Faculty provide a key role in ensuring the  accommodations so students with disabilities can meet the academic standards in their program. A successful college experience often depends on clear, timely communication between everyone involved. Faculty play an important role in a student’s postsecondary experience. If you have questions about a student’s learning or service needs, please contact the Accessibility Services Department (ASD).

Faculty Rights and Responsibilities

If an accommodation appears to conflict with an essential course requirement or raises another concern, contact ASD. ASD and faculty will work together to determine an appropriate accommodation plan while protecting student rights.

• Students have a right to equal access. In many cases, the method of providing an accommodation can be adjusted to fit the course format—coordinate any changes with ASD.
  
  
• You are the content expert. Your input helps determine how an accommodation can be implemented without changing academic standards.
  
  
• Accommodations do not remove or replace essential course requirements. Faculty identify essential requirements; ASD helps determine access solutions.
  
  
• Accommodations provide equal opportunity—not a guarantee of success.
  
  
• You are required to provide accommodations only after you receive the student’s current-semester Accommodation Memo.
  
  
• Students may choose whether to use approved accommodations; if they do not use them, they are responsible for the outcome.
  
  
• If you cannot provide approved testing accommodations within your department, coordinate with ASD to use alternative testing services.

Accommodation Memos

Review the Accommodation Memo privately with the student as needed. To confirm receipt, use the link in the memo to open the AIM Faculty Portal and log in. After you acknowledge the privacy information, select your course, click View to review the memo, and then select Submit Acknowledgement Electronically.  If you are unsure how to implement an accommodation, contact ASD.

Please note: Students may register with ASD or request accommodations at any time during the semester. If you receive an Accommodation Memo later in the term, you are not required to apply accommodations retroactively (though you may choose to do so).

Important Notes

1. Do not deny or discontinue ASD-approved accommodation without first consulting ASD.
   
   
2. If you have access to student records, you are responsible for protecting student privacy under FERPA.
   
   
   1. Access student records only when you have a legitimate educational need to know, and keep that information confidential.
      
      
   2. Do not share a student’s name or accommodation status with faculty or staff who do not have a need to know.

For a more in-depth discussion of accommodations, you can visit the Guidelines and Information for Faculty/Staff page from the Las Cruces Disability Access Services office.