At Penn State, we are committed to providing a welcoming, encouraging, and empowering environment for students with disabilities to ensure equal access, full participation and reasonable accommodations for their academic pursuits. If a student with a disability self-identifies to you and requests accommodations, please direct the student to contact Student Disability Resources (814-863-1807) as soon as possible.
You are not required to provide accommodations for students with disabilities unless you have been provided with a letter from Penn State Student Disability Resources specifying the academic accommodations for which the student is eligible. This might involve extended time for exams, textbooks in alternate formats, etc. The process of determining a student’s disability and eligibility for appropriate accommodations can be a relatively lengthy one, and the earlier it begins, the sooner the appropriate accommodations may be provided.
In some cases, you will not be providing the adjustments directly, but you need to be aware that such accommodations are being provided. While the student may or may not disclose to you the nature of the disability, this information will not be specified in any communication you receive from Student Disability Resources.
For more information see:
- Student Disability Resources, Handbook for Faculty and Instructors working with students with disabilities
- Accessibility and Usability at Penn State
- World Campus Students with Disabilities Accommodations
World Campus Faculty Development offers two online courses about accessibility, OL 2600: Course Authoring Accessibility Basics and OL 3000: Supporting Accessibility for Online Learners, for which faculty may register and complete at any time. They follow an asynchronous, independent study model. To register for either course, see the Online Faculty Development website.