The University of Iowa

Under the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, instructors must make reasonable accommodations for students who have physical, mental, or learning disabilities. [See also the University's Office of Equal Opportunity and Diversity, and their guide "Assisting Students with Disabilities." ]

A student with a disability is responsible for requesting accommodations. It is important that instructors help students preserve their privacy and maintain the confidentiality of student records, including records of disability accommodation. In order to help preserve students' privacy, instructors are required to make the following announcement during the first class meeting and to include it on the syllabus:

"I would like to hear from anyone who has a disability which may require seating modifications or testing accommodations or accommodations of other class requirements, so that appropriate arrangements may be made. Please contact me during my office hours."

An adviser or instructor who believes that a student's academic performance has been affected by an undiagnosed learning disability may wish to talk with the student (again, in a manner that preserves the student's privacy) and possibly refer the student to the Office of Student Disability Services for formal assessment.

College policy permits students with specific learning disabilities to complete components of the General Education Program with accommodations, including completion of the Foreign Language component of the General Education Program without completing language courses.

In order to receive accommodations, students must contact Student Disability Services (3101 Burge Hall, 335-1462) and obtain a Student Academic Accommodation Request form (SAAR) [See sample copy ]. The form will specify what course accommodations are judged reasonable for that student. An instructor who cannot provide the accommodations specified, or who has concerns about the accommodations, must contact the Student Disability Services counselor who signed the request form within 48 hours of receiving the form from the student.

Some examples of course-related accommodations are

• allowing extended, but not unlimited, time for completion of examinations;
• allowing examinations to be written in a quiet, low-stimulus environment;
• permitting the use of dictionaries during in-class writing assignments;
• using alternative methods to assess mastery of course content (e.g., narrative tapes instead of journals);
• allowing papers to be proofread for spelling and grammatical errors;
• providing specially trained tutors for course content;
• using computer software to assist in the completion of assignments (e.g., spell check, computer-based adaptive devices);
• allowing the use of taped materials and resources to assist the student in reading, listening, and speaking;
• allowing students to dictate essays to a scribe.

See also the section on Test Modifications for Students with Disabilities, in the section of this webpage on Examinations policies and procedures.

Students with complaints about disability accommodations must follow the procedures outlined in the Student Academic Handbook, part IX (Student Complaints Concerning Faculty Actions).