For Faculty

The ADA requires that faculty agree and adhere to the following guidelines:

• All otherwise qualified students are provided with equal access to the essential course content.
• The impact of the disability on the student’s learning and/or academic performance is mitigated without compromising course or program integrity.

Accommodations may involve modifications of the ways in which material is presented or learning is evaluated; however, accommodations that compromise the essential integrity of a course shall not be required of faculty of Middlebury.

Accommodation Requests

Faculty are encouraged to communicate with the DRC concerning any accommodation request made by students. The DRC shall communicate with faculty within the limitations of privacy laws. The fact, nature, and/or extent of a disability which has been certified by the DRC is not subject to challenge by faculty, nor may faculty review the underlying documentation of a disability without written consent of the student. The staff of the DRC may provide faculty with information about the disability where necessary to implement the recommended accommodations.

Accommodations normally should be implemented as soon as reasonably possible after the faculty member has received the accommodation recommendation in writing from the DRC. If no further consultation occurs between a faculty member and the DRC, the DRC assumes that accommodations will be provided as delineated. Undue delays in the implementation of accommodations may be construed as a form of discrimination.

If a student approaches a faculty member directly to request an accommodation related to a physical or mental impairment, the faculty member must explain Middlebury’s certification/accommodation process and direct the student to the DRC. A faculty member is not individually authorized to agree to provide a student with a requested accommodation.

Status Reports

Faculty also have the right to receive a status report of a student accommodation request and clarification of recommended accommodations. Also, they may suggest alternative accommodations they think more appropriate in light of the nature of the course or program. Alternative accommodations must be as appropriate and as effective in mitigating the effects of a disability as those initially recommended by the DRC.

Faculty are, in turn, encouraged in appropriate situations to share with the DRC information about the course and/or program, so that the DRC is better able to make appropriate accommodation recommendations. A cooperative effort should meet the needs of the student to the extent appropriate, maintaining the integrity of the academic course and/or program and keeping Middlebury in compliance with the law.

Faculty may also request the involvement of the vice president for academic affairs/dean of faculty (or designee) in discussions with the DRC.