Don’t Panic! Supporting Student Accommodation Needs in Partnership with the Office of Disability Resources

Supporting student success means navigating a wide range of campus resources, and it can be difficult to keep track of them all. The Office of Disability Resources (ODR) is here to partner with faculty and staff by providing guidance on working with students who have approved accommodations.

Conversations about disability and accommodations can sometimes feel unfamiliar, and occasionally faculty and staff might worry about saying "the wrong thing." The good news is that you do not need to have all the answers - ODR is here to help. Below are a few tips and resources to support you as you support your students:

1. Don't Panic—Your Role Is to Listen and Refer

   Douglas Adams' famous advice in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy applies well here: “Don't panic.” When a student shares disability-related concerns, your primary role is to listen, offer support, and refer the student to ODR. Faculty and staff are not expected to evaluate a student's disability or determine appropriate accommodations. Link for resources for Instructors and Supervisors here: Instructors and Supervisors

   Following any conversation about disability-related accommodations, faculty and staff should send a follow-up email to the student's Drexel email account with ODR's contact information. For example:

   Dear Student,
   During our conversation today, I encouraged you to contact Disability Resources within the Division of Student Success at Drexel. I wanted to make sure you have their contact information:
   Disability Resources website: https://drexel.edu/disability-resources
   Email: disability@drexel.edu
   Phone: 215.895.1401
   Walk-in hours: Monday-Thursday 1-2pm
   I encourage you to reach out to discuss accommodations and available support.
   
   Additional guidance on follow-up communications is available in Referring a Student or Employee.

    

2. Start with Your Syllabus
   Students may feel unsure how to begin the accommodations process or may feel uncomfortable initiating the conversation. Including an accommodations statement in your syllabus provides students with a clear path to connect directly with ODR:
   

   
   Students requesting accommodations due to a disability at Drexel University must request a current Accommodations Verification Letter (AVL) through the ClockWork database before accommodations can be implemented. Disability Resources reviews these requests and issues the AVL to the appropriate contacts. For additional information, contact Disability Resources at disability@drexel.edu or 215.895.1401.

   Including this statement helps students access the appropriate resources while communicating your commitment to creating an inclusive learning environment.
   ​

3. You Don't Have to Do It Alone

   Providing accommodations is a collaborative process. ODR offers services that support both students and instructors, including the Testing Center for accommodations that cannot reasonably be provided within the classroom. Students using the Testing Center should schedule their exams at least 120 hours (five days) before the scheduled exam time to allow for room assignments and proctor availability. If you have questions about testing accommodations or a student's scheduled exam, please contact the Testing Center at testproctoring@drexel.edu.

   ODR is here to support the entire Drexel campus and is committed to the success of all our students. For more information, check out our webpage for Resources for Instructors and Supervisors at https://drexel.edu/disability-resources/support accommodations/instructors-supervisors.

   Please feel free to reach out to us at disability@drexel.edu. We look forward to working with you!