Instructors

Students with documented disabilities of either permanent of temporary nature (ADHD, ASD, depression, anxiety, broken bone) can register with SAS by submitting the required documentation to sasdocuments@concordia.ab.ca

The duty to accommodate mandate involves CUE, students, and faculty. It is a shared responsibility. As an instructor, you are expected to honor the accommodations set up by the LAS Office, sign all the LAS forms through Faculty Online Services, confirm exam dates, and provide the SAS Exam Administrator with a copy of the exam (when a LAS student submits a request to write with SAS support). Finally, if there are any questions and/or concerns about students accommodations, please reach out to the SAS Advisor (pilar.aguilar@concordia.ab.ca). For questions about LAS exams, please email our SAS Exam Admin (Tracy Aisenstat) at sas@concordia.ab.ca.

• Please check your Faculty Online Portal and sign all the SAS forms that apply to you and your students. Go to Faculty Online Services-Department Resources-SAS.

• Check your inbox for emails from the SAS Office.

 Remember: 

• We do not provide letters to professors. Up-to-date lists of  students’ accommodation details are available on  the  class listings page in Faculty online services. Your can view these details for each of your classes by clicking the “View” link under the “Learning Accommodations” column. 

*Taken from the Government of Alberta website: https://www.alberta.ca/resources-students-disabilities

Overview

Albertans with disabilities have equitable access to adult learning through a process called accommodation.
The goal of accommodation is to remove barriers and obstacles that might prevent a student with a disability from being able to fully participate in a post-secondary program. This can include:

• ensuring physically accessible classrooms

• flexible course delivery and exam formats

• assistive technologies

• individualized services, such as sign language interpreters

Accommodation does not:

• require institutions to lower their learning standards for students with disabilities

• replace the student’s responsibility to develop the skills and competencies needed for their learning program

Disability

A disability can involve one or more impairments, such as:

• physical, including mobility or functional limitations, such as arthritis or a wide range of medical conditions like muscular dystrophy, chronic fatigue syndrome or fibromyalgia

• sensory, including being deaf/hard of hearing or blind

• psychiatric, including depression, anxiety or behavioural disorders or eating disorders

• cognitive, including developmental disabilities, learning disabilities or ADHD

These impairments can be:

• permanent

• temporary

• intermittent

A short-term illness could be a disability if it is:

• chronic, such as a thyroid condition

• recurring, such as severe seasonal allergies

• temporarily affecting your ability to function, such as a cast on a broken leg or a short-term brain injury

Impairments can create learning barriers. If these barriers are not addressed, a student’s disability can affect their full participation in society.

Rights and responsibilities

Students with disabilities and post-secondary institutions play important roles in the accommodation process.

Making your institution aware of your disability increases your access to related services. Every institution offers different types of services, so it’s important to do your research before you apply.

The information you share about your disability is confidential, and managed under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FOIP).

Your rights

You have the right to:

• receive reasonable accommodations

• access services and environments available to all students in the same course or program

• change your accommodations and resources

• determine your own success

Your responsibilities

Students in Alberta’s post-secondary system are adult learners and their own advocates.

This means you choose if you want to:

• disclose your disability to your post-secondary institution or instructors

• request services or accommodations that may be available to you

• use the services offered through your post-secondary institution

You can choose not to disclose your disability to your post-secondary institution or instructors. However, they are not obligated to accommodate your disability if you don’t disclose it.

If you need accommodations, you have the responsibility to:

• make an appointment with the disability service provider at your institution (preferably before classes start)

• make your request in writing, especially if your accommodation needs are extensive

• provide medical information that supports your request for accommodation

• keep track of how your accommodation plan is working

• let the disability services area know if changes to your plan are needed, or if accommodations are no longer required

• learn how the post-secondary system works, including accommodation steps and processes

Your institution’s responsibilities

Every post-secondary institution has a policy for reasonable accommodation. The policy outlines their:

• rules

• standards

• processes

• procedures

Policies should also be shared with and understood by:

• faculty

• staff

• students

You can find your institution’s policy on their website, or by asking them for a copy.

Institutions must also:

• respond to requests for accommodation in a timely way

• document the accommodation process

• consider evidence from medical and other professionals, and ask for other expert advice as needed

• develop an accommodation plan based on your specific needs

• outline appeal processes for students not satisfied with their accommodations