Faculty and Staff Guidelines
Xavier University of Louisiana is committed to providing equal opportunity to higher education for academically qualified students without regard to a disability. Students and Faculty at Xavier University are encouraged to become familiar with their rights and responsibilities.
The Faculty of Xavier is committed to the retention of students while promoting academic success. Students are recruited to the university with the understanding that the Faculty is responsive to their needs and will provide reasonable accommodations. Providing reasonable accommodations is a cooperative effort between Xavier’s Faculty and The Office of Disability Services (ODS).
These guidelines are designed to help Xavier’s Faculty understand how accommodations work and what parts of the accommodation process they are responsible for. The information in this guide is separated into sections based on accommodation type.
General Information
OFFICE OF DISABILITY SERVICES (ODS)
The Office of Disability Services (ODS) has the responsibility for administering, reviewing, maintaining, and supervising a variety of support procedures and services for students in accordance with state and federal laws. When appropriate, ODS provides oral and sign language interpreters, note takers, taped textbooks, assistance in working with instructors, or equipment loans. Faculty and ODS staff work cooperatively to decide when adjustments to academic requirements, testing formats and substitution of classes may be necessary.
NON-DISCRIMINATION POLICY
Federal and state laws prohibit discrimination on the basis of disability. It is the intent of the University’s Disability Advisory Committee that Faculty of Xavier go beyond legal requirements in fostering an atmosphere of enhanced learning. The Vice President of Student Affairs established the University Disability Advisory Committee as an advisory committee to recommend policy and procedures on disability issues.
STUDENT RESPONSIBILITIES
From their initial contact with Xavier, students with disabilities who need accommodations should contact the ODS office. It is the student's responsibility to acquire information concerning technological accommodations, resources on campus for parking, housing services and Student Health Services. Students are responsible for providing documentation, making timely requests for services and communicating with their professors regarding accommodations specific to the course.
DOCUMENTATION OF DISABILITY
Assistance is available to students whose disabilities have been documented by the appropriate professional and in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Disability verification is solely the responsibility of the ODS office. The student is responsible for providing appropriate documentation. Faculty should not be involved in the process of documenting a disability. As a faculty member, you can assist students by directing them to ODS's resources, thereby easing the student's adjustment and assuring a more positive early university experience. If you do receive a letter from ODS, the student's disability has been documented.
Faculty and Staff Responsibilities
CLASS SYLLABUS
Please be sure that your syllabus contains this statement:
Accommodations for students with disabilities are determined and approved by The Office of Disability Services (ODS). If you, as a student, believe you are eligible for accommodations but have not obtained approval please contact ODS immediately at 504-520-7607 or at disabilityservices@xula.edu. ODS notifies students and faculty members of approved academic accommodations and coordinates implementation of those accommodations. While not required, students and faculty members are encouraged to discuss details of the implementation of individual accommodations.
Please bring the ODS syllabus statement to the attention of your students at the first-class meeting.
NOTIFICATION EMAIL FROM ODS
Faculty will receive an email from ODS identifying appropriate accommodations for the student. Please review the email, submit any requested information, and consider the impact of the accommodations in the context of your class. Discuss any questions or concerns you have with our office.
CONFIDENTIALITY
Information concerning a student's disability should be disclosed only to those with a legitimate "need to know." Sharing of information with other faculty and staff needs to be balanced with the student's interest while maintaining their privacy. Further disclosure should only be made with the express permission of the student or in consultation with appropriate ODS staff. Please do not discuss a student's disability or need for accommodations in front of other students.
WEB ACCESS
All course web pages must be constructed in an accessible format. Web pages need to be accessible across multiple platforms (text-to-speech software, screen readers, screen enlargers etc.). If media is embedded into pages, descriptive text or captioning must also be provided.