Faculty Resources

Recommended Instructor Syllabus Statement

As you make preparations for your classes, please consider adding a syllabus statement (see sample below) that supports ensuring access for students with disabilities. ODS staff members are available to answer any questions you may have about academic accommodations or disability-related services.

Sample Syllabus Statement

Students who are interested in discussing disability-related accommodations can begin the process by registering with STCC’s Office of Disability Services (ODS) at: https://www.stcc.edu/resources/academic-support/ods/register/. Once registered, an ODS Counselor will review the disability documentation and reach out to schedule an intake appointment to discuss any challenges in the educational setting along with accommodation requests.

For additional information, please contact ODS at 413-755-4785 or via email at disability_services@stcc.edu.

Faculty Roles, Rights, and Responsibilities

While the instructor’s responsibility is to ensure their learning environment is accessible, students with disabilities are responsible for requesting accommodations when needed. Faculty must maintain student confidentiality and cannot disclose that a student has a disability or is registered with ODS.

Faculty Rights

Faculty members have a right to:

  • Establish and maintain the academic standards for their course.
  • Hold all students to the same essential course requirements and classroom conduct.
  • Receive additional information from ODS regarding any approved accommodation for their course(s), along with information on how to assist with implementing approved accommodations
  • Question a specific accommodation request if the nature of the request would alter the essential requirements of a course. Reach out to ODS at disability_services@stcc.edu for further assistance.
  • Award grades appropriate to the level of the student’s demonstration of mastery of the material.
  • Deny an accommodation if a student has not officially requested and been approved for the accommodation via ODS and has not provided an accommodation letter to the instructor.

Faculty Responsibilities

Faculty members have the responsibility to:

  • Provide the accommodations listed on the student’s accommodation letter.
  • Ensure the privacy of information regarding students with disabilities. Any conversation with a student about accommodations should be conducted with discretion and in private.
  • Provide handouts, videos, and other course materials in accessible formats upon request.
  • Refer a student requesting accommodations to ODS if formal notification has not been received regarding accommodations from ODS.

About the Office of Disability Services

Springfield Technical Community College (STCC) adheres to Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990, and the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act (ADAAA) of 2008 which states that "no qualified individual with a disability shall, solely based on their disability, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or otherwise be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity in higher education."

Postsecondary institutions must provide reasonable accommodations based on students’ disabilities and individual needs, when requested to avoid discrimination. In providing academic accommodations, colleges and universities do not eliminate or lower essential requirements that would result in a fundamental alteration of the programs or activities being offered or imposing an undue burden on the institution.

The Office of Disability Services (ODS) role is to ensure equal access to the educational opportunity for students with disabilities. ODS provides accommodations, services, and auxiliary aids to students with disabilities.

ODS works with faculty to preserve equal access to course content and materials while maintaining the academic integrity of each course.

The Office of Disability Services enforces Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Section 504) and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (Title II), which prohibit discrimination on the basis of disability. Every school district and nearly every institution of postsecondary education in the United States is subject to Section 504 or Title II. Entities covered by these civil rights laws have an obligation to comply with legal requirements and to carry out their programs and activities in a manner that does not discriminate on the basis of disability.

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