L/AC Faculty Handbook Fall 2024​​�​

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Welcome to Pratt’s�Learning/Access Center

The L/AC staff is excited to invite faculty to collaborate in accommodating Pratt students with disabilities.

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To assist the Pratt community in accessing all available resources, we have provided this guide for ensuring accessibility in courses.

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If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us by either email lac@pratt.edu or phone (718) 802-3123.�You can also contact Elisabeth Sullivan, Director, at

(718) 636-37611 or esulliv5@pratt.edu.

Contents

• Accommodation Process
• Starfish and AIM
• Application of Accommodations in the Classroom
• Disability-Related Absences
• Deadline Extensions
• Testing Accommodations
• Note-taking Assistance
• Other Accommodations
• Accommodations in the Studio
• L/AC Communication Guide
• Technology & Tools at L/AC

How Do Students Get Accomodations?

Students seeking accommodations go through the following process:

• Provide documentation of disability (from a licensed provider) to the L/AC

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• Meet with an L/AC advisor for an enrollment meeting to discuss and �determine appropriate accommodations and provide permission for the L/AC to communicate these accommodations to faculty

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• Following the meeting and at the start of future semesters, the Faculty Notification Letter (FNL) is sent to current faculty at student request�(This is confidential and the nature of the disability is not disclosed)​

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Accommodation Process

The L/AC provides a Faculty Notification Letter (FNL) for a student to receive accommodations

• Faculty are strongly encouraged to refer students requesting�accommodations to the L/AC to establish consistent and reasonable accommodations for their time at Pratt

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• There may be occasions when you have concerns about a student and/or the student has made an accommodation request, but they do not have a letter. In these situations, you should refer them to the L/AC through Starfish

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• Professors should not accept documentation of disability directly from a student. Once a student is referred, the L/AC can determine and establish appropriate accommodations to connect the student with additional support services that may be beneficial

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Starfish

Starfish is a student success and retention tool managed by the Student Success Center. It allows faculty to report student needs, and facilitate early intervention and collaboration around student support. 

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Faculty can raise flags and referrals in Starfish to alert key support offices to student academic or well-being concerns, including a referral to the L/AC to assist a student getting connected for accommodations. ��It is often advisable to let students know that you will be raising a Starfish notification. You can review the faculty Starfish guide here. ��If you have questions about Starfish, please email starfish@pratt.edu

AIM

The L/AC has an online platform called Accessible Information Management, or, AIM.�

AIM allows professors to view accommodations and FNL’s for students enrolled in their classes. �

AIM is also the tool the L/AC uses for scheduling accommodated exams at the L/AC offices.

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Please use the instructor portal to get started:�https://teton.accessiblelearning.com/Pratt/instructor

AIM: Instructor Portal Dashboard

Your dashboard displays all L/AC students that are enrolled in your courses

Click “Previous Term’ or “Next Term” to change the semester you’re viewing.

Click “View” to see a student’s accommodations letter (FNL).

If the status reads “Canceled,” this means the student is no longer in �your course.

New AIM Module For Fall 2024!

The L/AC will be rolling out the AIM Alternative Testing module for Fall 2024!� Please contact the Exam Coordinator with any questions or concerns: lac@pratt.edu�

1. If your student would like to take an exam at the L/AC, they can do so by logging into the AIM portal using their Pratt OneKey and navigating to the “Alternative Testing” module. After your student has submitted an exam request, you and the L/AC will receive an email notifying you of the request.�

Click the link at the bottom of the email:�

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AIM: Alternative Testing

2. Log into AIM using your Pratt OneKey to access the Exam Upload and Instruction portal:�

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AIM: Alternative Testing

3. Click the link that says “Upload Exam” to upload the exam file:�

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After, click the button on the bottom right to navigate back to the “Exam Upload and Instruction” portal�

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AIM: Alternative Testing

4. Click the “Exam Instruction” button on the right side and fill out the form:

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AIM: Alternative Testing

5. Once the instructions are filled out, click “Submit Exam Instruction” button. You will receive a confirmation message on the screen. You can now exit AIM

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6. Once your student has completed the exam, you will receive an automated email that the exam has been uploaded to the AIM portal. You can download your student’s exam through the portal

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Application of Accommodations in the Classroom

Reasonable accommodations may require adjustments to how courses are conducted and/or how program requirements can be met. However, reasonable accommodations are not meant to alter the fundamental nature or the essential learning outcomes of the course or program.

