Instructors accommodating students with disabilities
UBC is committed to providing access for students with disabilities while maintaining academic standards. Because the provision of academic accommodations can be complex – given the range of possible instructional and exam formats – this goal is best accomplished through collaborations between you, the student, and a Diversity Advisor – Disability from Access & Diversity.
Each partner in this collaboration brings an important perspective: the student has a unique, personal knowledge of their disability, the instructor has content knowledge and an understanding of the required learning outcomes, and the advisor has a broad knowledge of disabilities and their impact on academic performance.
Your responsibilities
- Ensure that your courses and programs are accessible to students with disabilities. For example: Read out overhead content for students who are blind or have visual impairments.
- Discuss the range of recommended accommodations with the student within 10 days of notification. For example: Arrange a meeting with the student to discuss their accommodations.
- Implement reasonable accommodations for students with disabilities. For example: Allow the recording of lectures for students requiring an audio record of the content.
- Facilitate exam accommodations in accordance with the student's disability. For example: Give the student additional time for exams.
- Familiarize yourself with relevant UBC policies and procedures. Review the University's policy on Academic Accommodations for Students with Disabilities (Policy 73).
- Inform yourself about the different types of disabilities.
- Treat any disability-related information about a student as confidential according to BC's Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (download below). Any discussion should be held in private to ensure that confidentiality is maintained.
Your responsibilities apply to students who have self-identified.
Students' responsibilities
The student's responsibility is to provide you with a letter from Access & Diversity that identifies the academic accommodations they are eligible for in an academic setting.
Students may choose to share information about their disability with you. However, students are not required to present documentation to you. They will provide Access & Diversity with disability documentation.
It is not appropriate for you to request disability documentation from students.
