Students with disabilities have the right to equal access to all courses, programs,
activities, services, and facilities offered at the University of North Texas (UNT).
UNT students are also entitled to reasonable accommodations. Students have the responsibility
to provide documentation of their disability (or disabilities) according to the Office
of Disability Access' (ODA) guidelines and to register with the ODA if they would
like to receive accommodations. After registering with the ODA, if students would
like to request accommodations in one or more of their classes, students have the
responsibility of requesting their letters of accommodation via AIM. After the letter
has been requested, ODA will send the letter of accommodation to their instructor
and the student will be copied. Students then have the responsibility to meet with
their instructor to confirm receipt of the letter of accommodation and discuss with
their faculty how the accommodations will be met in that specific class.
Students are advised that they are required to meet with their faculty regarding their
accommodations. This communication serves many purposes, including ensuring that the
faculty have received the letter of accommodation and discussing how accommodations
will be implemented. The faculty member and the student will also discuss various
aspects of each accommodation, such as if the student can take their test in class
or if it needs to be scheduled through the ODA Testing Center. This conversation between
the faculty/student is encouraged to be in-person or on Zoom/Teams videoconferencing,
but that does not work well for every student so students can also have this conversation
via email.
With that being said, we all recognize that students are still learning to advocate
for themselves in many capacities. We ask faculty to implement all accommodations
upon receipt of the letter of accommodation if they can. However, there are some accommodations
in which more discussion is necessary before implementation. The ODA recognizes that
faculty may not be able to implement them in those cases, until they hear from the
student. We do request that the faculty inform ODA of this so that we can support
both the student and the faculty member.
With all of that being said, we also recognize that there is a power differential
between the student and the faculty. We never want the student to feel like they cannot
access their accommodations or cannot voice any concerns about implementation because
of this power differential. So while we will encourage the student to contact the
faculty directly, we may step in as well to help navigate the situation. The Office
of Civil Rights (OCR) has also made it very clear that students should never feel
like they have to "negotiate" their accommodations with faculty. These accommodations
have been approved by the ODA and if there are concerns, such as with fundamental
alteration, the faculty should reach out to the ODA for discussion. This is in accordance
with UNT policy, state, and federal law.
An instructor has the right to confirm a student's request for accommodations and
to ask for clarification about a specific accommodation with the Office of Disability
Access. Instructors do not have the right to refuse to provide an accommodation or to review a student's documentation
including diagnosis and private health information. Instructors have a responsibility
to work with the Office of Disability Access in providing reasonable accommodations,
keep all records and communications with students confidential, and to refer a student
to the ODA who requests accommodations but is not currently registered. Instructors
do not have to provide accommodations for students not registered with ODA.
After receiving the letter of accommodation, if the faculty member believes that the
accommodation is a fundamental alteration to the course, per UNT Policy 16.001, faculty will need to consult with the student's ODA Coordinator. The Coordinator
will work to support the faculty in discussing fundamental alterations according to
federal law and if necessary, discuss alternative accommodations to meet the student's
individual access barriers.
An instructor has the responsibility to make reasonable accommodations because accommodations
make it possible for a student with a disability to overcome barriers enabling the
student to communicate what he or she knows. At the University of North Texas, we
strive to support all of our students and provide the most caring environment possible.
This is in alignment with several of our Core Values as well, including We Care and Better Together.
The instructor also has a legal responsibility to provide appropriate accommodations
in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Rehabilitation
Act of 1973.
Faculty do have the right to say that they believe an accommodation is a fundamental
alteration to the class, such as to the learning outcomes or the essential requirements
of the class. According to current processes, UNT policy states that the faculty member
must communicate with the ODA Coordinator in order to discuss if it is truly a fundamental
alteration and if so, what alternative accommodations may be provided. Faculty do
not have the right to unilaterally deny an accommodation and that could be considered
discriminatory.
Based on recent responses from the Office of Civil Rights (OCR) at other institutions,
the Office of Disability Access is establishing a process to have multiple perspectives
from the academic department involved to make these decisions. More information forthcoming!
To determine appropriate accommodations for a student, the student must submit documentation
(consistent with ODA guidelines) to the ODA. The student will be assigned a Coordinator
within our office to review the student's application, documentation, and narrative
provided by the student in their Registration Meeting. The Coordinator will then determine
appropriate accommodations based upon the substantial limitations of the student.
There are certain accommodations which our office refers to Case Management and Review
Committee, an internal committee. This is to ensure that we are reviewing the accommodation
request from all perspectives, especially accommodation requests that tend to be more
time intensive or complex for faculty.
Great question and this is a common myth. No, students cannot just pick and choose
what accommodations they want. As a reminder, students submit their registration form,
provide documentation of their disability, and then have a meeting with their Coordinator.