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Some accommodations involve more instructor involvement to determine how the accommodations will apply to the course. Students are encouraged to reach out to their instructors once the faculty notification letter has been sent to discuss all of their accommodations. 

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The following accommodations may involve more extensive conversations and are covered in the following pages:

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• Disability-related absences
• Deadline extensions
• Testing accommodations
• Note-taking assistance

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Disability-Related Absences 

• When you see this accommodation it means the L/AC office has documentation on file verifying the student’s disability may result in absences, which would be considered “disability-related absences” �
• The professor should not request additional documentation, such as a doctor’s note, from the student when there is a disability-related absence �
• We encourage students to communicate clearly with their professors if they experience a disability-related absence by emailing the professor (and copying the L/AC advisor) as soon as they realize they will be absent�
• A student should not receive an automatic grade penalty for a disability-related absence. However, a student may miss so much instruction that they are at risk of failing. In these cases, the professor should alert the L/AC of this situation via a Starfish flag or other communication

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Deadline Extensions

Deadline extensions:

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• Students with a variety of disabilities may take longer to complete tasks than the average student, which can lead to the need for an accommodation related to deadlines

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• Students should communicate with their professors regarding any deadline extensions or requests for more time on an assignment or project. We recommend that students email their professors about any such requests and copy their L/AC advisor 

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• If extensions become problematic, professors are encouraged to contact the L/AC advisor with concerns

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Note-taking Assistance

• SmartPen: Some students use SmartPens to take handwritten notes while simultaneously recording linked audio. L/AC lends SmartPens to students

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• Record on phone: Some students audio record lectures and/or video record demonstrations

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L/AC will pursue technology-based note-taking solutions first. However, students may find that notes and materials provided by the instructor can assist with learning �in class. Some options include:

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• Lecture notes or outlines used by the instructor
• Lecture slides with speaking notes or outlines used by the instructor
• Zoom recordings of the lecture (advised to provide the transcript as well)
• Audio recordings of the lecture (advised to provide a transcript as well)

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L/AC can work with faculty to determine best options

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Other Accommodations

Some other common accommodations 

you may see included on FNLs:​

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• Opportunity to take short breaks​�
• Elevator accessible classrooms and field trips​�
• Consideration of alternatives for classroom participation​�
• Alternate format reading materials if requested�​
• Assignment instructions in written format

Accommodations in the Studio

The FNL describes standard classroom 

accommodations for the student. Certain accommodations, such as extended test time, �may not be applicable in the studio setting, and other accommodations may not be feasible. 

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If a professor has any questions or concerns about whether a specific accommodation �will alter the fundamental requirements of a studio course, they should contact the student’s L/AC advisor to engage in an interactive 

discussion of alternatives with the professor and student.

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About Accommodations Between Students & Faculty

L/AC Communication Guide: �Strategies for Effective Communication 

Importance of Communication

• Students appreciate hearing that you support their use of accommodations. A conversation could be in person or via email. �If you need to discuss accommodations with a student in person, �be sure to do so in private. 

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• Communication between professors and students facilitates a mutual understanding of how the accommodations should apply to a class. Discussions about how to implement an accommodation are fine, but if there is an accommodation that you feel is problematic, please contact the L/AC advisor. 

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• The following slides provide a variety of information and resources for faculty and students to facilitate successful communication with each other.

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This guide was partly developed in consultation with existing resources and falls under attribution noncommercial share-alike 4.0 International license. for more information on this Creative Commons license, please consult this link some of the information included in these slides may vary from the original source material. 

