VIU has a duty to accommodate students with documented disabilities when the disability results in a functional limitation that impacts a student's ability to access his/her educational program. Policy 32.02 Students with a Documented Disability.
For a quick overview of working with Accessibility Services, download our What Instructors Need to Know PowerPoint:
To reduce the need for individual accommodation, please consider your course design from a Universal Design for Learning perspective to maximize access for all types of learners.
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Accommodating Your Students
Instructors can expect to receive "Accommodation Letters" from students. These students have provided Accessibility Services with documentation of a disability, and met with an Access Specialist to determine reasonable accommodations.
- An accommodation is an adjustment in teaching, learning, or evaluation processes that removes or reduces disability-related barriers. Accommodations improve access to the opportunity to learn; they do not guaranty success. Accommodations are determined individually for each student and are linked to the disability-related functional limitations (barriers) identified in the student's documentation.
- Accommodations do not lower academic standards. All students must meet the required learning outcomes for their courses, with or without accommodation.
- Please do not ask students about their diagnosis. This is confidential information.
- Please do not identify a student as a "student with a disability" in front of the class.
- Please contact AccessibilityServices@viu.ca if you have any questions about a student's accommodations, or if you feel they impact your required learning outcomes.