Faculty Resources

Research Helps Tackle Health Barriers for People with Disabilities

PBS News Hour Report “Rethinking College & Mental Health”

National Center for Student Statistics “Students with Disabilities”

Postsecondary National Policy Institute “Students with Disabilities in Higher Education”

Center for Disease Control “Disability Impacts All of Us”

COVID & Mental Health – An Invisible Disability

Faculty members may raise questions and concerns about accommodations listed on a student’s Faculty Notification email. When faculty inquire whether an accommodation is reasonable or believe a requested accommodation may be a fundamental alteration to their course the following should occur:

• The faculty member must immediately contact the student’s Access Advisor (the person listed in the faculty notification email) and not to the student seeking the accommodation.
• If communication between the faculty member and the Access Advisor does not resolve the concern of whether an accommodation is reasonable or requires a fundamental alteration, the student’s Access Advisor coordinates a meeting with an ad hoc committee.
  • The ad hoc committee may include the faculty member, academic director or lead, department chair, associate dean, Access Advisor, ADA Coordinator, and/or others with knowledge of the academic area.
  • During the the meeting, the ad hoc committee will discuss related licensing requirements, applicable accreditation standards, and clarify how the questioned accommodation supports the student’s disability(ies).
  • This committee will decide whether the requested accommodation is reasonable or constitutes a fundamental alteration of the academic requirements of the course/program.
  • This committee is considered a part of the interactive process, which is required by law. In the meantime, faculty members are still obligated to provide all uncontested accommodations as stated in the faculty notification letter until resolution is reached.
  • If the ad hoc committee decides whether an accommodation is reasonable or not a fundamental alteration, the accommodation will be provided retroactively to the date of the faculty notification.

More information is available through the WSU Office of Civil Rights and Compliance.