12 are used to their teachers already knowing about their individualized education program (IEP). As these students arrive in college, many don’t even realize that they don’t have an IEP anymore and they must proactively inform their faculty about their accommodations.

Institutions like Dakota State University and the University System of Maryland have developed simple FAQs on the difference between high school and college accommodations. These resources help students and their families follow the right process early on and avoid a time crunch later when they expect an accommodation they never registered for.

Student misconception #2: Disability services can diagnose conditions and prescribe medication

Students without a registered disability may not even know where to start the process. Rather than relying on college staff to help students find medical providers, the University of Oregon provides a student psychological disability toolkit that includes a list of local clinics that see patients with autism, ADHD, and learning disabilities.

Prioritize initiatives to help faculty understand their rights and responsibilities

Accommodations can be equally confusing for faculty. EAB’s research identified two strategies to help ensure faculty feel better supported in talking with and supporting students with accommodations.

Strategy #1: Provide ADA training and resource libraries for faculty

New deans and chairs in the Indiana University system attend in-person training with the director of the Office of Compliance, Training, and ADA focused on how to address scenarios they’ve encountered in their classrooms or academic units. Faculty can then refresh their training at any time throughout the year with an online, asynchronous ADA Basics for Faculty course that awards a certificate for completion.

For faculty who want to go deeper or learn more, published articles and peer testimonials help establish credibility and trust. Ohio State includes peer-reviewed articles on its “Beyond Compliance” faculty resource page. Michigan State’s similar resource page features a video testimonial from a professor on how easy it is to work with disability services.

Strategy #2: Make it much easier for faculty to refer students without registered accommodations

Ideally, students would always register with disability services before asking faculty for a deadline exception or designated testing space. But when faculty do field requests directly, a simple referral portal like the University of South Carolina’s makes it easy to connect students with disability services. Faculty need only provide the student’s name and a brief description of the issue. Disability services staff then reach out to students, help determine what accommodation(s) each student qualifies for, and find other resources if an accommodation cannot be granted.