By Jeremy Zhe-Heimerman, Assistant Director of Disability Resources
Faculty Senate has been updating syllabus statements in the Faculty Handbook, so we thought it would be a good time to revisit the disability statement. In creating a new statement, we were interested in:
- Couching the statement in the College’s commitment to its core values of equity and inclusive excellence rather than on the need to comply with federal law;
- Keeping the statement clear and simple for students;
- Ensuring that the statement follows the Office of Civil Rights decisions noting that the Disability Resources must determine eligibility and accommodations;
- Communicating to students who choose to not affiliate with the Disability Resources Office;
- Empowering faculty who wish to have conversations with students and adapt course design on their own;
- Putting the focus on addressing barriers in a course that might hinder several students rather than placing a focus on a student’s disability.
We also wanted to ensure that students and faculty were actively involved in shaping the statement, as this is something that will appear on their syllabi for years to come. As such, the Disability Resources Advisory Committee, made up of students, faculty, and professionals, reviewed and made many changes to the first draft. The entire faculty then had the opportunity to review that draft and suggest changes to the Faculty Senate Educational Policy Committee, who made additional alterations. Final minor edits were then made in Faculty Senate before it was adopted unanimously on April 8.
We will be emailing reminders to faculty of the new statement before the upcoming summer session and again before the fall semester. The new statement reads:
As part of SUNY Cortland’s commitment to a diverse, equitable, and inclusive environment, we strive to provide students with equal access to all courses. If you believe you will require accommodations in this course, please place a request with the Disability Resources Office at disability.resources@cortland.edu or call 607-753-2967. Please note that accommodations are generally not provided retroactively so timely contact with the Disability Resources Office is important. All students should consider meeting with their course instructor who may be helpful in other ways.
