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Faculty FAQs

Faculty & Staff

Many faculty members have questions regarding students with disabilities. Oftentimes, they want to treat them fairly while upholding course expectations. Visit the most common FAQs and contact us with any additional questions.

Frequently Asked Questions

No. It is possible that a student with a disability has chosen not to register with the Disability Resource Center (DRC) or may not have met the eligibility criteria for services. In either instance, faculty do not need to provide accommodations for those students.
The DRC is the only office on campus that determines appropriate accommodations. Decisions regarding accommodations are based on documentation provided by the student with a disability, as well as the student's functional limitations.

The student has been encouraged to communicate with you to implement their accommodations in an appropriate and confidential manner (e.g., email, one-to-one before or after class, during office hours, etc.). If you do not hear from the student within a week of receiving this notification, please feel free to reach out to the student or contact the DRC to assist in initiating this conversation.

Please Note: A student can register with the DRC or present their Letter of Accommodations to you at any time during the semester.

No. Documentation stating and describing a student's disability is confidential information. All documentation for registered students is kept within the DRC.
Yes. It is your responsibility to contact the DRC within three business days of receiving an accommodation letter notification and at all times prior to refusal of an identified accommodation.
Accommodations are not retroactive. Students are encouraged to disclose their disability early in the semester so that the necessary accommodations can be implemented and it is the student's responsibility to do so. You are not required to accommodate previous coursework that has been submitted for evaluation.

No. The standards should be the same for all students. However, some students with disabilities may exhibit their knowledge, production or other course expectations differently than their peers.

Accommodations are designed to address those differences and are meant to level the playing field, not provide an advantage over other non-disabled students.

The student with a disability has the same right to fail as anyone else. Work produced by the student should be equivalent to their peers. Accommodations are not a guarantee of academic success. 

Talk privately with the student to discuss your observations. Do not assume that the student's difficulties are a result of a disability, but if through discussion with the student, it appears appropriate to refer the student to one or more campus resources. If the student discloses that they do have a disability, suggest the student contact the DRC to explore options for accommodations.

With their permission, you may also refer a student to the DRC. 

Contact Us

Disability Resource Center

Phone: (910) 962-7555

drc@uncw.edu

DePaolo Hall
Suite 1033

Monday - Friday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Test Proctoring
Monday - Thursday  8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday 8:00 AM - 1:00 PM

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