Faculty Support

OAS has been designated by the University to facilitate access by reviewing requests to determine whether a student has shown a qualifying disability and approving reasonable accommodations so the student may equitably access courses, programs, and activities at Georgetown Law. The student discloses one or more disabilities, submits appropriate documentation to OAS, and participates in an intake meeting. If accommodations are approved, the student shares a letter with the professor if/when they would like to use their accommodation(s) in a particular course.

The Faculty Member’s Role: Accommodating Students with Disabilities

If a student requests a disability related accommodation for a particular course, the faculty member should ask for the student’s accommodation letter (provided by OAS) to ensure consistency of practice, equity and fairness across similar classes and similar disabilities. The student initiates communication with the faculty member by presenting the accommodation letter. No action is needed from the faculty member until the student shares an accommodation letter.

After reviewing the letter, faculty should implement the accommodation(s) listed in the letter unless an accommodation would: a) fundamentally alter the nature of the course, program, or activity (e.g. by lowering academic standards or requiring substantial modification to the program); or b) significantly compromise the essential requirements (e.g. by lowering academic standards or requiring substantial modification to the program). Faculty may email accessibilityservices@georgetown.edu(This link opens in a new tab) with questions, particularly if they believe that an accommodation listed in a student’s letter may fundamentally alter the pedagogy of a particular course. 

Faculty should clearly document the core learning objectives and essential requirements for the course by addressing the following questions:

1. What outcomes (skills, knowledge, concepts) are required of students in the course?
2. What teaching strategies most effectively address the essential outcomes? 
3. What methods of instruction or assessment are negotiable vs. non-negotiable?
4. Is a course requirement (e.g., prohibiting laptops during class) consistent with requirements determined by professors in similar classes? If not, is the requirement uniquely justified?
5. Is a requirement based on tradition or routine practice without a direct connection to the essential requirements of the course?

Universal Design for Learning (UDL)

UDL is a teaching framework that removes learning barriers by providing multiple ways for students to engage, to learn, and to demonstrate what they have learned. When a faculty member applies UDL principles to course design, the course is more accessible for all students. UDL also reduces the need for individual student accommodations by designing a course that is accessible to diverse learners.

We encourage professors to implement one or more of the following adjustments to make their course more accessible:

1. Clearly describe course content and essential requirements in the syllabus;
2. Provide all presentation slides and handouts in an accessible format (refer to Accessible Course Materials for assistance);
3. Incorporate technologies that facilitate student communication and participation (e.g., permit laptops for note taking and for accessing materials related to the course);
4. Use multimodal teaching techniques (e.g., lectures, presentations, large/small group discussion, think pair share, panels, guest speakers, captioned videos/audio);
5. Represent information in multiple media and formats (e.g., audio, video, text), including both written and audio descriptions of assignments;
6. Design assessments that demonstrate progress towards course learning objectives (e.g., opt for a self-scheduled take home exam so students with disabilities and various other needs may take the exam on the day/time that works best for them in a distraction-reduced environment); and
7. Allow flexible opportunities for students to demonstrate a skill (e.g., If cold calls are essential in this course, what sort of modification would be reasonable for this course? [no cold calls until later in the semester, cold calls but with a heads up about the day and likely case/topic, the student raises their hand first and then a cold call, office hours discussion with the professor/small group instead of cold calls])