As you prepare for new classes and students, we would like to provide you with guidance around supporting students who have disabilities as well as important information about how the university supports students and employees who experience sexual misconduct or a Title IX violation.
Supporting students who have disabilities
More than 2500 students are currently registered with the Disability Resource Center (DRC) on campus, so it is likely that you’ll have one or more disabled students in your classes.
Please do:
- Ensure that your course syllabi contain a statement about disability accommodations and the DRC. A sample syllabus statement is available to you.
- Share the Introduction to the DRC video with your students.
- Refer a student to the DRC if a student who is not already receiving DRC accommodations requests flexibility in their academics for disabilities/medical conditions beyond temporary illnesses such as the flu or COVID-19. This can be an email to the student with a link to the DRC and copying the DRC on the email.
- Review all DRC Faculty Notification Emails and linked information about accommodations sent to your PSU email. DRC Faculty Notification Emails contain critical information about which accommodations the student should receive and ways in which you can provide them (if applicable). The DRC Faculty Notification Emails may be sent to you throughout the term as students register with the DRC, but the accommodations are only to be provided from the date you receive the letter through the end of the term.
- Follow up with the student in a confidential way regarding the DRC Faculty Notification Email in order to provide all the accommodations that require your assistance. This can be as simple as sending an email and asking that the student connect with you during office hours. Please be mindful not to have the conversation in public or during class when other students may overhear.
- Contact the DRC as soon as possible if you have a concern that an accommodation creates fundamentally different learning outcomes for this student. If, after communicating with the student, an instructor believes that an accommodation may not be reasonable (that it fundamentally alters the learning outcomes of the course or program), or that insufficient notice has been given to provide an accommodation, the instructor should consult with the DRC and continue to provide the accommodation until the DRC determines whether reasonable alternatives exist.
- Ensure that students needing testing accommodations receive them. It is a faculty member’s responsibility to support all students, including disabled students, in their test taking. Faculty are expected to communicate with their students who have testing accommodations to discuss how the student will receive their accommodations on upcoming exams and quizzes. A variety of options exist for ensuring accessibility for your in-person and remote/online assessments:
- Are you able to implement multiple or alternative means of assessment for the course? Universal Design for Learning is a very accessible and inclusive way to assess learning. If you are not able to implement this, please read on.
- Are you able to put the exams and quizzes in Canvas (or D2L)? Creating tests within Canvas typically eliminates the need for all accommodations (aside from extended time). This is another very accessible and inclusive way to assess learning. If you cannot do this, please read on.
- Are you able to proctor the exam yourself? This is something many instructors choose to pursue in case the DRC student has questions that come up during the exam. If you cannot do this, please read on.
- Are you able to collaborate with others in the department to proctor the exam on your behalf? This is also something many instructors choose to pursue in case the DRC student has questions that come up during the exam. In this case, they would be close by but someone else from your department would proctor.
- Please keep in mind that students who receive accommodations for tests and quizzes may choose from the following options:
PSU Testing Services is available to proctor in-person exams in the exceptional cases when you or a designee are unable to do so, as well as when a student has one or more testing accommodations that explicitly indicate they should test with Testing Services. Should you need any support navigating this process or providing testing accommodations to students with disabilities, you may contact PSU Testing Services at testingservices@pdx.edu or visit their website.
If faculty feel the proctoring suggestions listed above are not feasible, PSU is still required to provide the testing accommodations. Should such circumstances arise, we encourage faculty to reach out to the DRC immediately to discuss the situation. The DRC will work with all parties to come up with a plan to provide the needed testing accommodations.
Thank you for helping to ensure that all of our students have the resources they need to be successful this academic year. If you have any questions, please contact the Disability Resource Center at drc@pdx.edu.
Title IX support and resources
We all strive to build a community that treats others respectfully and with civility; however, we want to be sure that you are prepared if incidents occur. Title IX violations and sexual misconduct includes gender/sex discrimination, sexual harassment, sexual assault or any other form of gender based violence. For more information please see PSU’s Equity and Compliance website as well as PSU’s Prohibited Discrimination and Harassment Policy, Title IX Sexual Harassment Policy and PSU’s Sexual Misconduct Response website.
- Reporting disclosures from students and employees - As instructors, you may have students or colleagues disclose a sexual misconduct incident to obtain your assistance. Please note that you may not keep the information confidential. Pursuant to Prohibited Discrimination and Harassment Policy, all instructors have an obligation to report any disclosure involving sexual misconduct or other forms of discrimination to PSU’s Title IX Coordinator, Becca Lawrence or by submitting a CARE report with the Dean of Student Life office (DOSL). The first steps that these university officials take is to connect the student with a confidential advocate or other resources. The university officials keep these matters private and work to determine the best mode of addressing concerns.
- Syllabus statement - To ensure that information about Title IX and PSU’s response to sexual misconduct is broadly available to students, we request that you include a Title IX statement on your syllabi. A recommended syllabi statement can be found on the Sexual Misconduct Response, Faculty and Staff Resource page as well as additional information about faculty members’ response to a sexual misconduct disclosure.
- Flexibility in Academics - Please also know that a confidential advocate, Title IX Coordinator or Dean of Student Life may reach out to you as an instructor to request flexibility in students’ academics when they have experienced sexual misconduct. Providing supportive measures is required by Title IX and PSU’s Title IX Sexual Harassment Policy. The flexibility should not impact the instructor’s academic requirements. Feel free to contact the Title IX Coordinator if you have concerns with the flexibility being requested.
Instructors’ Policy and Mandated Obligations Pertaining to Students
To assist instructors with information on their various obligations and resources (in addition to DRC and Title IX requirements), please review and retain the Instructors’ Policy and Mandated Obligations document.