Creating a Syllabus

Please help support our students with permanent, as well as temporary, conditions by including a disability statement in your syllabus.

Syllabus Disability Statement

"A disability statement opens the lines of communication making the student feel more comfortable approaching faculty to disclose their disability and need for accommodation."
—Jennifer Aaron, student self-advocate

Please include this disability statement in your syllabus:

Pacific is committed to ensuring equitable access and success for all students with disabilities. The Office of Accessibility and Accommodations (OAA) located in Clark Hall Room 226, coordinates academic adaptations and services for students with disabilities. You can submit accommodation requests through the student accommodate portal (pacificu-accommodate.symplicity.com/). Accommodations are not implemented retroactively and students must request accommodations through OAA’s Getting Started process as soon as possible. Programs with non-classroom environment elements (fieldwork, practicum, clinical rotations, externships, and travel courses) encourage students to contact OAA one year in advance to ensure adequate timing as there is a separate process for requesting accommodations in non-classroom environments. We encourage students to review OAA’s Clinical Accommodation Policy and Procedure for more information. If you have, or believe to have a disability that qualifies for accommodations, please contact OAA at oaa@pacificu.edu or 503-352-2194 or visit our website for more information.

Rationale

The statement should be an invitation to students who have disabilities to meet with the faculty member, in a confidential environment, to review course requirements and to discuss their need for accommodations. Establishing reasonable accommodations should be considered on a case-by-case basis because of the functional limitations of each individual and the specific demands of the course will vary.

Principles

  • The accommodation process should be one of collaboration between student and instructor with support from Office of Accessibility and Accommodations (OAA).
  • Students already working with OAA have provided the office with documentation of their disability. Faculty should not ask the student for documentation. However, they can request that a report from OAA be sent to verify the accommodation(s) required.
  • A statement on the syllabus and an announcement in class normalizes the accommodation process by treating it as just another part of the course
  • The statement can be altered to meet the specific needs of your department/courses
  • It is recommended that instructors for multiple section courses and labs come to an agreement on the syllabus statement used

Essential Elements of an Accessible Syllabus

  • Basic Information: Course title, course number, number of credits, current year and term, meeting time and location, your name, location of your office and office phone number, email address, office hours, appointment times, information on teaching assistants, and a syllabus disability statement
  • Prerequisites: Classes, skills, and information required prior to enrolling in course
  • Course Objective: Information to be covered, general themes, and course activities
  • Learning Objectives: A precise statement(s) linking subject matter and student performance. The objective includes competencies, skills, and knowledge students should acquire by the end of the course.
  • Textbooks/Readings: Titles, authors, editions, and local book retailers. You should always attempt to order textbooks for which electronic format is available. For information on available alternate format of a book, contact the publisher.
  • Course Schedule: Supply a schedule of events; include discussion topics, exam dates, assignments, and readings to be completed for each day
  • Additional Required Materials: Any additional course material, such as calculator or art supplies, that the student has to buy to successfully complete the course. Information on such materials needs to be as detailed and specific as possible.
  • Grades: Describe how you are going to calculate the grades and give an explanation of what is required to receive a particular grade
  • Course Policies: Specify how you deal with tardiness, absences, late assignments, test/assignment make-ups, and academic misconduct

This document is cited from The Ohio State University Partnership Grant, Improving the Quality of Education for Students with Disabilities