Faculty and Staff

Welcome to the Student Accessibility Services web resource for members of the Dartmouth faculty and staff. SAS serves as a resource for faculty and staff members who are working with individual students with disabilities or to assure that your programs, activities, and services are fully accessible. Equal opportunity for individuals with disabilities and compliance with disability civil rights laws is a shared responsibility that extend across the campus. Basically, each department, office, campus activity, etc. is responsible for the accessibility of its own programs, services and activities. Below are information and links to more detailed documents addressing issues that should be considered or that often arise

Two key and fundamental responsibilities are (1) providing “effective notice” about the accessibility of your program and events and how individuals with disabilities can request disability-related accommodations as well as (2) assuring effective communication for individuals who need alternatives to your print or spoken information. For more information, see:

Academic Accommodations

Each year, the Dean of the Faculty and the Dean of the College write a letter to the members of the Dartmouth College Faculty providing information on the process for providing appropriate academic accommodations for students with disabilities. See the 2009-10 Letter to Faculty from Dean of the Faculty Carol Folt and Acting Dean of the College Sylvia Spears at: "Accommodating Students with Disabilities"(pdf)

Dartmouth College is committed to providing access to programs for all students. There are many ways in which a faculty member can assist students with various disabilities in the classroom. See the Common Accommodations for Students web page for general information about approaches that often match up with certain kinds of disability-circumstances.

Instructors should use the statement below to assure proper notice of the availability of academic accommodations and to encourage better communication between students and faculty about disability-related matters. This statement should be announced in class and included course syllabi and web sites (e.g. Blackboard):

Students with disabilities enrolled in this course and who may need disability-related classroom accommodations are encouraged to see me privately as early as possible in the term. Students requiring disability-related accommodations must register with the Student Accessibility Service office. Once SAS has authorized accommodations, students must show the originally signed SAS Accommodations/Consent Form and/or a letter on SAS letterhead to their professor. As a first step, if students have questions about whether they qualify to receive accommodations, they should contact the SAS office. All inquiries and discussions about accommodations will remain confidential.

When meeting with you, the students should be able to show you a completed "Accommodations/Consent Form" and/or a letter on SAS letterhead, which note the academic accommodations that have been authorized for the student by Student Accessibility Services. The student should show you the original form and/or letter, with Ward Newmeyer’s original signature in blue ink. Feel free to blitz or call SAS to confirm the accommodations that have been authorized for a student in your class.

IMPORTANT:

If you believe that any SAS-authorized accommodation inadvertently compromises legitimate academic objectives or standards of your class or test, or if you have any other questions or concerns about the authorization(s), please contact Ward Newmeyer, Director of Student Accessibility Services to discuss the matter. Meanwhile, however, the authorized accommodations must be provided until SAS reconsiders and changes the authorization. We will always endeavor to protect the legitimate standards of a class while assuring that the accommodations are appropriate for the student.
Common accommodations that may require the knowledge and cooperation of instructors, faculty members, and/or their departments are extended time for timed, in-class examinations, quizzes, and assignments; testing in a separate venue; and allowing word processing for tests and assignments that entail significant writing.
When a student first discusses an accommodation that requires advanced planning/logistical time for the student’s instructor or department, the student is expected to do so in a timely manner. For example, if an additional room must be arranged for an upcoming examination, the instructor should have no less than three working days advanced notice in order to make the arrangements. SAS advises students to notify their instructors (a) within the first 15 class days of the term or (b) within five working days of the accommodations being authorized by SAS, whichever is later.

If a student does not present an Accommodations/Consent Form and/or SAS letter, please refer the student to the Student Accessibility Services office in Collis 301. You may consult with Student Accessibility Services before acting on any accommodations the student requests.

Cognitive disabilities (including so-called “learning disabilities”) may affect one or more areas of academic performance while leaving other areas relatively unaffected. Specific difficulties are frequently encountered with foreign languages, mathematics, reading, handwriting, and with certain examination formats regardless of subject area. A student may experience severe difficulties in one area, yet attain a high level of achievement in another. A student may, for example, experience enormous difficulty in foreign language courses, especially in drill sessions, while excelling in mathematics. Poor performance (and associated frustration and anxiety) may occur in spite of high motivation and many hours of study.

If you are working with any student for whom a referral to SAS may be appropriate, or have any other questions about working with students with disabilities, see the Referring Students to Student Accessibility Services web page for important information about considerations in discussing your concerns with students and referring them. Always feel free to contact Ward Newmeyer, Director of Student Accessibility Services, to discuss.

Contact
Ward Newmeyer, Director, Student Accessibility Services
301 Collis Center, HB 6173
Ward.Newmeyer@Dartmouth.edu
646-9900