Faculty and Staff Resources

Learn the “Dos and Don’ts” of teaching and working with students who have disabilities, and review the resources and assistance we offer to faculty and students.

Here are some brief answers to your accessibility questions:

• Students have the right to disclose their affiliation with AccessABILITY and need for accommodations at any point during the semester.
• Accommodations cannot be mandated or forced upon students.
• Students who stop attending class due to medical/disability-related emergencies must always be granted a “WU” grade. When unsure, please call us for confirmation before assigning any grade.
• Students must abide by CUNY’s conduct policies despite having a disability or a diagnosed medical condition.

• Include the following statement in your syllabus to encourage students to visit our office, to self-identify and request accommodations. Consider also offering reminders throughout the semester.

“Accommodations for Students with Disabilities:
In compliance with the ADA and with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, Hunter College is committed to ensuring educational access and accommodations for all its registered students. Hunter College’s students with disabilities and medical conditions are encouraged to register with the Office of AccessABILITY for assistance and accommodation. For information and appointments, visit the Office of AccessABILITY in Room E1214 or call 212-772-4857/or VRS 646-755-3129“

• Ask your student to show you their Accommodation Card
  When students disclose their registration with our office, kindly request them to share their Accommodation Letter. Encourage them to connect with their AccessABILITY Advisor via email to confirm accommodations and address any inquiries you might have.
• Contact our office if you have questions about a student’s needs.
  Feel free to contact our office for questions about a student’s needs. Although we can’t disclose diagnoses, our Advisors can help you understand the nature of accommodations.
• Announce exams and quizzes in advance.
  Remember to announce exams and quizzes in advance. Students must submit signed Testing Accommodation Forms at least two weeks before the scheduled exam or quiz. Our team is available to assist you and your students in finalizing arrangements. If a request is submitted late, it may require rescheduling. The instructor might need to facilitate the exam and accommodations in such cases.
• Make general announcements to remind your students to submit testing accommodation forms
  Consider making general announcements to remind students to submit testing accommodation forms if they plan on using accommodations. Emphasize completing all required information on the Testing Arrangement Form to prevent service delays, including pickup and delivery details and special instructions.
• Always caption media that is presented in your course.
  Ensure all media presented in your course is captioned, as it’s a legal mandate for campus personnel. If a student requires captions (e.g., Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students), refrain from showing non-captioned media in class. For captioning inquiries, contact our Coordinator of Interpreting Services, Jasper Thacker, at jthacker@hunter.cuny.edu.
• Create accessible documents for your course, for those with vision or learning conditions
  Craft accessible course documents to accommodate those with vision or learning conditions. Ensure materials are readable with large fonts and alternate text before presenting them in class. This proactive approach helps prevent the need for retrofitted accommodations, which can be time-consuming. If you need guidance, please consult our office for assistance.
• Meet with a student individually to discuss how their accommodations will apply to your course.
  Finally, meet with students to discuss how accommodations will apply to your course. Determine the best communication method for addressing accommodation-related matters. Remember that accommodations might change throughout the semester based on changing conditions or additional documentation.
• Other considerations
  Also, be aware that using technology like iClickers in the classroom might affect students’ accommodations since they aren’t designed to adjust timers. Please consider accommodating extended time when students with this need to use iClickers in your classes or schedule weekly quizzes to best evaluate the student knowledge within your course in substitution.

Please contact student advisors for further clarifications.

• Ask the student to submit medical documentation to you.
  Should you receive such documentation, please return it to the student and ask them to submit it to our office directly
• Request (or make) a copy of a student’s Accommodation Card.
• Disclose a student’s status as registered with the Office of AccessABILITY to others.
  Please make classroom announcements general and individual inquiries in private.
• Ask students why they are registered with AccessABILITY or ask for specific information about their disabilities.
  Students may disclose their conditions voluntarily but must not be asked to do so.
• Forbid students from recording your lectures,
  as this may be a necessary and approved accommodation through the Office of AccessABILITY. Students must, however, submit the Classroom Lecture Recording Agreement Form to you in advance when use of a recording devise in your class is established as a form of accommodation. NOTE: Recorded/transcribed lectures may not be shared with anyone, whether inside or outside your class, without the consent of the instructor. The recorded/transcribed lecture is protected by copyright laws and all intellectual property rights in the recorded/transcribed lecture belong to the Instructor and should be returned upon request.