Faculty & Staff

Students who qualify for academicaccommodations receive an electronic Accommodation Notification letter. Electronic Accommodation Notifications have replaced our traditional "Blue Card". The electronic Accommodation Notification is emailed to students who are registered with the Disability Services office. Students can either print it or email it to their faculty. Please continue to honor the MSU "Blue Card" for students who do not have an electronic Accommodation Notification.

Below is an example of an Accommodation Notification:

 

Each faculty and student should discuss how the adjustments/modifications will be implemented in the classroom, in the laboratory, and in the field. If there are potential barriers to accessing materials, activities and assessments, or if there is a safety concern, faculty should contact a staff member at ODS to begin an interactive process to consider alternatives that will allow full participation and access.

Students with disabilities must maintain the same responsibility for their education as students who do not have disabilities. This includes following student conduct and instructional guidelines.

The Disability Services office strongly encourages faculty members to put the following statement in their syllabus: 

"If you are a student with a disability and wish to use your approved accommodations for this course, contact me during my office hours to discuss. Please have your Accommodation Notification available for verification of accommodations. Accommodations are approved through the Disability Services office located in 137 Romney Hall, and can be reached at 406-994-2824 or disabilityservices@montana.edu." 

• Whenever possible, provide written directions, explanations and demonstration summaries to supplement orally presented information.
• Consider posting PowerPoint lecture materials on D2L/Canvas, either prior to or immediately after class.
• If using lecture capture software, ensure that the material is being captioned.
• Consider students with physical disabilities when planning fieldwork or supplemental activities. These should be accessible to every student in the course.
• For some students with disabilities, iClickers are difficult to use and may not allow them to demonstrate mastery of classroom content. Provide alternative ways for students to respond.
• Hearing Impairments: Deaf or hard of hearing students typically access lectures, classroom discussions and activities, and exam instructions in three ways:
  • Sign Language Interpreters: ODS does not staff interpreters but rather contracts with professional interpreters to provide access. You will be contacted by the student and interpreter before the start of the semester and may be asked to provide a copy of your syllabus and the textbook, if an extra copy is available.
  • Remote Captioning: You will be asked to wear a lapel microphone. The student uses their personal device to contact the captioning service via Skype or Google Talk, and a trained transcriptionist types the lecture content in real time. The student is able to immediately read what is being spoken and receives a transcript of the lecture after class.
  • FM Unit: Again, faculty are asked to wear a microphone which is paired with an amplification device that the student wears in their ear or around the neck. It is important to pass the microphone when there are questions or discussions, or to repeat the question for the benefit of the hearing-impaired student.
• Blindness or Low Vision
  • Many students use screen reading software that allows them to hear anything that is on a digital screen. Check with the student to ensure your materials are working properly with their software.
  • New, black markers are most easily read on white boards.
  • ODS or the Renne Library staff can assist with enlarging materials with proper notice.
• Incorporating Universal Design principles to your teaching benefits all students.
• ODS can consult or assist your course preparation/presentation at any time.

Academic Technology & Outreach	ATO builds and maintains MSU's classroom and eLearning ecosystem. ATO provides technology and support for faculty and students engaged with online learning and provides technical support and strategic planning for the campus' instructional technology infrastructure.
Accessibility & Assistive Technology in the Library	This page provides general information on accessibility services, assistive technology, and the accessibility of the library building and collections.
Center for Faculty Excellence	The Center for Faculty Excellence develops and provides experiences, opportunities, and resources that support the growth of faculty in achieving excellence in teaching, research/scholarship, and service.  The Center supports all MSU faculty, across all career stages.
Course Reserves Service	The Library's Course Reserves Service allows instructors to have books, films, sound recordings and other physical items, either owned by the library or provided by themselves, for students in their classes to check out at the Library Service Desk. The Library also offers a course related scanning service in which they will scan course materials into accessible digital formats for faculty for uploading into the campus Canvas.
Faculty & Instructor Neurodiversity Resources - Library	A guide that compiles information about accessibility and instruction best practices for neurodiverse needs.
Guide to Inclusive Teaching	By implementing inclusive teaching practices, faculty can create learning environments where all students feel a sense of belonging and can achieve their highest potential. These tips provide instructors with support for creating inclusive learning environments.
Open Education Resources	Open educational resources (OER) are materials that have been published under an open license to open educational resources to allow teaching and learning to happen without cost barriers.
Teaching & Learning Technologies	Teaching and Learning Technologies supports students, instructors, and administrators by creating and maintaining rich environments promoting active learning. It continually improves existing technologies and enhances learning spaces while exploring educational innovations for the future of MSU's teaching and learning ecosystem.
Universal Design for Learning - Library Accessibility & Instruction Guide	A guide that compiles information about accessibility best practices for instruction, Universal Design for Learning (UDL), tutorials & resources, as well as accessibility of MSU library resources.
University Exam Services	Testing Services supports MSU faculty by providing testing accommodations, alternate time/place ("make-up") exams, and proctoring for MSU online classes. As our capacity allows, any student with instructor permission may use the Testing Services, but all testing is by appointment only (no walk-in or same-day exams). You can navigate to the Professor Module from their Testing Services homepage (linked).

Disability Services offers trainings on disability etiquetteand accommodation implementation. Use the form on the Disability Services Contact Us page to request training.

Reasonable accommodation with respect to employment matters for faculty, staff, and student employees should be coordinated with Human Resources. For more information, visit the Human Resources Disability and Accommodation in Employment page.