Accommodating Students
with Disabilities
Responsibilities and Recommendations for Faculty
Legal Basis
The Test Accommodation Process
Strategies for Faculty
These acts require:
 No otherwise qualified individual with a
disability shall, solely by reason of his/her
disability, be excluded from the participation
in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected
to discrimination under any program or
activity of a public entity.
 Information technology procured, developed
or used on a college campus needs to be
accessible to students with disabilities.
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Students who have been admitted to
Northeastern are “otherwise qualified.”
They are capable of fulfilling the obligations
of their coursework, but may need reasonable
accommodations to do so.
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Since 1973 a series of Supreme Court
decisions severely narrowed who was
covered under the law.
After Congress determined some court
rulings were too restrictive, the 2008
amendment was passed which makes it
easier for those who face discrimination on
the basis of disabilities to establish their
need for protection.
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The Disability Resource Center (DRC) is the office on
campus designated to oversee accommodations for
all types of disabilities and Attention Deficit Disorder.
One important role of the office is to ensure that
procedures are being followed according to the law
so that students receive what they need and the
university is not put at risk.
The DRC provides testing accommodations as well as
other accommodations according to the needs of the
students.
It assigns each student a specialist, whom you may
contact with questions or concerns.
Services are free to students who have been granted
accommodations.
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The Learning Disabilities Program (LDP) is an
adjunct to the DRC.
It offers a more comprehensive program, serving
students who need more personalized and
intensive help. A fee is charged for these
services.
Whereas the DRC supports students with all types
of disabilities, the LDP program is limited to
students with learning disabilities and Attention
Deficit Disorder.
Students are assigned specialists who may be in
touch with you regarding the student’s progress.
They are available to answer your queries or
discuss concerns about your student.
Any student who
would like to
receive
ac commodations
mus t submit
documentation to
the DRC
T he
do cume ntation
i s th en
eva lu ated.
If the
do cume ntation
su bstan ti ates a
di sa bi li ty whi ch
l imi ts th e
stud ent, h e or
sh e wi l l be
el i gi bl e fo r
se rvi ce s.
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Students must disclose to professor if they
want to be able to use the accommodations
they have been granted.
The means of disclosure is either a letter
from the Disability Resource Center (DRC) or
a packet from the Learning Disabilities
Program (LDP)
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Letters or reports from any other source are not
acceptable.
Ask the student for a letter from the DRC or a
packet from the LDP.
DRC
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LDP
If student has neither, direct her/him to the
Disability Resource Center.
It will contain a list of approved
accommodations.
 In addition, contact information
will be provided should you have
questions.
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Note-takers and/or taped lectures
Extra time on examinations
Distraction reduced testing environment
Use of computer for essay examinations
Answers written directly on multiple choice
exam rather than on scantron sheet
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It is important to make certain that students
receive the accommodations that have been
approved unless a department and the university
have ruled that doing so would “fundamentally
alter” the nature of a particular program.
It is equally important that students do not
receive any accommodations above and beyond
those granted without consulting with the DRC or
LDP.
In general, if a particular accommodation
is not listed on a student’s information
sheet, and is not going to be granted to
the rest of the class, seek information
from the student’s specialist before
making any adjustments.
Allowing a student to use notes during an
examination when the rest of the class does
not have this privilege
 Discarding the results of an examination on
which a student did poorly and creating an
individualized exam for that student.
 Sitting with a student while she/he is taking
an examination to clarify each question
 Overlooking spelling, grammatical and
punctuation errors on papers done
outside of class
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There are instances when it is necessary to grant students
privileges, which are not on their accommodations list, and
which are not given to other students in the class.
One important case is the need at times to allow a student to
change the time or date of an examination.
Because many students have the accommodation of extended
time on examinations, they may miss or be late for a class
which follows.
During final exams, a student may have multiple exams on
one day, which might take upwards of seven to eight hours to
complete.
Such consequences would deny students with learning
disabilities or Attention Deficit Disorder their rights under the
law.
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First, check the student’s Accommodation Letter or
information packet to see if the accommodation is
listed.
Although students may make requests not specified in
their documentation, not all requests may be
appropriate.
When in doubt as to the validity of the request, contact
the student’s specialist as soon as possible.
Each student’s request must be considered
on an individual basis. A discussion
between the professor and specialist
often will result in a satisfactory solution.
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There are numerous ways professors can help
students, which also meet the letter of the
law.
Most important is to contact the student’s
specialist if she/he appears to be struggling.
Then the professor and specialist can work
together to ensure that the
student has access to the
educational opportunities to
facilitate a good outcome.
To take a test with accommodations, the student must:
1.
2.
3.
Present the professor with a letter or packet from the
Disability Resource Center or the Learning Disabilities
Program, which may describe the student’s disability and will
include the accommodations she/he has been granted.
Reserve a room in the DRC to take the exam, first finalizing
the day and time with the professor.
Provide the professor with an Exam Accommodation Form to
fill out, which the student will bring to the DRC before the
day of the exam.
