Faculty FAQ

While individual needs vary, many students face common barriers in the academic environment. As a result, certain accommodations, like extra time on tests or the use of assistive technology, are frequently applicable. However, the specifics of how these accommodations are implemented can be customized to each student's unique needs.

Visit the accommodation guide for detailed information about accommodations. If your question is not answered, please contact the student’s Accommodation Facilitator listed on their academic accommodation plan.

You may receive a student’s accommodation plan later in the semester. While students are encouraged to send their accommodation plan at the start of each semester, there may be reasons or barriers the prevent them from doing so. Reasons may include:

• A recent disability diagnosis
• Fear of stigma or judgment 
• Unaware of Academic Accommodation Support

Consult with us

• Contact the Student Accommodation Facilitator identified in a student’s accommodation plan with any questions or concerns.
• You can also visit the Accommodation Guide for more detailed information about implementing common accommodations.
• Learning and Inclusion Education Developers can meet with you 1:1 or as a group for training and support in inclusive course design and understanding your responsibilities under Policy 159. Email them at aaseddev@torontomu.ca.

Ableism is a systemic inequality that is rooted in the perception of disability as inherently negative or undesirable. It can lead to the marginalization of individuals with disabilities, impacting their opportunities, access, and dignity.

Ableism operates on individual, cultural, and institutional levels, shaping interactions and structures in ways that exclude or disadvantage people with disabilities.

In educational environments, ableism can appear in multiple forms, including but not limited to:

• Curriculum and Instruction: Course content and teaching methods that do not consider the diverse learning needs of students with disabilities. This might include the lack of alternative formats for course materials, inaccessible online resources, or teaching strategies that do not accommodate different learning styles and abilities.
• Physical Environment: Buildings and spaces that are not fully accessible, including classrooms, laboratories, libraries, and recreational facilities. This can limit participation in academic and extracurricular activities.
• Assessment Practices: Rigid assessment methods that disadvantage students with disabilities, such as timed exams without the option for extended time or assignments that require specific physical tasks without alternative options.
• Communication: Using language that perpetuates stereotypes or diminishes the experiences of individuals with disabilities. This can also include the lack of sign language interpreters or captioning services.
• Policy and Administration: Institutional policies that do not adequately support or recognize the needs of students with disabilities, or bureaucratic hurdles that make it difficult to access accommodations.
• Attitudes and Expectations: Lowered expectations or assumptions about the capabilities of students with disabilities, which can discourage their participation and achievement. This also includes a lack of awareness or sensitivity to the challenges faced by these students.
• Lack of Representation: Limited representation of individuals with disabilities among faculty, staff, and administration, which can affect advocacy and the development of inclusive policies.

Including this (google doc)  Course Outline Statement (external link)  directing students with disabilities to connect with AAS is a first step. Also consider adding a sentence in your syllabus that encourages students to talk privately with you about their accommodation plans. Remember to focus on the accommodations and not the nature of their disability.

Teaching Methods:

• Incorporate Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles, which involve using diverse materials and assessment methods to cater to different learning preferences. 
• Make accommodations a standard part of your teaching to normalize them and plan your courses with accessibility in mind from the start.
• Ensure your course materials are accessible, with captions for videos and alt text for images. 
• Offer flexible coursework and assessment options
• Utilize assistive technologies to support various learning needs. 
• Provide clear and organized instructions to aid understanding for all students.

Collaboration & Communication

• Maintain open communication with students to understand and accommodate their needs, and continuously seek to improve your methods by staying informed on inclusive practices. 
• Create a welcoming classroom atmosphere where every student feels valued and has equal opportunities to participate. 

• Offer clear guidance on how to communicate about accommodations in your course and create a supportive classroom environment where students feel safe to discuss their needs. 
• Work closely with Academic Accommodation Support, and respect students' privacy. 

The language used to talk about disability plays a crucial role in shaping perceptions, attitudes, and inclusivity. It's important to use respectful, person-first, or identity-first language, depending on individual preferences. Here's how you might approach this topic:

1. Person-First Language

Person-first language emphasizes the individual before the disability, suggesting that a person is not defined solely by their disability. Examples include "person with a disability," "individual with autism," or "student with dyslexia." This approach is widely recommended to acknowledge the person's identity before their disability, highlighting that the disability is just one aspect of their life.

2. Identity-First Language

Some individuals prefer identity-first language, which puts the disability before the person, such as "autistic person" or "disabled student." This preference often comes from the perspective that the disability is an integral part of an individual's identity, not something to be distanced from. Many within the disability rights movement embrace identity-first language to affirm and own their identity.

3. Respect Individual Preferences

Recognize that language preferences vary among individuals with disabilities. Some may prefer person-first language, while others prefer identity-first language. Whenever possible, ask individuals how they prefer to be described or referred to and respect their preferences.

This topic is covered in more detail in the “Policy 159: A Shared Responsibility” training available on D2L to everyone with a teaching contract at TMU. 

To make sure your online and hybrid courses are inclusive and accessible, provide your course materials in various formats like text for screen readers, captioned videos, and audio recordings to meet different learning needs.

Ensure your content is easy to read and navigate, with clear text, descriptive alt texts for images, and organized layouts.

Design your assessments to be flexible, offering extra time or different formats as needed.

Regularly check your courses for any accessibility barriers and offer straightforward instructions and support.

Embrace Universal Design for Learning to accommodate a variety of learning styles and continuously seek feedback from your students to keep improving the accessibility of your courses.

Students may require academic accommodations to address barriers in the learning environment that impact their ability to participate fully in their education. These barriers can be due to a variety of reasons including physical, sensory, mental health, learning disabilities, or chronic health issues.

Accommodations are tailored to individual needs to provide equal access to educational opportunities.

Academic accommodations are designed to provide access to learning without altering the essential requirements of a course or program. They address the manner in which students demonstrate their mastery of material, not the fundamental academic standards or outcomes themselves.

Finding the balance between essential academic requirements and reasonable, appropriate accommodation is a central practice for providing accessible education. Sometimes, the essential requirements and academic accommodations fit together easily; other times, both essential requirements and accommodations must be explored in partnership with AAS. This exploration helps ensure that both the integrity of the course and our institutional responsibility for access to education are upheld.

Key considerations for when essential requirements and accommodations appear to be in conflict (IDIA, 2012):

• Must the skill or knowledge be demonstrated in order to meet the objectives of the course or program?
• Must the skill or knowledge be demonstrated in a prescribed manner in order to meet the objective of the course or program?
• Does the accommodation maintain the essential requirements of the course?

In some circumstances, the nature and degree of a student’s functional limitations arising from a disability may mean that no accommodations that could be provided would enable the student to meet the essential academic requirements of a course or program. If you receive an accommodation plan that seems to be in conflict with the essential requirements of your course (as documented in your course outline or program curriculum) consult with us.