Earlier this week, the Office of the Provost sent out the Annual Policy Notification related to Academic Accommodations for Students with Disabilities. We are sending this out through the DEO mailing to make sure this information reaches all instructors, including graduate teaching assistants.

In addition, please make sure that all instructors know about the important resource guide to Accommodating Students with Disabilities. 

Finally, please note that additional information for CLAS instructors can be found on our Accommodating Students with Disabilities webpage. 

From Associate Provosts Lois Geist and Tanya Uden-Holman:

The University of Iowa is dedicated to offering students from all experiences and backgrounds an exceptional education. We welcome students with disabilities and work hard to provide a learning environment that promotes equal access and opportunity to participate in our academic programs. In accordance with university policies and state and federal law, every faculty member has an obligation to support the success of students with disabilities.

Per Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, faculty are specifically required to provide reasonable academic accommodations for students with documented disabilities. Policies and information concerning this obligation are listed below, and we ask you to access them each year to refresh your memory regarding faculty obligations to students with disabilities. Please consider saving this e-mail so that you can access these documents easily in the future.

Accommodating Students with Disabilities 

If a student approaches you about disability accommodations without a Letter of Accommodation, it is important for you to refer that student to Student Disability Services (SDS) before providing accommodations. This ensures students with disabilities receive the accommodations they are entitled to, and university standards are maintained.

Students and instructors are encouraged to review the list of common accommodation descriptions.

To determine appropriate accommodations, SDS engages in an individualized inquiry that balances the needs of the student and the academic objectives of the course or program. This includes input from both the student and the instructor. The guide entitled Assisting Students with Disabilities: A Guide for Instructors provides additional background and helpful information.

Academic and instructional materials provided using electronic and information technology are subject to the University of Iowa IT Accessibility Policy. Materials covered by this policy include webpages, electronic documents and presentations like PDFs and PowerPoint, video resources, and other online content. Contact your departmental IT support staff for assistance. 

Should you need assistance working with students with disabilities, please contact SDS at 335-1462. You may also refer to the SDS website. We thank the many faculty who follow both the letter and the spirit of the policy. Please contact either Lois Geist, associate provost for faculty (467-4627 or faculty@uiowa.edu) or Tiffini Stevenson Earl, director of equity investigations and ADA coordinator, Office of Institutional Equity (335-0705 or oie-equity@uiowa.edu), with questions.