For Faculty & Staff

Students with disabilities attend FIU for the same reasons as all students do, and bring with them diverse experiences and interests. The DRC encourages you to partner with us and become change agents as we strive to empower students with disabilities.

When academic requirements present barriers to students with disabilities, reasonable accommodations may be necessary. Accommodations are determined on an individual basis and should not reduce academic standards.

The DRC will contact you via your FIU instructor email if a student enrolled in your course has elected to utilize their accommodations. This Notification of Academic Adjustment or Letter to Professor (LTP) will contain important information regarding the student's assigned accommodations. Contact information for the student's assigned Access Consultant will be included in this notification, should you want to discuss the student's accommodations.

Frequently asked questions

How are faculty informed of student accommodations?
Students registered with the DRC must activate their accommodations every semester by submitting a Notification of Academic Adjustment form (also known as Letter to Professor) to the DRC. Once this form is processed, the primary faculty member listed in Panthersoft will receive on official accommodation notice from the DRC to their FIU email address. This notice will include a list of all accommodations that the student requires and information on how to implement them.
How can I search for accommodation notices in my inbox?
All accommodation notices are sent by drc@fiu.edu and will have the following subject:
- 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 an accommodation notice from the DRC?
The DRC can only send an official accommodation notice if the student provides written consent by turning in the Notification of Academic Adjustment Form (aka Letter to Professor) to the DRC. If this form is NOT received by the DRC, the faculty will not be sent an official notice of accommodations.
If a student in your class reports to you that they require accommodations but you have not received an official notice from the DRC, please instruct the student to follow-up with the DRC as soon as possible to opt into their accommodations.
How do I accommodate DRC students for a test on Canvas?
In order to apply 'Extended Time on Exam' accommodations, the following adjustments must be made in advance within Canvas:
1. Extend the duration of the test based on the student’s extended time and how long the rest of the class has (For example, if a student has double time, they will receive 120 minutes for a 60-minute test).
2. Extend the testing window that the test is available to ensure that the student is able to access and submit the test within this extended period of time
This link from FIU online provides step by step instructions for extending test duration and the window of time that students are able to access and submit the test for assessments taking place within Canvas.
How do I accommodate students for an HonorLock exam?
Certain accommodations should be noted for tests within HonorLock.
Document accommodations in HonorLock by entering the student’s name and a description of their accommodations in the “Proctor Guidelines” textbox.
Students with the accommodations below should be noted while creating the conditions for the remote proctoring test session so that the student will not be flagged for cheating:
- Access to Dictionary
- Frequent Rest Breaks
- Screen reading software
- Speech to text software
- Use of Formulas
- Use of Notes
- Word Processor
You may also use this link with additional resources and information including step-by-step instructions on how to enable Honorlock for Canvas exams. Refer to Step Five in the attachment for more information on how to document student accommodations.
How do I accommodate students for a ProctorU exam?
Accommodations will need to be documented for tests within ProctorU in order to ensure that the remote proctor is aware.
Accommodations should be noted by faculty by emailing support@proctoru.com prior to the date of the scheduled test. The following information will need to be provided:
- Student’s First and last name
- Student’s ProctorU email address
- Accommodation information (ie: extra time, bathroom breaks, permitted use of a screen reader, a person in the room to scribe, etc.)
- The name of the exam(s) that the accommodations will cover
Please note: if you have multiple exams for one class, only one email will be needed stating that the accommodations will cover all of your exams for that particular class.
How do I enable "Live Captions" in a physical classroom on Windows and MacOS when NOT using Zoom?
To create more inclusive in-person classes for various types of learners, faculty can also choose to use live captions for traditional non-virtual classes to capture what they're saying while teaching. This will benefit a multitude of students by allowing them to refer to the live captions on a screen and enhance the learning experience in the classroom.
PowerPoint:
1. The subtitles icon transcribes speech in real-time when using presenter mode in PowerPoint. You can use AirPods as a microphone.
2. More information is available on this Microsoft website.
The latest versions of MacOS and Windows already include Live Caption features that place an overlay on the desktop and, as long as a microphone is connected to the machine, will display the live captions in real time.
Windows 22H2 and above:
1. Go to Settings
2. Select Accessibility
3. Select Captions and use the slider switch to enable the Live Captions. Follow the steps to configure the Live Captions correctly.
4. More information is available on this Microsoft website.
MacOS:
Note: Live Captions is currently in beta. Live Captions is only available on Mac computers with Apple Silicon and is not available in all languages, countries, or regions. The accuracy of Live Captions may vary and should not be relied upon in high-risk or emergency situations.
1. On your Mac, choose the Apple menu
2. Select System Settings
3. Select Accessibility in the sidebar
4. Select Live Captions (Beta) on the right. You may need to scroll down.
5. More information is available on this Apple website.

