Faculty Frequently Asked Questions

Do students have to register with SSD?

Students with disabilities must be registered with Services to Students with Disabilities (SSD) if they intend to request reasonable accommodations across the university. Register today!

When do students with disabilities have to notify instructors of their disability?

You'll get a notification letter from SSD at the start of the semester. There are no requirements on the student to notify you beyond that, however some students may wish to meet and discuss with you during your office hours. SSD supports students in (ideally) making any requests regarding implementation of accommodations (for instance, testing) in a timely manner. If you suspect you have a student who needs accommodation but you don't have an accommodation letter for them, that's a great reason to reach out to SSD at ssd@csusb.edu.

What are some reasons students may not disclose to faculty?

Disclosure is very difficult for most people. There are several reasons why students may not disclose their disability, related to stigma, culture, trauma, and other reasons. We consider this a learning process and work to help students develop skills to be proficient in managing their disability, accommodations, and disclosure by the time they graduate.

Is a student required to divulge the nature of the disability?

No. Students are not required to tell you the nature of their disabilities or to provide copies of their disability documentation to their instructors of record. SSD is the authorized campus entity charged with documenting disabilities and recommending reasonable accommodations at CSUSB.

What do I do if I suspect a student has a disability?

Approach the student as you would any other student having difficulty in class. Inquire about what might be impacting the student's progress in class. A student with a disability may describe their difficulties in class from your open ended questions, whether or not he or she identifies or discloses a disability or not. This conversation can lead to referral of campus resources, including SSD using this link: Register today! If you don't feel comfortable talking with student, you can also always reach out to ssd@csusb.edu with your questions or concerns.

What are reasonable accommodations?

Reasonable accommodations are specific recommendations or strategies, technology, or aids that are needed to accommodate a disability without a fundamental alteration of the program.

Reasonable accommodations should:

Mitigate the impact of the disability.
Eliminate a barrier to access in the course
Ensure a student’s access to instructional material.
Ensure a student’s ability to demonstrate competency of curriculum.

Reasonable accommodations should not:

Water down curricula or compromise academic integrity.
Fundamentally alter any essential elements of the curriculum or academic program.
Ensure that all students with disabilities are successful.
Consume extra personal time from the instructor to re-teach or tutor the student.

Why do students use accommodations sometimes and not other times?

Students may request the specific accommodation in some instances and not in others. Frequently, students will take the first exam for a class to see how they do with the time and setting allowed for the exam while subsequent exams they may ask for accommodations. Additionally, there are many things that can impact the way a person functions related to their disability, such as:

Diagnosis
Adjustment to the disability
Compensatory strategies currently used
Co-occurring issues and diagnosis
Environmental issues
Treatment, therapy, and medications
Waxing and waning symptoms

Because the student did not request an accommodation in one instance does not negate their right to ask for it in another. If you have questions about implementation of accommodation, please reach out anytime to ssd@csusb.edu and our office is here to help!

Can a student with disabilities fail a course?

Yes it is possible to fail a student with a disability, and that is part of access too. The laws mandate access to education, not guaranteed academic success. When an instructor has provided reasonable academic accommodations, and the student does not meet the course requirements, then access for that student includes feedback on performance same as any other student.

Can an instructor forbid a student with a disability from using a recording device in class?

Recording or transcribing classes are common and unobtrusive accommodations for disabled students depending on their needs. To alleviate concerns with sharing instructional content and “intellectual property," SSD asks students to sign a recording agreement that states they will not share or distribute information. Occasionally, classroom discussion reveals items of a personal nature about students. If open discussions tend to reveal personal information, it would be appropriate to ask any students to turn off the recording device during these discussions, provided that the content won't be used for any test, quiz, or other assessed assignment later on.

What is Assignment Extension and Attendance Flexibility and who may use these accommodations?

These are very helpful accommodations that serve students with physical and/or mental health flare ups in their disability-related conditions. The form clarifies exactly how this accommodation works in the nature, style and pacing of your class, and are agreed to by student and professor alike. There are great faculty resource videos on this topic:

If you have additional questions about this or any accommodation, please don't hesitate to reach out to ssd@csusb.edu for further assistance.

What test accommodations are available for students with disabilities?

