Accommodation Policies and Procedures

Academic accommodations are essential for reducing or eliminating barriers in the learning environment, ensuring that students with disabilities have equal access and opportunities to fully engage in all educational programs at William Paterson University.

These accommodations provide equitable access to course instruction, materials, and assessment by addressing barriers created by the interaction between a student's disability and the learning environment. While accommodations "level the playing field," they do not guarantee success or provide an unfair advantage. Instead, they must be reasonable and cannot alter the essential requirements of a course or program.

Accommodation Process:

1. Letter of Accommodation: After a student generates their Letter of Accommodation for your course, you will receive their letter via email. This letter outlines the specific accommodations approved for the student.

2. Instructor Portal: To help you manage accommodations efficiently, ARC provides an Instructor Portal where you can view, organize, and in some cases facilitate (ie; testing, flex plans) all accommodation requests for your courses.

3. Reviewing Accommodation Letters: Review each Letter of Accommodation carefully to understand the accommodations being requested. If you are unsure about implementing a specific accommodation, you can find detailed guidance on this page or consult ARC for further assistance.

4. Collaboration: Timely collaboration with the student and ARC is critical to ensuring accommodations are implemented effectively. For complex cases, consult directly with the student’s Accessibility Specialist.

• Faculty Responsibilities

• Faculty Responsibilities:

  • Ensure course content, materials, and assessments are accessible.
  • Implement accommodations listed in the student's Accommodation Letter.
  • Maintain confidentiality regarding students’ disabilities.
  • Guide students with unverified disabilities to ARC for support.

• Faculty Rights

• Faculty have the right to:

  • Establish the academic standards for their courses.
  • Consult with the Accessibility Resource Center (ARC) to determine what accommodations are reasonable for a given course. It is therefore the responsibility of an instructor to provide accommodations, as determined by the ARC-provided accommodations email, as long as they do not undermine the academic integrity of the course.
  • Evaluate the academic work of students with disabilities according to the same criteria of evaluation utilized for all other students in the class.

• Legal Framework

• Accommodations are mandated by federal and state laws, including the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act.

  According to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990, as amended in 2008.

  • A person with a disability is someone with a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities.
  • A person is considered to have a disability if he/she has record of the disability or is regarded as having the disability.

• Requesting Academic Accommodations

• All students with disabilities are responsible for identifying themselves as a having a disability and must request services from the Accessibility Resource Center. 

  The Accessibility Resource Center is responsible for determining reasonable and appropriate accommodations and facilitating the approved accommodations for students with disabilities on a case-by-case basis.

• Common Academic Accommodations

• Here are some common accommodations but not an inclusive list:

  • Extended Test Time: Additional time for exams and quizzes.
  • Note-Taking Assistance: Access to lecture notes or approved note-taking services.
  • Accessible Materials: Course content provided in accessible formats (e.g, Braille, digital text).
  • Sign Language Interpretation and Computer Assisted Real Time Translation (CART): Communication support for students who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing.
  • Assistive Technology: Tools such as screen readers or text-to-speech software.
  • Reduced Distraction Testing: A quiet, controlled environment for exams and quizzes, separate from the main classroom.
  • Assignment Accommodation: Limited deadline adjustments when appropriate. See FLEX PLAN.
  • Flexible Attendance: Limited flexibility in attendance requirements. See FLEX PLAN.