Disability Services
At this point most of the university offices are operating remotely and
have adapted to their new methods of delivering services. This is also
true for the office of disability services, the arm of the university
charged with providing appropriate accommodations for students with a
disability. The disability services may have adopted a modified program.
Services that were once available to students may not be available in
the same manner as they were when on campus. The COVID-19 crisis could
cause two separate issues. One, students currently receiving
accommodations may be having difficulty adapting to the modified
delivery of disability service. Two, because the circumstances have
changed rapidly in a drastic manner, this could trigger additional
students to need services. Getting evaluated remotely may be difficult
but, again instructors should remind students that if they need
additional help or resources to reach out to the appropriate office.
Even though classes are being delivered through remote instruction, they
should continue to be welcoming and accessible and for all enrolled.
While many instructors are not experts in providing disability services,
all instructors are capable of using universal design for learning
strategies. For example, providing extra time on assignments and exams,
finding multiple ways for students to access course materials (text,
audio, video, etc.), and being provided clear checklists or descriptions
for all assignments. In many cases, these are already common practices;
however, it is more important than ever to ensure students are being
provided with the supports they need to learn best.