Test accommodations are individually determined for each student based on the specific impact a student's disability has on the test process. Accommodations can include, but are not limited to, extended time, low-distraction environment, calculator, spell-check, private room, reader, scribe, interpreter, computer, adaptive equipment (screen reader, voice output, CCTV), Braille, large print, breaks, and accessible furniture. The University must provide any accommodation that minimizes the effect of the disability on the testing process if the accommodation does not alter any essential feature of the curriculum and is not prohibitively expensive.

If you have additional questions about this or any accommodation, please don't hesitate to reach out to ssd@csusb.edu for further assistance.

How do students with disabilities become eligible for test accommodations?

Students must provide SSD with detailed documentation that shows the specific ways in which their disability impacts test-taking.

What is a Reduced Distraction Environment?

Reduced Distraction Environment is a test setting that has as few distractions as possible compared to the classroom setting. It can be, but does not have to be, a private room. It should be an environment with reduced noise (no phones, talking, etc.) and reduced distractions like people coming and going. If you need assistance determining whether a specific environment qualifies as low distraction, please contact SSD. Please note: If students are approved for a low distraction environment and extra time, it is not a reasonable accommodation to have the student start the exam in the classroom and then move them to another location to receive extra time. Students are required to take the exam at the same campus where the course is taught. If you have additional questions about this or any accommodation, please don't hesitate to reach out to ssd@csusb.edu for further assistance.

How is extended time fair?

An accommodated test ensures access, because then the test is about knowledge, not about navigating disability related barriers, which sometimes take extra time to navigate. Test accommodations ensure the test is assessing the actual content the instructor taught the student.

Instructors should be aware that there may be times when a student’s accommodation of extended time creates a conflict with other exams, such as during mid-terms and finals. If this is the case, the student or SSD Accommodation Coordinator will contact instructors to reschedule an exam.

If you have additional questions about this or any accommodation, please don't hesitate to reach out to ssd@csusb.edu for further assistance.

Do I still have to honor extra time on exams if I “build extra time into the exam” for all students?

Yes. Accommodations are designed to “level the playing field” or to provide equity opportunities. This is different than all students getting the same thing. Regardless of how you construct your exam with respect to time, students who are eligible for extra time are still guaranteed this right under the law.

Can I deny the student’s exam accommodations if summative information makes the accommodation seem unreasonable to me (i.e., student performs at the top of the class without accommodations or student has poor attendance)?

No. Using summative information as justification to deny an exam with accommodations is not legally justifiable. Reasonable accommodations are a civil right, not a privilege. If you have additional questions about this or any accommodation, please don't hesitate to reach out to ssd@csusb.edu for further assistance.

How can I accommodate students on pop quizzes?

Instructors may find it challenging to provide testing accommodations recommended for students with disabilities for pop quizzes due to scheduling conflicts, the nature of testing accommodations needed by the student (i.e., assistive technology, extended time, distraction-reduced setting, etc.), or the need for prior arrangements if the student would typically be taking the quiz at SSD. Students have a right to reasonable accommodations and instructors have a right to evaluate learning. The goal of accommodating a pop quiz is to ensure reasonable accommodations and maintain the integrity of the evaluation process, such that the accommodation does not fundamentally alter the evaluation process.

Possible strategies to accommodate pop quizzes:

Schedule confidentially the dates for pop quizzes ahead of time with SSD so student may test with accommodations
Offer a substitute assignment.
Evaluate the purpose of pop quizzes
Set regular dates for quizzes so the student and instructor can plan for and accommodate needs
Use the campus learning platform for quizzes; assign quizzes to be taken at specific times and for a specific length of time (keeping in mind that some students with disabilities have extended time on exams as an accommodation).

If you have additional questions about this or any accommodation, please don't hesitate to reach out to ssd@csusb.edu for further assistance.

Do I have to approve retroactive accommodations?

Students have the right to request disability-related accommodations at any time. Accommodations begin when the student is determined eligible for services. Instructors are not required to honor accommodations retroactively.

Can I deny an accommodation?

No one person can deny accommodations because students always have the right to due process in a denial. Most accommodations are made to be very low impact on professors. If you feel you are struggling in providing an accommodation please reach out to our office right away so we can help you.

If you have additional questions please don't hesitate to reach out to ssd@csusb.edu for further assistance.