Our Coordinators are specifically trained in accommodation provision and to approve
reasonable accommodations which mitigate specific disability related barriers caused
by the institutional environment. Once the student is approved for specific accommodations,
they can choose which accommodations they want to use for a given class. However,
they can only pick from a list of accommodations which their Coordinator has determined
reasonable to reduce or remove disability related barriers.
If an instructor feels that a particular student may have a disability, they should
refer the student to the ODA. Faculty can simply give the student ODA's contact information
or if they would like, they can email the ODA at Disability@unt.edu with a CC to the student to help with the virtual introduction.
Our Digital Accessibility Specialist pulls a list regularly of classes which have
a known accessibility need, such as Alt Text, Captioning, or Audio Description. She
will then start notifying faculty soon after the student enrolls or after mid-terms
of the previous semester. We send Courtesy Notifications out to faculty to let them
know they have a student in their class with known accessibility needs. The purpose
of this communication is to notify faculty as soon as possible that additional work/remediation
may need to be completed. The ODA team knows that this kind of remediation can take
time and can be challenging. These are simply Courtesy Notifications, however, and
do not indicate the student has necessarily requested to use any accommodations in
the class. If you would like to talk to the ODA about how we can partner together
on accomplishing full accessibility to support all students and meet compliance regulations,
we invite you to contact us at DigitalAccessibility.ODA@unt.edu. Please note that we cannot always send out advanced Courtesy Notifications, especially
if the student enrolls in it late. We will always make our best attempt to support
you, including perhaps splitting the actual remediation work.
AIM has many ways to do this and we have found that faculty have different preferences
to do this. Some faculty will login to their AIM Instructor Portal and pull up their class. They can then easily find all of the accommodation letters
sent for their class. Some faculty prefer to also login to the AIM Instructor Portal but then just download the Excel sheet of all of the students and their approved accommodations.
This works great at the beginning of the semester when faculty are more likely to
receive several accommodation letters at once. However, students are able to request
accommodation letters throughout the semester and also add accommodations to existing
letters. Accommodations are not retroactive so even if they didn't send the letter
until mid-terms, it will not impact anything from the first half of the semester.
Since faculty may receive accommodation letters throughout the semester, if they do
use an Excel sheet to track accommodations, they will need to update it when they
receive an email with a new accommodation letter. Faculty can just login to the AIM
Instructor Portal again and re-download the Excel sheet.
If faculty need support on how to do either of these steps, please contact our office
at disability@unt.edu.
As of now, faculty are not required to acknowledge to ODA staff or in our system,
AIM, that they have received the letter of accommodation. AIM is upgrading to a new
version, which does allow faculty to acknowledge that they have reviewed the letter
of accommodation. The ODA team is still exploring this feature so right now it is
optional, not required.
Absolutely! Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), individuals with disabilities
can request accommodations in the workforce. It is covered under a different section
of the ADA, but they can absolutely request it. In fact, there are hundreds of employees
within the UNT System who have disabilities and request accommodations. For more information
on accommodations in the workplace, please visit askjan.org.
There may be times when students request their accommodation letters early, as we
recommend they do, but then once they are in the class they realize that they may
not need a specific accommodation. We encourage faculty to check in with their student
if they see that is the case. If they find out from the student that they do not indeed
need a certain accommodation, we encourage them to email the student for both the
faculty record and the student record indicating that they do not need the accommodation.
At that point, the faculty can then cease providing the accommodation if the student
has indicated they no longer need it.
If there are ever questions on this, the ODA staff are always happy to support the
faculty in figuring this out as we understand faculty already have a lot on their
plate. We encourage faculty to reach out at Disability@unt.edu.
Any campus faculty or staff member is able to help students get connected to other
supports. This can look like the faculty member will refer the student to the specific
office, such as The Learning Center or the First Generation Success Center, and the
student can contact them, or many times we find it most helpful for faculty/staff
to send an email to the other campus department with the student copied on the email
to make a soft introduction. We also understand that many times faculty may not know
what department to refer them to. As Student Affairs professionals, we are well connected
to our colleagues throughout the Division and University. We always welcome faculty
referring students to us and then we will help the student get connected with the
appropriate office.
Great question. As long as faculty/staff initiate contact with any of our team members,
we will ensure the student, parent, faculty, staff, or community member reach the
right person. If the student is assigned to a Coordinator, that is often the easiest
first person to contact.
ODA not only meets with students to approve accommodations and support them with the
accommodation provision, but we also have several service areas to support faculty
and staff in providing these accommodations such as Alternative Testing (our Testing
Center), Alternative Formats (converting textbooks and course materials), Notetaking
Services (helping faculty with how Access to Lecture accommodations will be implemented),
Furniture Modification (placing adaptive furniture in classrooms), and more!
