Welcome back for Fall term 2024! We hope you had a great summer and are feeling recharged and ready for this new academic year.
This email contains information about the following:
- Instructors’ Primary Responsibilities Regarding Accommodations
- Faculty and Staff Support Page & Website Resources
- AEC Connect Updates
- AEC Q/A Sessions for Instructors
- Lab/Practical Exam Accommodations
- Temporary disabilities
- Request an AEC Training for your Department!
Instructors’ Primary Responsibilities Regarding Accommodations
The University collectively has responsibility to remove barriers impacting access to programs, activities, and services for students with disabilities. It is important to understand the roles and responsibilities that instructors, students, and the AEC have in this process. If you have any questions about your responsibilities, please do not hesitate to contact the AEC by phone or email to gain clarification. You can contact AEC at 541-346-1155 or via email at uoaec@uoregon.edu.
Instructors’ Primary responsibilities:
- Read all notification letters, take appropriate actions, & maintain confidentiality of student information.
- Complete the testing agreement right away, and provide your exams to the AEC at least two days before a scheduled exam.
- Refer students who may need disability accommodations to the AEC.
- If a student requests to use their approved accommodations in your class, you will receive a notification letter via email. You can also log in to the AEC Connect Instructor Portal to access the notification letters requested for your class, as well as see a list of exam requests that students have submitted for your course(s). If you have any questions about AEC Connect or how to utilize the Instructor Portal, please contact uoaec@uoregon.edu.
- Contact the AEC if you have any questions about a student’s accommodations, or if an approved accommodation might fundamentally alter course objectives. Do not deny any accommodations without consulting with the AEC.
- Include information related to Access and Accommodations in your syllabus. Please review our recommended syllabus statements.
- Only implement disability-related accommodations for students who are registered with the AEC
- Consider ways to implement universally designed methods into courses to reduce barriers and the need for accommodations
Faculty and Staff Support Page & Website Resources
There are often misconceptions about what it means to have a disability. Please visit our Faculty and Staff Support page linked here to find information about best practices, instructor responsibilities, Universal Design strategies, and more. You can also find information on our website about what a disability is, and the legal mandates that inform the work of the AEC.
AEC Connect Updates
AEC Connect has a new look following a platform update launched in June 2024. Updated instructions and video tutorials are available on our website. Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions about navigating the updated platform!
One important change in AEC Connect for instructors is that if a student requests to take an accommodated exam outside of the scheduled exam window that you have indicated in the testing agreement, instructors will receive a notification, and will need to approve or deny this request in AEC Connect. Visit these instructions which outline the steps to approve or deny student exam requests outside the parameters of the testing agreement.
AEC Q/A Sessions for Instructors
The AEC and the University Testing Center staff will hold faculty drop-ins to answer questions about AEC Connect, testing accommodations, and more! Please feel free to drop-in and get your questions answered in an open and friendly space. The following are the dates/times/locations of these sessions.
- In-person: 10/7 @10am in 101 Knight Library
- Virtual:
Lab/Practical Exam Accommodations
To provide more clarity related to students’ disability-related needs within the lab environment, we are distinguishing accommodations for written components of lab exams from accommodations for practical portions of lab exams. Students who have been approved for testing accommodations for traditional time-limited exams, will have the same accommodations for written components of lab exams.
The AEC has added a section called “Lab Accommodations,” to notification letters, which applies to practical portions of lab exams. Lab classes are distinct from a traditional classroom environment in that they involve practical, hands-on engagement in a specialized setting with specialized materials and equipment.
If students need accommodations for the practical portions of lab exams, they will need to connect with their AEC access advisor to discuss their needs in this setting. Students can email their access advisor or request an appointment to initiate this process. If you are an instructor teaching a lab and would like to proactively outreach to students with accommodations about this change, please contact nkehdi@uoregon.edu who can help discuss the best way to do so.
Temporary Disabilities
The Accessible Education Center recognizes that temporary illnesses and injuries can, for a temporary period, adversely affect a student’s ability to fully participate in the academic experience in ways similar to permanent disabilities. Visit our updated Temporary Illnesses and Injuries webpage for a complete summary of the updated procedures. Primary changes in how to support temporary illnesses and injuries include two primary steps:
- If a student brings up a temporary illness/injury to you, work with the student to identify if the adjustments they need can be coordinated directly, consistent with your course policies.
- If instructors do not have the tools/resources to support the student, refer them to the AEC. If a temporary injury or illness will have significant impacts on functioning, a student might be eligible for AEC services. In this case, a student can schedule an appointment to discuss eligibility.
Request an AEC Training for your Department!
The AEC offers a variety of different types of trainings to campus partners, from Disability 101 to Disability as Diversity training, to general information about the AEC, disability, and how we can work together to create more accessible environments. We are happy to come join you or your teams for a training. If you would like to request an AEC training, please visit our Request a Training/Outreach page and fill out the request form.
Go Ducks!
On behalf of all AEC staff, we are wishing you a smooth Fall 2024 term! Please check out the AEC website for additional information, and don’t hesitate to reach out to us if we can be of any assistance. We look forward to continuing to work with you and support you in ensuring access and inclusion at UO. Go Ducks!