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Putting Policy Into Practice: A Disability and Reasonable Accommodation Policy Tip Sheet

Written by

Jeremy Van Hof

/ Published on

AUTHORS:

This post was written by Dr. Melissa McDaniels (of the MSU Graduate School), Dr. Patricia Stewart (of the MSU Academic Advancement Network), and Madeline Shellgren (of the MSU Graduate School).

 

 

The policy, administered by the Office of Institutional Equity (OIE), prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability status, race, color, national origin, age, gender, gender identity, height, marital status, political persuasion, religion, sexual orientation, veteran status, or weight in its programs and activities.

Policy Link:

https://oie.msu.edu/_assets/documents/MSU-Disability-and-Reasonable-Accommodation-Policy.pdf

MSU Office(s):

Office for Civil Rights and Title IX Education and Compliance /

  • Office for Institutional Equity (oie.msu.edu)

Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities (RCPD)

  • https://www.rcpd.msu.edu/

TIPS FOR FACULTY, ACADEMIC STAFF AND GRADUATE TAs

LEAD – respond, model and engage in ongoing learning  

 

  • Develop a plan for learning by asking yourself the following questions:
    • Am I ready to talk about disability?
    • Do I know how to handle requests for accommodations?
    • Do I know what I will do if someone uses biased language about a person with a disability during class?
    • Do I know what I will do if a student unintentionally discloses a disability?

 

 

 

  • Model inclusive practices by:
    • Responding to uninformed comments, biased language, or disclosure.
    • Including syllabus language detailing my approach and to inclusion (and have I included language around disability and accessibility)?
  • Model by talking about and referring to persons with disabilities using inclusive language
    • Use ‘person-first’ language which acknowledges the person first, rather than the disability (e.g. “person with a disability” rather than “disabled person”)

EMPOWER – Help students make their own choices and develop confidence and competence by creating conditions for inclusive teaching and learning

  • Provide students space to decide which resources best meet their needs.
  • Understand and make explicit that students do not need to nor are they obligated to disclose. Accommodations requests do not come with the power or expectation to disclose. Allow students the space to disclose as they desire and respect their privacy.

ADVOCATE – Refer students to campus and community resources and follow through and check-in with students.

  • Connect students to resources including: confidential and private resources, additional campus resources; health care and mental health resources; other resources; community resources; national resources.
  • Understand that resources like the RCPD are not the only resource that persons with disabilities or accommodations needs will need or might want to use. Share specific resources among a list of others. When a person with disabilities or accommodation needs comes to you for help, remind them of the many resources that exist. Support them in their choice of resource and follow-up to see if there are other ways you can support them.

DESIGN – Use a proactive approach  to make decisions about your curriculum, how you engage students, and how you assess learning and get student feedback.

  • Include language on the syllabus that not only shares information on the policy, but also communicates expectations and community norms.
  • Set up spaces for disclosure that are private and welcoming. Communicating that these spaces exist to students beforehand. Following up with an email to students to setup a meeting and discuss any accommodations.
  • Prepare for regular and ongoing feedback in order to assess how accommodations are working.
  • Questions to ask yourself:
    • How am I going to engage my students from Day 1 in class? How upfront am I going to be about my approach to LEADING, EMPOWERING, and ADVOCATING with respect to accommodations?

RESOURCES

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