Academic accommodation

Instructor role

Access is a university-wide responsibility. Ensuring meaningful access to the academic environment requires the active participation of each instructor and often includes collaboration with the DRC. The university is committed to the design of fully accessible learning experiences.

The following are minimum steps that all faculty members and course instructors should take to create an accessible classroom experience for all students, including those with disabilities. DRC staff is available to provide support and/or consult.

Include an access statement on your course syllabus
Work in partnership with the DRC to ensure all student assessments, assignments, and supplemental readings and materials are accessible
Post class notes or assist the DRC in locating a volunteer classmate to provide notes when requested
Identify your reading schedule early so that materials can be made available in an accessible format (prior to the first day of class)
Ensure that Sign Language Interpreters or CART writers have appropriate seating in the classroom
Confirm that all videos shown in class are captioned when a deaf or hard of hearing student is registered (the DRC can help)
Remember that students may register for the DRC at anytime throughout the semester and is is your responsibility to accommodate them as long as it is not a fundamental alteration to the course. Although accommodations are not retroactive, FIU is legally required to offer ADA accommodations to students at the time that they register with the DRC, even after the course has started.

Syllabus statement for access

The following is an example of the type of the language the Disability Resource Center (DRC) recommends you use while you are creating your syllabi:

The Disability Resource Center collaborates with students, faculty, staff, and community members to create diverse learning environments that are usable, equitable, inclusive and sustainable. The DRC provides FIU students with disabilities the necessary support to successfully complete their education and participate in activities available to all students. If you have a diagnosed disability and plan to utilize academic accommodations, please contact the DRC at 305-348-3532 (MMC) or at 305-919-5345 (BBC) to schedule an appointment. You can also visit them in person in GC 190 at MMC or in WUC 131 at BBC campus.

Understanding accommodation implementation

Memorandum of understanding for disability related absences, extensions on assignments, and related accommodations

Any request that goes beyond the listed explanation should be referred to the student’s Access Consultant for review with all the relevant parties and feedback. In addition, if any accommodation listed presents a fundamental alteration to the course in question or a compromise to a deliverable’s academic integrity, please contact the student’s Access Consultant and/or the DRC’s Leadership team for further review and discussion about alternative accommodations and options that may meet the student’s needs.

Disability-related absences & make-up exams due to disability-related absences

“Disability-Related Absence” is meant to provide students with chronic conditions the ability to miss class due to disability symptoms without providing medical documentation as an exception to FIU policy as stated in the student handbook. DRC has reviewed the requisite documentation and has confirmed that the student’s disability is chronic in nature and may impact their ability to attend class. In order to protect DRC student confidentiality as well as remove the financial and physical burden of securing a doctor’s note each time a student experiences symptoms, DRC recommends that any absences for the reason of disability be considered “excused”.

The implementation of this accommodation, the student must communicate, as soon as possible, that they will not be able to make it to class. This communication should be directly with the professor and their DRC Access Consultant.

Extensions on assignments

“Extensions on Assignments” is meant to provide students with chronic conditions the ability to submit assignments, without penalty, past the due date stated on the syllabus. DRC has reviewed the requisite documentation and has confirmed that the student’s disability is chronic in nature may impact their ability to submit assignments on time.

For the implementation of this accommodation, the student must communicate, as soon as possible, that they will not be able to submit the assignment in question by the originally stated due date. This communication should be directly with the professor and their DRC Access Consultant.

Accommodations in the workplace

The Division of Diversity Equity & Inclusion, within the Division of Human Resources, serves as a resource for employees who have documented a qualified disability and need reasonable accommodations to perform essential job functions. in collaboration with the employee and appropriate University personnel.

Reasonable accommodations are determined on a case-by-case basis and are based on the documentation provided. The university’s ADA Coordinator will meet individually with the employee who is seeking accommodations to discuss needs and options. For more information on this process, please contact the Division of Diversity Equity & Inclusion (dei.fiu.edu).

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