Memorandum

To: Deans, Directors, and Department Heads
From:

Mark Newmiller
Director

Subject: Faculty Responsibilities for Providing Accommodations to Students with Disabilities
Date: January 17, 2019

Providing an inclusive and accessible learning environment is an important faculty
responsibility. The NC State Disability Resource Offices (DRO) determines eligibility for
accommodations for students with disabilities and serves as a resource to faculty in
understanding our institutional obligation in providing equal access, providing approved
accommodations and creating accessible learning environments.

Federal law mandates that the university provides reasonable academic adjustments to
qualified students with disabilities. (See NC State’s Regulation on providing academic
accommodations for students with disabilities at http://policies.ncsu.edu/regulation/reg-
02-20-01.)  Reasonable accommodations provide equal opportunity to learn and
demonstrate mastery, and do not include lowering essential requirements.

Our success depends heavily on your active participation and cooperation, and the DRO
is eager to assist you in fulfilling that responsibility and in building a successful
community of learning for all students. If the design of a course cannot be adjusted to
eliminate barriers, a student may need to utilize effective reasonable accommodations to
access course content and/or demonstrate learning. The DRO provides each faculty
member, initiated via their online module by the student, with an Accommodation Letter
which lists approved accommodations. Faculty must provide these approved
accommodations unless, after consultation with the DRO, the accommodations change
essential requirements. Any student requesting accommodations without an
Accommodation Letter should be directed to the DRO; you should not attempt to create
or deny reasonable accommodations without input from the DRO. It is also strongly
recommended that you make an announcement at the beginning of the semester inviting
students with disabilities to discuss academic accommodations with you.

We also must provide students with disabilities the same access to University notices as
provided to other students concerning all academic matters. Therefore, print notices you
mail or post on classroom or departmental doors must be provided in an appropriate
alternate format (i.e. email) for students with disabilities. When using Internet resources,
you should ensure that those materials are accessible to students with disabilities.  If
unable to locate or use an accessible resource, you must offer an alternative resource that
provides equally effective access. For guidance on checking and making Web Pages and
other electronic resources accessible, please consult with DELTA or OIT
at accessibility@ncsu.edu.

The DRO is located in Suite 304 of Holmes Hall. Resources and procedures for faculty
can be found at https://dro.dasa.ncsu.edu/ or you may contact the office directly at 919-
515-7653 (voice) or disability@ncsu.edu.

Thank you for your attention to the important goal of providing a learning environment
conducive to the success of each NC State student.