To: UND Faculty
From: Deb Glennen, Director, Disability Services for Students
Subject: Accommodating Students with Disabilities at UND
At some point this year, you will likely be working with a student who has a disability.
I would like to let you know how disability accommodations are provided at UND and invite you to
use the Disability Services for Students’ office to help you ensure access to your courses.
The mission of Disability Services for Students is to
assist faculty in providing equal access in the classroom to students with documented disabilities
while maintaining academic standards.
DSS determines a student’s eligibility for reasonable
accommodations and identifies the
specific accommodations each student is authorized to use. Once accommodations have been authorized,
it is the student’s responsibility to request and discuss the accommodations with faculty and make any
necessary final arrangements for their provision.
Faculty may ask to see a student’s verification document. The DSS
Verification of Need for Disability Accommodations document describes the student’s
disability-related functional limitations and lists the specific recommended accommodations that
may compensate for those limitations. This document is reviewed and updated every semester.
If not sure how to respond to a request, faculty is
encouraged to consult with DSS about what is reasonable before getting back to the student.
Faculty should include a disability access statement
on each course syllabus. DSS recommends the following:
If you plan to request disability accommodations in this course, you are expected to register
with Disability Services for Students, McCannel Hall, Rm 190, 701-777-3425 v/tty. For information
about DSS and how to apply see www.und.edu/dept/dss. If you have medical
information to share with me or need assistance in case the building must be evacuated, make an
appointment to discuss your needs. My office location and hours are...
Other considerations
Showing videos/DVDs in class:
To ensure that videos and DVDs are accessible for students who are deaf or hard of hearing, check to
see if captioning is present or there is a captioned version available. Contact DSS for assistance
with scripting or captioning your video/DVD. If the student is blind, review the video/DVD to see
if some of the visual content will need a verbal description.
Providing accessible seating:
If the reason a student requests an accessible table or chair is obvious,
there is no reason to contact DSS for verification of need. In addition,
some students may not have a disability-related need but do need a table
and chair (e.g., a person of large stature). Faculty can make these arrangements directly with Paul
Clark in Facilities, 7-3005.
Universal Design
DSS encourages faculty to use Universal Design principles to make courses accessible and welcoming to
a diverse population, including students with disabilities. Examples of common practices that
reflect universal access are: faculty posting notes online and scheduling longer time periods for
testing when time is not essential to the assessment. Both of these practices give some students
with disabilities the option to manage their accommodation minimizing the involvement of DSS or
the instructor. However, involvement is necessary when students require more specific accommodations
or if authorized accommodations are at odds with the essential requirements of a course.
For more information about Universal Design for Instruction, Courtesy Services, Suspected Disabilities, Emergency Evacuation and more, visit our website at
www.und.nodak.edu/dept/dss
To consult with DSS call 7-3425 (v/tty) or email und.dss@email.und.edu
Deb Glennen debrah.glennen@email.und.edu
Disability Specialist
Cheryl Brooks cherylbrooks@mail.und.nodak.edu>