Information for New Faculty

Our Mission

The Office of Educational Accessibility aims to assist all students with disabilities in the pursuit of their educational objectives.  Office staff work with faculty, administrators, and students toward the goal of complying with state and federal regulations and integrating the student with a disability into the University community.  The Office of Educational Accessibility strives to coordinate services that will enable students with disabilities to act as independently as possible in a supportive atmosphere that promotes self-reliance. 

Understanding Disabilities

A person with a disability is defined as any person who (1) has a physical or mental impairment which substantially limits one or more major life activities, (2) has a record of such an impairment, or (3) is regarded as having such an impairment.  Major life activities include, but are not limited to, seeing, hearing, speaking, moving, working, performing manual tasks or learning.  These limitations may be visible or invisible. 

Becoming Informed About a Student's Disability

Students wishing to use services and accommodations must follow the established process.  If a student requests accommodations, ask that the student provide a letter from the Office of Educational Accessibilitythat verifies registration with our office.  You are NOT obligated to provide accommodations until the student presents this information.  Also, you are not expected to change course test grades earned by a student prior to presentation of the Faculty Accommodation Letter.

Providing Accommodations

When a student provides a Faculty Accommodation Letter from Disability Services, you should do the following:

• Read and retain the Faculty Accommodation Letter
• Sign the Accommodation Agreement Form and confer with the student to establish the best means of providing accommodations
• Provide accommodations in a reasonable and timely manner
• Contact the Office of Educational Accessibility for clarification or assistance

Making Referrals to the Office of Educational Accessibility

If you observe that a student displays one or more of the following characteristics, please encourage the student to discuss these difficulties with someone in the Office of Educational Accessibility. 

• Effort exceeds returns
• Poor reading/listening comprehension
• Poor written expression
• Extreme distractibility/frustration
• Severe math errors
• Severe test anxiety
• Good class participation; poor test performance
• Extremely impaired social ability and social interaction skills

For More Information

The Office of Educational Accessibility Faculty Handbook

The Office of Educational Accessibility has prepared a Faculty Handbook to assist you in working with this population of students.  Topics include the following:

• The Office of Educational Accessibility at Old Dominion University
• Myths about People with Disabilities
• Disability Etiquette
• Teaching and Accommodation for Students with Disabilities
• University Policy and Procedures
• Sample Accommodation Letter