We hope that you had a nice spring break and are feeling rejuvenated and ready for a great Spring term.

This newsletter contains information about the following:

• AEC Data
• Mythbusters
• Accessibility Ally Training-Sign up Now
• Accommodated Testing Reminders/Updates
• Faculty and Staff Support Page & Website Resources
• Resources Related to Accessibility and Teaching
• Request an AEC Training for your Department

AEC Data               

The AEC has continued to see an increase in students getting connected with our office for support and/or accommodations. This means if you feel like you are receiving more notification letters and coordinating more student accommodations in your courses, you are probably right! It is also likely that not all students with disabilities are connected to the AEC (in fact, in Fall 2023, the SWaSI survey results showed that 46.5% of first-year students identified with disability or neurodivergence). We hope the following data helps to understand these trends:

• In the 23-24 academic year, we had 3561 students connected with our office- this was a 100% increase in 5 years, and a 14% increase from the prior academic year. This represents 16% of UO’s undergraduate population, and 14.4% of our total student population. Roughly 1/6 of your students will be connected to the AEC.
• In the 23-24 academic year, we administered 9417 accommodated exams. This was over 2000 more exams than the prior year!
• These increases may be related to an increase in awareness that psychological conditions can be qualifying disabilities, and more students feeling comfortable disclosing their disability experiences than before/less stigma related to disabilities. Other possible explanations for the increase might be that the ADA Amendments Act of 2008 broadened the definition of disability, and there are increasing numbers of students being identified in K-12 with disabilities. The increase could also be related to people’s understanding and connection to disability shifting away from disability being a problem with the person, and more toward disability being an aspect of diversity and identity, and that challenges faced are related to the interaction of one’s functioning with barriers in the environment.

Mythbusters

We have recently heard some misconceptions that instructors may have about accommodations and accessibility in their courses. Please review these misconceptions and reach out to the AEC if you have any questions or would like to discuss further. 

1. Myth:  I am limited in my pedagogical choices and other course design/expectations because I am likely to have students with accommodations in my classes.

Fact: Instructors have academic freedom to design and teach their courses how they choose. If an aspect of your course design results in barriers to a student, the AEC will partner with you to identify ways to mitigate those barriers.

Fact: The AEC accommodations that an individual student enrolled in our course may have is specific to that individual student. There is neither a generalizable group of “students with AEC accommodations” we can accurately anticipate nor is there a generalizable set of accommodations all students working with AEC receive. While UO encourages and supports using universal design as a tool for inclusive teaching, our responsibility to honor students’ individual AEC accommodations is distinct from the choice to use these inclusive teaching practices in course design and pedagogy.

2. Myth: If I have a student with flexibility accommodations in my class, I need to give them whatever flexibility they request. 

Fact: Flexible deadline or attendance accommodations do not mean blanket flexibility. While instructors should not ask students about their disabilities, know that these accommodations are provided to address acute, unpredictable, disability-related events that may coincide with attendance or a course deadline. If using this accommodation is necessary, students are responsible for communicating with you about it as close as possible to the deadline or absence, and cc’ing AEC. Further, these accommodations do not apply retroactively, do not allow students to submit all course material after deadlines, result in an individualized course timeline for a student, or make adjustments for non-disability related purposes. Please review AEC’s Guidance for Flexibility in Attendance and Assignment Deadlines, or contact the AEC with any questions

3. Myth: If I call AEC with concerns about implementing an accommodation, they will view this as a lack of willingness to make my course accessible. 

Fact: AEC actively wants to know when questions come up, and we view contacting us as a positive, inclusive action, whether you need help to implement the accommodation, it feels at odds with something fundamental in the course (such as learning objectives), or something else.

Accessibility Ally Training

Please join us the Accessible Education Center (AEC) for our annual Accessibility Ally Training in May! The Accessibility Ally Program is an opportunity for interested faculty and staff to increase awareness related to disability and develop skills and knowledge to act as an ally for accessibility and inclusion of students with disabilities. Our mission with this program is to create a network of allies committed to eliminating the attitudinal, physical, and curricular barriers experienced by students with disabilities at the University of Oregon. 

Live Workshop: Those interested in attending the Live Workshop can register through MyTrack. Topics will include conceptualizations of disability, disability history, disability representation, disability justice and intersectionality, ableist language and microaggressions against people with disabilities, universal design for learning, and more. This workshop will consist of two portions, a live virtual component and an in-person component. 

Dates:

1. Friday, May 2nd, 2025, 9:00am to 11:00am (virtual)
2. Wednesday, May 7th, 2025, 9:00am to 12:00pm (in-person EMU Crater Lake). Coffee and pastries will be provided at 8:30am.

Accommodated Testing Reminders/Updates

• Exam delivery options: Beginning this term, we are removing the exam delivery option to scan and email exams to you. Thus, our exam delivery options are either Instructor Pickup (from the University Testing Center), or Delivery (exams will be delivered to the department office by 5pm on the following business day).
  • If you choose Instructor pickup, you will have one week to pickup the exam in UTC before it is delivered to the department office.
• Complete the testing agreement right away. Be aware that the testing agreement has been updated and should help streamline communication and improve the process of scheduling the exams.
  • Exams need to be uploaded at least one business day before the student's scheduled exam, by 10:00am.
  • The testing agreement should include instructions for quizzes, exams, midterms, and finals.
  • Make sure to enter in ALL exam dates, including the final, in the testing agreement.
  • Send exam errors/corrections/clarification to AEC (aectesting@uoregon.edu) AND UTC (testing@uoregon.edu).
• Please review the Guidelines for Instructors: Proctoring Your Own Exams.  Instructors can choose to facilitate testing accommodations by proctoring exams themselves, assigning a teaching assistant to proctor in a nearby room, or making other arrangements. If you choose to proctor your own exams, you are responsible for facilitating testing accommodations outlined in each student’s notification letter. Instructors can view their students’ notification letters in one place by following these instructions. 

If you have any questions about your responsibilities related to accommodated testing, 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 aectesting@uoregon.edu.

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 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.  

Resources Related to Accessibility and Teaching

The Teaching Engagement Program and UO Online team together to support faculty in designing more accessible and inclusive classes for all students, including students with disabilities and/or neurodivergent students. Explore their resources on Accessibility and Universal Design in Teaching, or contact them for more information. 

Request an AEC Training for your Department!

The AEC offers a variety of different types of trainings to campus partners, and 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 Spring 2025 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!