Faculty Guide
Students with disclosed and undisclosed disabilities are a part of the diverse community here at FIT. FIT is firmly committed to providing equal opportunity for students with disabilities. The Office of Disability Services (FIT-ABLE) works with students seeking barrier-free accommodations, and learning adjustments to fully and effectively participate in their coursework, events, and programs.
- Establish a welcoming environment.
Add the following statement to your course syllabus: Students with disabilities who will be taking this course and may need disability-related classroom accommodations are encouraged to make an appointment to see me as soon as possible. Also, please stop by the Office of Disability Services in Room A570 to register for support services. You should also know the College has a Counseling Center in Room A212B. Both offices maintain strict confidentiality. - Encourage students to register with our office.
While students are encouraged to begin working with the Office of Disability Services at the beginning of each semester, it is not mandatory. If an instructor is approached by a student without having a document from this office, the instructor should speak in private with the student, guiding them here to obtain further assistance.
Adaptive equipment, auxiliary aids, American Sign Language interpreters, exam readers, scribes, calculators, text-to-speech software, other types of assistive technology and additional services are available for use by students once a student has registered with the Office of Disability Services.
- I think a student in my class has a disability.
A commonly asked question from faculty is "I think a student in my class has a disability. What should I do to help this student?" The answer is, talk privately with the student and discuss your observations. The student may reveal a disability having been evaluated in elementary or high school, or the student has had some problem but never knew the exact reason why.
You can provide the student with the contact information for this office, or speak with me directly. We can provide referrals to students for diagnostic evaluations from outside agencies, and also connect them with some valuable resources right here at FIT.
- Make accommodations for students with disabilities.
Students with disabilities have certain rights and responsibilities in order to request and receive reasonable accommodations. Such accommodations are determined in concert with a prior or current diagnoses and comprehensive evaluations that identify each students level of functioning. When necessary, collaborative efforts may involve faculty, deans, and administrators in determining the reasonableness of any requested accommodation.
FIT seeks the full cooperation of faculty, staff and administration in the provision of accommodations and auxiliary aids, and services that it has determined to be reasonable and necessary. This cooperation is not considered to be optional.
Further Resources
Accessibility at FIT provides information about web and digital accessibility on campus, along with policies and training opportunities.
The Faculty Room is a resource for faculty and administrators in postsecondary institutions with information about:
- academic accommodations for students with disabilities
- universal design of instruction
- computer technology and web accessibility
- rights and responsibilities of students with disabilities and faculty
The Faculty Room is part of DO-IT (Disabilities Opportunities Internetworking Technology) from the University of Washington.
In Their Shoes is a production developed by the Office of Disability Services at The Pennsylvania State University which we purchased to assist you in having a better understanding, from a student's perspective, of why accommodations are necessary and how they work to achieve full participation.