Resources for Faculty and Staff
Managing Accommodation Requests
All students who manage symptoms of a diagnosis are encouraged to connect with DisAbility Support Services, regardless of whether they utilize formal accommodations. However, it should be noted that notification from DSS is required for exceptions to University policy and the provision of academic accommodations for a disAbility-related reason. Accommodations cannot be implemented retroactively. Some accommodations require additional conversations and a continuation of the interactive process before they are considered approved and can be implemented. Faculty who have questions or concerns about a student's requested accommodations should contact our office as soon as possible (307-766-3073).
Faculty Responsibilities
- Collaborate Early: We are here to partner with you. Contact DSS immediately with concerns and questions about student accommodations. We love phone calls (307-766-3073)! Picking up the phone is typically your fastest response. The interactive process works best through ongoing partnerships between the student, DSS, and faculty.
- Provide all listed accommodations: Accommodation notifications outline your legal responsibilities under Title IV and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Implement all accommodations as specified by DSS procedures. Contact DSS when concerned that an accommodation may be a fundamental alteration to your course.
- Consult before modifying: Work with the student's DSS coordinator before implementing additional steps or processes for accommodation access. ADA specifies ACCESS, not modifications to the course requirements.
- Submit testing materials on time: Provide proctoring instructions, exam details, and copies to the DSS Testing Center at least two days in advance. This can be done in person or via the AIM portal. Our center administers many tests and your cooperation with timeliness is greatly appreciated.
- Alert DSS to fundamental concerns: If an accommodation would fundamentally alter course objectives, notify DSS immediately to discuss reasonable alternatives.
- Maintain confidentiality: Keep student disAbility status and accommodations private.
- Include DSS in your syllabus: (UW Regulation G-809). Direct students to Knight Hall, Room 109, udss@uwyo.edu, or (307)766-3073.
- Report other concerns to UWYO CARES: For non-accommodation concerns, specify whether concerns are academic or safety/well-being related.
Faculty FAQ
Faculty can view student accommodation requests for the current semester in AIM. Faculty have their own portal that can be accessed through the AIM Landing Page.
Faculty can also provide exam information for DSS proctoring through their AIM profile.
We welcome questions. Feel free to reach out via email or phone! Contact the coordinator listed on the student's accommodation letter or call the main office (307-766-3073). The student's coordinator will have an understanding of the student and their needs. For exam accommodations, our testing team may also be able to assist: 307-766-6662 or udsstest@uwyo.edu.
You are welcome to talk with the student about the request and determine if you are able to accommodate. However, ADA covers you and the student, if the student is registered with DSS. Any official accommodation will come from our office or through letter correspondence via the AIM portal. Contact us with questions and concerns at 307-766-3073.
It depends. Some students have back-to-back classes where taking an exam with accommodations needs to be rescheduled. Some students also have medical conditions that flare-up in the morning or evening. Also, we work with students to schedule them within our operating hours. This may mean scheduling a student earlier in the day or scheduling them at a later time. Our team will work with faculty to discuss any alternative exam times and are happy to connect to discuss alternatives to exam schedules: 307-766-6662 or udsstest@uwyo.edu.
Extended time is usually only implemented when an exam has a timed component (i.e. a timer or countdown clock begins and ends an exam). If your exams are scheduled to be taken within a certain period but has no timed component, then extended time may not be required.
Faculty will receive a notification via the AIM portal to let them know if a student is taking an exam with our office. Faculty will be asked to provide exam information via the AIM portal prior to the student coming in to take the exam. If you have any questions about if a student scheduled to take an exam with our office, please contact our testing center at udsstest@uwyo.edu or at (307) 766-6662.
Adding extended time for online exams should be accessible in WyoCourses/Canvas. For troubleshooting, the Ellbogen Center for Teaching and Learning (ECTL) team should be able to assist with the LMS software.
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STaFF FAQ
Give us a call at 307-766-3073 or set up a time to meet with a coordinator. We can consult and provide some strategies and tips!
Congrats! DisAbility is personal and disclosing requires trust. Continue to listen. Ask thoughtful questions (e.g. Have you talked with DSS? What works for you? Did you have accommodations in high school?). Refer them to DSS if needed. We can are located in Knight Hall 109 or you can email us at udss@uwyo.edu.
It depends! Each student and their disAbility related challenges are unique. Sometimes it's helpful to give students an agenda of topics ahead of the meeting, follow up with notes, and a recap afterwards. If you are meeting on Zoom, make sure you have captions enabled in the host settings, just in case participants need them.
Call DSS at 307-766-3073. We can talk with you about your event, what you need to keep in mind, and what DSS can help you with. Having a note on any marketing materials related to the event with the host's contact information for accommodation requests is important.
Some accommodation requests might be handled directly through you- reserved seating, physical handouts, etc. DSS arranges other accommodations like ASL interpreters and live captioning. Note that all costs for ASL/live captioning, etc. come from your budget. Contact DSS early with questions and understand that some accommodations requests take additional time to process and schedule.
ESAs are typically only approved for campus housing through DSS. They are not the same as service animals, which can go anywhere. ESAs usually are not permitted in non-houisng spaces, like classrooms. If there are concerns, contact DSS rather than addressing it indepedently.
YES! We love chatting with our campus partners! DSS can provide information in a variety of ways, whether you need a 5-minute presentation, 20-minute overview, or a more collaborative session. Call us at 307-766-3073 to schedule a time to meet with our staff. We can also provide students and staff with printed resources for referrals.
