For Faculty & Staff

Review these recommendations for implementing accommodations and fostering an inclusive environment in your classroom.

We assist students individually by providing guidance and determining reasonable accommodations to remove barriers to access. In addition to working with students, we actively partner with faculty and staff from the entire campus community to implement accommodations in their courses and programs. We welcome our WashU colleagues to contact us with any questions regarding the provision of disability accommodations for their students.

Thank you for supporting students with disabilities in your classrooms. We have prepared this information to support you as you strive to perform work that is central to the mission of the institution – teaching. We hope that you find this information helpful, and we welcome your feedback on additional resources we can provide to you.

We have provided a model syllabus statement for your consideration. Some students may have disabilities that are apparent, and it may be clear to you what accommodations they need. Other students’ disabilities are less apparent, and their needs may not be obvious. Please also be aware that many of our students are hesitant to approach faculty members and use their accommodations with great reluctance. A syllabus statement serves both to make students comfortable approaching you with their accommodation needs and to set the expectation that the student is required to make these arrangements in a timely manner. We are happy to help you modify this statement to better suit your course.

We find that many faculty members are more than willing to provide students with their approved accommodations, but also would like to have more information on the actual disability so as to influence their lectures and classroom teaching style. We have added information on those disabilities most commonly diagnosed in our students.