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A student may need extended time to complete the
examination. Time and a half to double time are
the most common accommodations.
Many professors have other obligations following
class and are unable to proctor their students.
Even if a professor is able to arrange to monitor
her/his student, some students need a
distraction reduced environment.
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This form enables the professor to specify how the
exam will be delivered to the DRC, and how it will
be returned.
Also, it affords the professor the opportunity to
provide instructions for the exam proctor.
In addition, it includes information about how the
professor can be reached in the event of questions.
It can be viewed at www.northeastern.edu/drc
under Forms.
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Students need to reserve rooms in advance so the DRC can arrange a
schedule to accommodate all students who require a testing room. The
students also need advance notice to prepare for an examination since they
may have other exams and projects due around the same time.
Thus, the earlier the students know of the dates for examinations, the better.
Please keep in mind that there are legitimate reasons why a student may need
to take her/his examination on a different date or time from the rest of the
class.
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Some students who have perceptual
disabilities and/or Attention Deficit Disorder
need to indicate their answers directly on
their examinations. The process of
transferring answers to a scantron sheet may
cause them to make unnecessary errors.
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Pop quizzes present a number of logistical difficulties
because most of the students with accommodations have
been granted extended time to take their tests.
One complication is that the student will not have the opportunity to
reserve a room in the DRC.
The DRC will accept room reservations made by
the professor; however, sending a student to the DRC when
class begins is likely to breach the student’s right to
confidentiality. In addition, the student will miss some of class
once the quiz is over.
Giving a quiz at the end of class may interfere with a class the student
has which follows or it may conflict with an appointment the student
has, which you are not aware of.
It is possible to overcome these roadblocks. However, it is much less
complicated when working with students who have disabilities, to give
quizzes which are announced to the class in advance.
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Should you have any questions or concerns about
the test taking process, the student’s specialist can
offer suggestions to help alleviate any potential
roadblocks or concerns.
Having a conversation with the specialist about
possible options can ensure that the student’s
needs are met and you are comfortable with the
arrangement.
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Do provide students with a detailed syllabus at the
beginning of the term. Include due dates for all
assignments, quizzes, and exams as well as the
reading to be covered and your grading policy.
Syllabi which are handed out piecemeal and are
updated frequently are easily misplaced and can be
confusing.
Include your contact e-mail, phone, and office
hours.
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Many students with disabilities may easily
misplace their possessions. Having their syllabi,
assignments, and other course materials easily
accessible at the one site is an invaluable resource.
Posting power point presentations on Blackboard before lectures
has many benefits. It is often difficult for students to listen, read
and write during a lecture. Having the slides available in advance
gives students an opportunity to become familiar with the
content. The end result is students are less likely to miss key
points and can focus on elaborating. They will have a much
better opportunity to understand and learn.
Using Blackboard to post examination study guides, sample tests,
and model answers helps students to assess their level of
understanding before they are tested formally.
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Providing a detailed outline or advance organizer
on Blackboard prior to a lecture will help
students differentiate between key points,
examples, and minor points.
It is good teaching practice to incorporate some
visual elements into lectures. This is of great
importance to students with auditory processing
difficulties, ADHD, and other disabilities.
Students without disabilities can benefit as well.
Do give assignments in written as well as oral
form.
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Do encourage students to attend office hours or make an
appointment to disclose and to discuss their concerns.
When students give you a letter from the DRC or LDP, hold on
to it and read it to help you better understand their needs.
Respect students’ right to privacy. Take care not to identify a
student as having a disability in class.
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Many students have the accommodation of a
note taker. Your student may ask you to read
an announcement from the DRC asking
students to volunteer for this task for which
they will be compensated. If no one comes
forward at first, please repeat the
announcement during another class.
If there is still no response, consider asking a
capable student if he/she would take the job.
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If any one of your students (with a disability
or not) is having difficulty, do submit a case
on FACT. This resource can be used for
warnings, attendance issues, as well as
progress reports.
This will alert the student’s advisor and
specialist (if the student has a disability). The
sooner he or she is aware of difficulties, the
more likely it is the student will have a better
outcome.
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A student’s specialist may seek information about
the status of a student and what difficulties, if any,
the student is having. Do make an effort to
respond to e-mails or phone messages promptly.
Students also need a timely response to their
requests for information.
Some professors find it useful to set up an e-mail
account dedicated to students, or to assign the
task of responding to inquiries to their teaching
assistants.
Should you have any questions about the legal
basis for providing for students with disabilities,
the test accommodation process, or strategies for
faculty, please feel free to contact either the DRC
or the LDP by phone at the numbers on the
following resource page. Further information is
provided on our websites, which are also listed.
For further information, contact:
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The Disability Resource Center at (617) 373-2675.
The Learning Disabilities Program at (617) 373-4526.
Visit our web pages at:
 www.northeastern.edu/drc/
 www.northeastern.edu/uhcs/ldp/index.html