Faculty Resources 

Students with disabilities attend FIU for the same reasons as other students. They bring diverse experiences and interests to our university. We encourage you to partner with us to empower students with disabilities.

When course requirements create barriers for students with disabilities, accommodations can help. Accommodations are determined on an individual basis and will not reduce academic standards.

If a student in your class chooses to use their accommodations, you’ll receive an email at your FIU instructor account. This message, called a Notification of Academic Adjustment or Letter to Professor, will explain the student’s approved accommodations and give you the contact information for their DRC access consultant.

Academic Accommodation – Instructor

Ensuring meaningful access to the academic environment requires the active participation of each instructor and, often, collaboration with the DRC. FIU is fully committed to creating accessible learning experiences.

  • Requirements

    The following are the minimum steps that all faculty members and course instructors should take to create an accessible classroom. DRC staff are available to provide support or consultation.

    • Include an access statement in your syllabus
    • Work with the DRC to ensure all student assessments, assignments, supplemental readings and materials are accessible.
    • Post class notes or find a volunteer classmate to provide notes for students with disabilities.
    • Identify your reading schedule before the first day of class so that materials can be made available in an accessible format.
    • Ensure that sign language interpreters or CART writers have appropriate seating in the classroom
    • Confirm that all videos shown in class include captions when a deaf or hard-of-hearing student is registered
    • Students may register with the DRC at any time during the semester. It’s your responsibility to accommodate them if it is not a fundamental alteration to the course. Although accommodations are not retroactive, FIU is legally required to offer ADA accommodations.
  • Syllabus Statement for Access

    The following is an example of the type of language we recommend you use for your syllabi:

    The Disability Resource Center collaborates with students, faculty, staff and community members to create learning environments that are usable, accessible and sustainable. The DRC provides FIU students with disabilities the necessary support to complete their education and participate in student activities successfully.

Understanding Disability-related Absences, Extensions and Accommodations

Any request beyond what is listed should be referred to the student’s DRC access consultant for review. If an accommodation listed fundamentally alters the course or compromises the academic integrity of a deliverable, contact the student’s DRC access consultant or the DRC leadership team to discuss possible alternatives.

Absences, Extensions on Assignments and Make-up Exams

Disability-related absence and extensions on assignments are designed to allow students with chronic conditions to miss class due to symptoms and submit assignments past the due date, without penalty and medical documentation, as an exception to FIU policy in the student handbook.

The DRC reviews the required documentation to confirm that the student’s disability is chronic and may affect their ability to attend class or complete assignments. To protect confidentiality and avoid the financial and physical burden of getting a doctor’s note each time, we recommend that disability-related absences be considered excused.

Students must notify both their professor and their DRC access consultant as soon as possible if they will miss class or cannot meet a deadline.

Accommodations in the Workplace

The Department of Access, Compliance, and Equal Opportunity, within the Division of Human Resources, serves as a resource for employees with a documented qualified disability who need reasonable accommodations to perform essential job functions.

Reasonable accommodations are determined case by case, based on the documentation provided. The university’s ADA Coordinator meets individually with each employee seeking accommodations to discuss available options.

For more information on this process, contact the Office of Civil Rights Compliance and Accessibility.

FAQs

  • For more information on this process, contact the Office of Civil Rights Compliance and Accessibility.

    Students registered with the DRC must activate their accommodations each semester by submitting a Notification of Academic Adjustment form. Once the form is processed, the primary faculty member listed in PantherSoft will receive an official accommodation notice at their FIU email address. This notice will include the student’s approved accommodations and instructions for how to implement them.

    All accommodation notices are sent from drc@fiu.edu and will have the subject line:

    Letter of Accommodations for [Student First Name] – [Date of Email]

  • What if one of my students says that they need accommodations, but I have not received notice from the DRC?

    The DRC can only send an official accommodation notice if the student provides written consent by submitting the Notification of Academic Adjustment form. If this form is not received, the faculty will not get an official notice.

    If a student in your class says they need accommodations, but you have not received an official notice, direct the student to follow up with the DRC as soon as possible.

  • How do I accommodate DRC students for a test on Canvas?

    To apply Extended Time on Exam accommodations, make these adjustments in Canvas before the test:

    • Extend the test duration based on the student’s allowed extra time and the regular class time. For example, if the student has double time for a 60-minute test, set the duration to 120 minutes.
    • Extend the testing window so the student has enough time to access and submit the test.

    Follow these step-by-step instructions for extending test duration and the testing window in Canvas is available here.

  • How do I accommodate students for an HonorLock exam?

    To document accommodations in HonorLock, enter the student’s name and a description of their accommodations in the Proctor Guidelines textbox in HonorLock.

    When setting up remote proctoring sessions, be sure to note the following accommodations so students are not mistakenly flagged for cheating:

    • Access to Dictionary
    • Frequent Rest Breaks
    • Screen Reading Software
    • Speech-to-Text Software
    • Use of Formulas
    • Use of Notes
    • Word Processor

    Additional resources and step-by-step instructions for enabling HonorLock for Canvas exams are available in this HonorLock guide.

  • How do I accommodate students for a ProctorU exam?

    Faculty must document and share accommodations with the ProctorU exam proctor before the test date. To do this, email support@proctoru.com with the following information:

    • Student’s first and last name
    • Student’s ProctorU email address
    • Accommodation details (for example: extra time, bathroom breaks, use of a screen reader, a person in the room to scribe, etc.)
    • The name of the exam or exams the accommodations apply to

    If you have multiple exams for one class, one email stating the accommodations covers all exams for that class is sufficient.

  • How do I enable live captions in a physical classroom when not using Zoom?

    To create more accessible in-person classes, faculty can use live captions for traditional non-virtual classes to capture what they're saying in real time.

    To create more accessible in-person classes, faculty can use live captions for traditional non-virtual classes to capture what they're saying in real time.

    Using PowerPoint:

    1. Click the subtitles icon while in presenter mode to transcribe speech live.
    2. You can use AirPods or another microphone for better audio.

    Read more about using live captions on PowerPoint.

    Using Windows (version 22H2 and later):

    1. Go to Settings.
    2. Select Accessibility.
    3. Select Captions and turn on Live Captions using the slider switch.
    4. Follow the setup instructions to configure captions properly.

    Read more about using live captions on Windows.

    Using macOS:

    Live Captions are available only on Mac computers with Apple Silicon and may not work in all languages or regions. Accuracy can vary and it should not be used in emergency or high-risk situations.

    1. Open the Apple menu.
    2. Select System Settings.
    3. Click Accessibility in the sidebar.
    4. Scroll down and select Live Captions (Beta).

    Read more about using live captions on macOS.