Arcadia University students are eligible for reasonable accommodations pursuant to Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. The Office of Civil Rights (OCR) adjudicates the practical application of the law and requires that institutions of higher education inform students with disabilities of the services available to them. Because it is generally considered most effective to get this message to students through either a syllabus statement or class announcement, you should include a statement, such as the one below, in your course syllabi.
Arcadia University provides reasonable accommodations for students with documented disabilities. If you require accommodations or other academic supports due to a physical, psychological, psychiatric, or learning disability, you should contact Disability Support Services at 215-572-4033.
Please feel free to develop your own statement that includes the appropriate information.
If you would like to make an announcement in class relevant to students with disabilities, a suggested statement is below:
I encourage students with disabilities to speak with me confidentially early in the semester, so that your learning needs may best be met.
Please be advised that faculty members are not responsible for actually determining the accommodations. Any student who speaks with you in response to an announcement or syllabus statement should then be referred to Disability Support Services. They will facilitate any and all required accommodations.
In addition, only those students who provide you with a memo from our office should rightfully receive accommodations. If a student asks you for an accommodation, but has NOT given you a memo from DSS, you are NOT legally required to provide the accommodation.
