Faculty Guide
Students with disclosed and undisclosed disabilities are a part of the diverse community here at FIT. FIT is firmly committed to providing equal opportunity for students with disabilities. The Office of Disability Services (FIT-ABLE) works with students seeking barrier-free accommodations and learning adjustments to fully and effectively participate in their coursework, events, and programs.
Create an Inclusive Classroom
Establish a welcoming environment.
Add the following statement to your course syllabus:
Students with disabilities who will be taking this course and may need disability-related classroom accommodations are encouraged to make an appointment to see me as soon as possible. Also, please stop by the Office of Disability Services in Dubinsky Center, Room A570 to register for support services. You should also know the college has a Counseling Center in Dubinsky Center, Room A212B. Both offices maintain strict confidentiality.
Encourage students to register with FIT-ABLE.
While students are encouraged to begin working with the Office of Disability Services at the beginning of each semester, it is not mandatory. If you are approached by a student without having a document from this office, you should speak to the student privately, guiding them to our office for further assistance.
Once a student has registered with FIT-ABLE, we can provide adaptive equipment, auxiliary aids, American Sign Language interpreters, exam readers, scribes, calculators, text-to-speech software, and other types of assistive technology and services.
Be Proactive
A commonly asked question is: "I think a student in my class has a disability. What should I do to help this student?"
The answer is, talk privately with the student and discuss your observations. The student may reveal a disability that was evaluated in elementary or high school—or the student may have a challenge and not know why.
You can provide the student with the contact information for FIT-ABLE or you may contact our staff directly. We can provide referrals to students for diagnostic evaluations from outside agencies and also connect them with some valuable resources right here at FIT.
Accommodations
Students with disabilities have certain rights and responsibilities in order to request and receive reasonable accommodations. Such accommodations are determined in concert with prior or current diagnoses and comprehensive evaluations that identify level of functioning. When necessary, collaborative efforts may involve faculty members, deans, and administrators to determind whether a requested accommodation is reasonable.
FIT seeks the full cooperation of faculty, staff, and administration in the provision of accommodations and auxiliary aids and services that are determined to be reasonable and necessary. This cooperation is not considered optional.
Learn More
Accessibility at FIT provides information about web and digital accessibility on campus, along with policies, legal obligations, and training opportunities.
The Faculty Room is a resource for faculty and administrators in post-secondary institutions with information about:
- academic accommodations for students with disabilities
- universal design of instruction
- computer technology and web accessibility
- rights and responsibilities of students with disabilities and faculty
The Faculty Room is part of DO-IT (Disabilities Opportunities Internetworking Technology) from the University of Washington.