On our Leadership team, we have Jessica Stone (Director), Randi Johnson (Associate
Director), and Febe Moss (Administrative Coordinator). These leadership team members
do not carry a caseload due to their administrative responsibilities. Also on our
Leadership team, we have Devin Axtman (Assistant Director of Assistive Technology
and Accessible Instruction), LaShaundria Lawson (Assistant Director of Student Access),
and Steven Harris (Assistant Director of Accommodated Testing Services). Devin, LaShaundria,
and Steven also carry a caseload of students with disabilities.
Our amazing Access Coordinator team consists of Kevan Johnson, Courtney Gibson, Justin
Rogers, Natalie Vinzant, Keeley Glogau, and Katy Sutton. Natalie also serves as the
Alternative Formats Lab Supervisor, and Keeley Glogau also serves as our Digital Accessibility
Specialist.
We have two incredible American Sign Language Interpreters on staff, Kayli Floyd and
Shaina Pickering.
Finally, we have a wonderful Testing Center Specialist, assisting with the Testing
Center operations, Mia Perkins.
For more information on who to contact, please visit our Who to Contact page.
Over the last several years, ODA has seen an increase in students requesting accommodations.
This is great news because that means UNT is better serving our students. Still, our
registration numbers are still well below what the national average tells us for students
with disabilities on a college campus. (The average is 19% of the student population.)
The increase in students requesting accommodations at UNT is due to many factors,
including the long-term impacts of COVID on physical/mental health, but also how it
impacted the education system, ODA modifying their practices and procedures to break
down barriers for students with disabilities getting registered with our office, and
more.
Our team continues to work diligently to review accommodation requests for what accommodations
are required for access and reasonable. We are very aware of only approving what is
needed for access.
We understand that faculty have a lot on their plate, and the Office of Disability
Access team have daily conversations with faculty on how to manage the increase of
accommodations in their classes.
Upon successful registration for accommodations, the student will receive an Eligibility
Letter via email. This letter states all of the accommodations which the student has
been approved for. It is then the responsibility for the student to go into AIM and
specify which accommodations they feel are necessary for each individual class they
desire accommodations in. However, before the student is able to request their letters
of accommodation each semester, the student is required to sign one or more e-agreements
on AIM which state they understand their rights and responsibilities for receiving
accommodations. If the student is approved for specific accommodations, such as Alternative
Testing or Communication Access services, they will also have a specific e-agreement
for these accommodations.
Faculty will receive the letter of accommodation (also known as the Faculty Notification
Letter) for each class in which the student requests accommodations. This letter will
detail all of the accommodations the student is requesting for that specific class.
The descriptions on the accommodation letter the faculty receive are identical to
the descriptions on the Eligibility Letter which the student receives upon registration
with the ODA. If faculty would like to review the e-agreements which students fill out, based on
the individual accommodations the student is approved for, faculty may review them
here (hyperlinked).
When a student enters a request to change the date/time from what the faculty have
specified, the ODA Testing Center team will reach out to the faculty to express their
approal.
Many times, students will initially o this and then forward us their email confirmation
from the faculty. Once the faculty member approves, the student and faculty will also
receive confirmations of this new request.
Students are responsible for following reasonable processes that the University establishes.
In order to provide the highest level of service to both students and faculty, the
ODA has established deadlines for students to schedule their tests within. For example,
for traditional tests throughout the semester (not Finals), students are required
to schedule at minimum one week ahead of their scheduled test date. However, we also
know that our students have additional barriers they navigate daily due to their disability
and they also lead busy lives. Therefore, in order to support both the student and the faculty, we do try and honor
late requests whenever possible. This becomes more challenging for Finals because we are
proctoring tests all over campus in multiple buildings due to the number of tests
we administer that week. Therefore, our deadline is three weeks from the scheduled
Final date and we are less able to honor late requests than throughout the rest of
the semester.
We will not deny a student purely for capacity reasons. If a student schedules by
the established deadline, we will find a place for them to test.
If a student does not request by the deadline and we deny the test request, students
are encouraged to reach out to their faculty to see how their accommodations may be
able to be implemented. We encourage faculty to explore other options, such as using
a departmental office or conference room. Many departments will have the front desk
staff casually proctor the exam in these situations. Some departments will also use
a departmental Help Center, Lab, or Learning Center to proctor these tests. In the
case that the department is unable to meet the student's accommodations because the
student didn't schedule according to processes, students are informed that they may
not be able to have their accommodations for the test. They also sign an e-agreement
which states the same thing.
The Office of Disability Access is always available to assist in these situations
so we encourage faculty to reach out.
Unfortunately, our system doesn't currently allow us to do this based on how UNT's
system interacts with our system. Each semester, students review the list of accommodations
that they have been approved for and select which accommodations they wish to use
in each class. If a student is enrolled in any online class, the student may only
request the accommodations which apply to online learning. However, many students
will just click and request all of the approved accommodations for all of their classes
without differentiating between online classes and in-person classes. In those Situations,
we encourage faculty to just email the student to let them know the accommodations don't apply to make sure
that both the student and faculty are on the same page.
University of North Texas 
