Student Affairs » ARC

Addressing Accommodation Letters

Students with disabilities or medical conditions are required to register with the Academic Resource Center (ARC) by presenting medical documentation in accordance with prescribed University guidelines. Consequently, students who present an accommodation letter to a professor are instructed by an ARC adminstrator to meet with the professor during office hours to ensure confidentiality and to discuss the accommodations outlined in the letter. To assist in the implementation of the accommodation(s), please note the following details:

v     After you read the accommodation letter, please sign it and keep the yellow copy for your files. The student is responsible for returning the white copy to the Academic Resource Center in order for the accommodation(s) to be implemented.

v     If the accommodation is extended time for tests, then there are two available options. You should decide which option works for both you and the student.

o       The first option is for you, the professor, to provide the time and space for the student to take the exam.

o       The second option is for the student to take the exam in the Academic Resource Center testing facility. The student has been instructed how the process works to reserve a spot in the ARC, and he/she should show you a reservation form. If this is the option that works for both of you, then it is the student’s responsibility to make sure that the reservation form is completed. You must complete the section marked for professors and then sign the form. The student returns the white copy to the ARC, and the yellow copy is for your files. The responsibility to submit a completed reservation form seven days prior to an exam to the ARC lies with the student.

v     If a student note-taker is needed, please make sure to solicit for a volunteer as soon as possible. The ARC does have a firm policy in place for the student who needs the notes. The student should be taking his/her own set of notes (unless this student has a physical condition that prohibits his/her ability to write), attending class, and accessing the notes weekly from the ARC Blackboard site. The note retrieval system is monitored to ensure that students are complying with the ARC policy.

v     If there is an accommodation listed in the letter that causes concern, please do not hesitate to contact one of the ARC administrators. Please note, if you have a concern that an accommodation will significantly alter a fundamental academic component of the course, please consult with an ARC administrator.

v     Finally, if an issue arises during the semester regarding a student who has presented an accommodation letter to you, please consult with an ARC administrator.

[back to top]