FACULTY AND STUDENT RESPONSIBILITIES

Faculty Responsibilities

It is the responsibility of the Office of Disability Services (ODS) is to review student documentation and determine appropriate accommodations. ODS also works with the faculty regarding the provision of accommodations. ODS will work to ensure access throughout the campus for students who have a disability.

Faculty members are required to implement accommodations for students registered with the ODS. However, the accommodations should not compromise the academic quality of the course. The students with disabilities must reach the same performance standards as the non-disabled students. Faculty should refrain from discussing a student’s issues regarding disabilities and accommodations in front of the class, in the presence of other students, or to faculty or staff not directly involved in the accommodation process.

Some common academic accommodations may include, but are not limited to:

  • Extended test and exam time
  • Course information and reading lists in advance of classes
  • Classroom relocation
  • Permission to tape-record classes
  • A note-taker
  • A private area to take tests with a note-taker
  • Faculty to wear a lapel microphone (to carry the voice of the lecturer to the student using an assistive listening device)
  • Stenographers to transcribe lectures

Office of Disability Services Responsibilities

It is the responsibility of ODS to review student documentation and determine the appropriate accommodations. ODS also works with the faculty regarding the provision of accommodations. ODS will work to ensure access throughout the campus for students who have a disability.

Student Responsibilities

It is the responsibility of the student to identify themselves to ODS and to provide appropriate documentation of a diagnosed disability. This documentation needs to be no more than three years old. Given the many types of disabilities, reasonable accommodations will be determined on an individual basis. To provide the most appropriate services, the University reserves the right to review the diagnosis provided by the student and may request a more updated diagnosis to be provided by the student.

It is also the responsibility of the student to contact their professors as soon as possible to discuss their accommodations. The student will need to present their professors with a letter from ODS recommending the accommodations. If the student needs extended time for test-taking, ODS will assist in proctoring when necessary. To be assisted by ODS, the student and professor need to fill out a Proctoring of Extended Time Testing Form and submit it to ODS one week prior to the exam.

Students must give ODS permission to discuss their accommodations with faculty members who are responsible for providing the accommodations. Instructors should be given time to review the accommodations. The students are then encouraged to introduce themselves to professors directly and to initiate a dialogue about their particular needs. If students are having difficulty connecting with faculty, they should immediately request assistance from ODS.

 

 

Office of Disability Services

Connelly Center, Second Floor
800 E. Lancaster Ave
Villanova, Pa. 19085

Office Hours: Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

Technology Toolbox


The Office of Disability Services has provided a list of apps for Apple iPad and/or iPhone that may be helpful for students with disabilities. The list includes programs that are free or available at a reasonable cost. The below list is for informational purposes only.

 

General Tools


iStudiez Pro: schedule and courseload organizer

myHomework: keep track of assignments

 

Note Taking


Notability: handwriting, note-taking, audio recording, annotate PDFs, and cloud sync Dropbox

Audio Note: record notes with audio and notepad

Pages: word processor that works with iCloud

SoundNote: notes and synched audio

Evernote: notepad, to-do list, planner

 

Audio/Speech


QuickVoice Recorder: popular recorder

NVDA: Enables blind and vision-impaired people to use a computer by communicating what is on the screen using a synthetic voice or braille.