Common Faculty Pitfalls

Students with disabilities are diverse and have different lived experiences of their disability. Unexamined stereotypes and attitudes may impact faculty communication with the student, such as:�

• Assigning a heroic status might place a person with a disability on a pedestal, making it difficult for them to assimilate and function

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• The myth of “unfair advantage” often does not take into account that the typical college environment (lectures, exams, etc.) often prevents certain students from showing their true potential

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• The “spread phenomenon” assumes, from a single disabling condition, that there are also other intellectual, social or physical deficits, limiting opportunities for that student

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Successful implementation of accommodations involves the balance 

between the students' needs and the essential elements of the course. 

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Common Faculty Pitfalls (continued)

When discussing accommodations, faculty should avoid the following:�

• Engaging in dialogue around disability specifics (e.g., diagnosis, treatment, �prognosis)�
• Minimizing a student's disclosure, failing to refer them to the L/AC, or advising students against disclosure/using their accommodations�
• Engaging in microaggressions around disability (e.g., outing students to peers, referring to “special accommodations,” indicating that accommodations are burden)

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Students often have little to no experience explaining or expressing their disability-related needs. Many have experienced or witnessed discrimination. The sudden expectation that students with disabilities can now have a conversation with an instructor about their needs and accommodations is sometimes unrealistic. 

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When students are hesitant to discuss accommodations, it should not be viewed as unwillingness or an attempt to gain some unfair advantage. 

Faculty Best Practices

Faculty should observe the following when students disclose their disability:

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• Support the student and affirm their experiences as much as possible�
• Avoid inquiring into too many details around the disability�
• Refer the student to the appropriate offices, most importantly L/AC�

Faculty should include the Institutes’ syllabus statement on reasonable accommodations in their syllabi.

Provost Syllabus Template w/ L/AC Stmt

Faculty Best Practices (continued)

Whenever possible, use a Universal Design approach. This type of support puts the emphasis on making the learning environment a seamless and unobtrusive place for all students, both with and without disabilities. Universal design helps to bring diverse learning styles and perspectives into the classroom and campus environment. While disability-related symptoms and barriers are real, a Universal Design approach embraces opportunities to focus on all students’ strengths, rather than problematizing symptoms and deficits.

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For more information, see the CAST Universal Design Resource: cast.org

Faculty Best Practices (continued pt.3)

Faculty should avoid these common, but often unintentionally hurtful, verbal microaggressions:

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• Using the terminology: “suffers from or confined/restricted to a wheelchair”

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• Referring to “special accommodations” or “accommodated test taker”�
• Questioning accommodations, “They are not going to get extra time in the real world”

• Threats to “out” the student, "If I'm writing you a recommendation letter, I'll need to include the fact that you used accommodations”�
• Using commonplace, albeit potentially offensive phrases such as, “the blind leading the blind” or, “don't have a leg to stand on”

• Attempting to communicate that you “get it,” ”I'm totally OCD about my files!”

• Minimizing: “You have a disability? Which one? It must be mild!”�
• Challenging: “You don't have a disability. You're too bright”�
• Congratulating students for not needing their accommodations

Creating an Accessible Class Experience 

Technology & Tools at L/AC

L/AC encourages and endorses the exploration of technology and different tools �for assisting with a student’s disability-related needs. Some commonly used technologies available from L/AC are:

• SmartPens
• iPads w/ Assistive Apps
• Grammarly Software
• Audio Recorders
• Text-to-Speech Software
• Alternative Text Services ​

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• Accessible Communication
• Services (captioning tools, CART/ASL)​
• Noise-canceling headphones​
• Telepresence Robots for Remote Attendance �& Learning (Kubi)

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Access Staff

• Elisabeth Sullivan, L/AC Director and 504 Coordinator
• Anna Riquier, Associate Director of Accessibility
• Beth Ann Bryant-Richards, Assistant Director 
• Darelle Daniels, Access Coordinator
• Matthew Puvogel, Access Specialist
• Kris Percival, Accommodations Specialist
• Mon Lee, Exam Coordinator