Faculty & Departmental Resources

Under both the Americans with Disabilities Act, as recently amended, and Section 504 of the 1973 Rehabilitation Act, a reasonable accommodation is considered to be a modification or adjustment to a course, program, service, or facility, which ensures that a qualified student with a disability is not excluded, segregated, or otherwise treated differently.

• Reasonable accommodations are tailored adjustments that level the playing field.
• Reasonable accommodations must not compromise essential functions of the course or program.
• Reasonable accommodations are individually determined after review of medical documentation and an interactive needs assessment between an RCPD Access Specialist and the student.

An accommodation would not be considered reasonable if it:

• Fundamentally alters the essential nature of the course, curriculum or program
• Constitutes services of a personal nature (such as private tutoring)
• Results in an undue administrative or financial burden for the institution
• Results in posing a direct threat to the health or safety of self or others

If an instructor believes an accommodation is unreasonable, they can follow the dispute process.  

"RCPD Disability & Accommodation Training" is a self-enroll D2L course for MSU’s instructional staff (or any employees who may be interested). The primary purpose of the course is to help instructors become more informed about the experiences of disabled students and improve their effectiveness with facilitating accommodations.Using text, videos, and resources from various disability scholars and activists, the course covers three main areas:

• Disability Education: A brief introduction into law, history, models, study, and language about disability in US culture today.
• RCPD and Accommodation Implementation: An introduction to our office as well as information on common accommodations, including student and instructor responsibilities and resources.
• Accessibility: Best practice suggestions for creating a learning environment that is accessible to all learners, regardless of disability status.

MSU Web Accessibility

As instructional spaces and programmatic offerings are increasingly online experiences, it is vital that these offerings are designed in ways that facilitate full inclusion by people who use assistive technologies. Disabilities affect online information access in varying ways. MSU has adopted policies, resources, and guidance that help ensure accessibility. 

Assistive Listening Devices

• Types of assistive listening devices
• How to obtain and utilize them on campus

Accommodation Letters - Faculty Perspective

• Learn the appropriate process when a student presents an Accommodation Letter
• Watch the YouTube video to see an example scenario

MSU Inclusive Guide: Disability

How the university communicates about people with disabilities, including accessibility practices, can create a more inclusive campus experience for many Spartans.

Best Practices: Accommodations for Students with Disabilities

Guidelines for professors and teaching assistants to consider when interacting with students with disabilities. Note, this document discusses person-first language as a primary way of acknowledging a person with a disability. More recently, identity-first language is preferred by some people and groups ("disabled person", "autistic person", etc.). Everyone has their own preference.

Students with Disabilities - The MSU Approach for Inclusion

• An overview of the MSU approach for inclusion of people with disabilities
• Addresses questions frequently asked by new faculty

Association on Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD) Statement on Language

There are two prevalent ways that we identify with disability in language: person-first and identity-first. Both options have implications for how we think about disability.

The Courtesy Rules of Blindness

Model Statements

For use in syllabi & program or event announcements

Testing Accommodations: A Message From our Vice Provosts and RCPD Director

Course instructors, in collaboration with the appropriate administrative unit (College/Department/Program), are responsible for providing testing accommodations in accordance with the Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities (RCPD) Verified Individualized Services and Accommodations Letters and in consultation with students and RCPD specialists. Vice Provosts and RCPD Director provide guidance on testing accommodations in this letter. 

RCPD Alternative Testing Guidelines

In alignment with the University's expectations for accommodated testing, RCPD provides guidance for faculty and students.

*Health and safety emergencies should be handled by dialing 911

The act of violence on MSU’s campus on Monday, February 13th has shaken our community to its core. The University is providing resources for students, faculty, and staff in need of additional support during this difficult time. You can find a list resources for your students here. The return to academics is a daunting experience for many students and we have heard concerns about being in-person. Interim Provost Thomas Jeitschko has provided guidance for faculty indicating that while classes should be taught in the modalities originally scheduled, faculty are encouraged to make allowances for individual student needs. This flexibility is meant to provide students with the time needed to adjust and begin healing.

The Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities (RCPD) is sensitive to student concerns around returning to campus. Concerns around safety and security are valid and should be addressed by administration, MSU Police and Public Safety, and within the classroom setting. This is not specifically a disability issue and as such, disability accommodations are not the appropriate venue for students expressing a need for flexibility or remote participation as a result of the campus shooting. Students experiencing grief are encouraged to take advantage of the University’s Grief Absence policy which allows for additional time off of up to two weeks. Students are also encouraged to consider use of the University’s Medical Leave policy if they are understandably unable to return to campus or resume classes this semester. To get started on a medical leave option, contact the Office of Student Support and Accountability (OSSA). Students registered with RCPD experiencing an exacerbation of symptoms as a result of the collective trauma are encouraged to make use of approved accommodations as needed.

Michigan State University and the surrounding community have numerous resources for individuals who are in crisis. You may contact a resource for yourself or another community member who you believe may need assistance. See our Crisis & Emergency Resources page for more information.

If you are an MSU faculty/staff and have a student in crisis who you believe needs assistance, please consider the following resources. MSU RCPD does not provide 24-hour service and RCPD staff may not be able to immediately respond to communications via voicemail or email.

24-25 Learning Communities 

Disability Dynamics: Theory, Accessibility, and Practice at MSU

This community will explore topics related to disability in society, including language, models of disability, and accessible practices. Facilitators will lead discussion on important topics in the field as they relate to teaching, research, outreach and relationships on campus. Monthly meetings will be influenced by member interest and practical needs.

SIGN UP HERE! 

Contact facilitators Jessica Lutz (lutzjes1@msu.edu) or Hannah Huey-Jones (hueyjon1@msu.edu) if you have questions.

Team RCPD immensely appreciates the work our MSU community does to ensure equitable experiences for disabled Spartans. We often receive concerns from instructors and departments regarding the sheer volume of accommodation requests. We hear you. The number of MSU students is continuously increasing. This means increased pressures for instructors and student support offices. Student accommodation requests are also increasing, which will continue as our student body grows and disability and requesting accommodations become less stigmatized.  

RCPD does not have the authority to determine class sizes, demographics, the number of students admitted to a course or degree program, or the staff/resources allotted. RCPD and MSU have an ethical and legal duty to provide disability accommodations. Accessibility and inclusion are the communal endeavor and responsibility of MSU as a whole —while RCPD is responsible for determining most disability accommodations at MSU, providing access does not fall to one office or individual on campus. 

We, too, have been raising the alarm to administration: we agree wholeheartedly that more resources are needed in academic units to support growing class sizes and increasing needs. Departments  and units in need of additional funding because of increased accommodation needs should request funds through their usual channels up through chairs, deans, and the provost as they would any other funding request. Additionally,  RCPD advises departments and units to account for this in their annual planning budget requests and in their ongoing budgetary conversations. We will continue to advocate for this campus-wide support from our administration and welcome your advocacy too. 

Some resources that may be helpful:  

• RCPD & ADA Coordinator Guidance for Accommodations  
• Disability and Reasonable Accommodations  Policy: explains roles and responsibilities around accommodations. You can find this policy on th e Office for Civil Rights and Title IX Compliance  website and on MSU’s new  University Policy  page 
• Web Access guidelines 
• Accommodation Letter: roles and responsibilities  
• How to implement accommodations:  
  • Classroom  
  • Testing