Faculty Rights & Responsibilities

Access, Equity & Inclusion

Students with a wide array of physical, sensory, cognitive and mental health disabilities attend the Alfred University and are active in all majors and disciplines at every level of our educational system; undergraduate, graduate and professional programs. The Center for Academic Success (CAS) partners with the student, faculty and appropriate campus departments to establish the accommodations needed to remove the student’s unique access barrier(s).

The University provides reasonable accommodation to the known physical or mental limitations of qualified students with disabilities so long as doing so does not impose an undue hardship on the University or fundamentally alter the educational program. Reasonable accommodations may include providing appropriate core services necessary to ensure equal access, such as note-taking assistance or providing materials in alternative formats.

When academic accommodations are needed, they are determined for each student on an individual basis by CAS staff and are designed through an interactive process with the student.

CAS Resources for Faculty

For faculty, CAS is your resource and collaborator in ensuring the academic accommodations are in place and effective. If you as an instructor have questions, problems establishing an accommodation, or need help on where to start, CAS is here for you. We provide a variety of services for faculty, including but not limited to:

• Troubleshooting/Assisting with establishing classroom accommodations
• Facilitating extended time and low-stimuli testing environments
• Providing consultation on working with various types of disabilities
• Assisting in ensuring course materials are accessible
• Providing training & educational resources

Faculty Responsibilities

Faculty is primarily responsible to provide academic accommodations approved by the Center for Academic Success on the Letter of Accommodation and to work with CAS and students to implement reasonable accommodations in a timely manner. Other responsibilities include:

• Provide only the adjustments on the Letter of Accommodation unless it is an accommodation that you are willing to offer all students in the class.
• Contact CAS if there are questions or concerns about requested accommodations and/or for assistance in identifying the best method for providing accommodations for students enrolled in classes.
• Refer any student to CAS who is requesting accommodations but does not present a Letter of Accommodation.
• Ensure instructional materials are accessible. CAS can collaborate with faculty to ensure access. This may include: video captioning and transcripts of audio lectures/podcasts.
• Maintain confidentiality. Faculty should not ask students about the nature of their disability or to provide medical documentation.

How Students Access Services

• Self-identify to the University by registering with CAS as a student with a disability.
• Request accommodation from CAS and engage in the interactive process.
• Every semester the student will have a new Letter of Accommodation to provide their instructors. The responsibility of providing the academic accommodations does not go into effect until the letter is presented.

Faculty will likely receive the majority of Letters of Accommodation the first two weeks of classes, but they can be delivered at any time throughout the semester.

Services are not retroactive. If a letter is presented in the middle of the semester adjustments are only required from that day forward.

Confidentiality

It is an individual’s choice whether to disclose the nature of his/her disability to faculty. Any information disclosed by the student should not be shared by the faculty. However, CAS has signed consent from students that allows us to discuss student information related to the facilitation of accommodations with faculty and staff.

Contact Information
Phone: 607-871-2148
Email CAS
Mailing Address: 1 Saxon Drive, Alfred, NY, 14802