Students with Disabilities
Accommodating Students with Eligible ADA
(Americans with Disabilities Act)
ADA Accommodation Requirements
Students who have been certified for specific accommodations by the ODSSS must present an official ADA notification of accommodations letter from the ODSSS to their instructor of record. No other form of notification is acceptable. An ADA notification of accommodation letter is required for each course in which a student is seeking an approved ADA accommodation. The ADA notification of accommodation letters must be course-specific and are valid only for one semester.
ODSSS approved ADA accommodations are not retroactive. They are applicable from the date the ADA eligible student presents his or her ADA accommodations notification letter to the instructor of record. In addition, ADA Self-Identification Forms may be obtained by students from the Office of the Dean and the EEO Designee for each school and college. Students must complete the Form and submit it to the ODSSS. No other individual in a school or college is authorized to receive the Form.
Once the ADA notification of accommodations letter is presented by the student to the instructor of record, the instructor is required to adhere to the stipulated and mandated ADA accommodations(s). Instructors must provide the indicated accommodations.
Instructors, who encounter difficulty in responding to students’ ADA requirements, should immediately contact the ODSSS and the Dean of their respective school or college. Instructors may not discuss with students questions that they may have about the existence, nature or severity, or appropriateness of ADA related accommodations. Such concerns must be addressed to the instructor’s Dean or Dean’s designee or to the Dean of Special Student Services for resolution.
Faculty members may not discuss or negotiate approved ADA accommodations with ADA eligible students and must maintain the confidentiality of students’ rights to receive ADA accommodations. Faculty members should not discuss students’ rights to ADA accommodations in the context of a course or any other environment.
When properly notified, faculty members who fail to adhere to the University’s ADA compliance policies and procedures, including failing to provide ADA eligible students with officially approved ADA accommodations, will be subject to sanction and other appropriate action by the University.
Howard University is committed to providing an educational environment that is accessible to all students. In accordance with this commitment, students in need of accommodations due to a disability should contact the Office of the Dean for Special Student Services for verification and determination of reasonable accommodations as soon as possible after admission to the University, or at the beginning of each academic semester.