Course Accessibility Letters
Students with approved academic accommodations are responsible for requesting their faculty course accessibility letters each semester through the Student AIM Portal (SAS data management system). Once requested, the system sends faculty a customized letter outlining approved accommodation details for each student.
Students are also responsible for meeting with their faculty to discuss their access needs and accommodation details. SAS advises students to request their letters and meet with faculty as soon as possible at the beginning of the semester or after being approved.
Accommodations are not retroactive. When students are uncertain of their need for accommodation in a course, SAS advises them that it is better to have the accommodations in place than to rush at the last minute. Faculty are not responsible for providing accommodations before the receipt of a course accessibility letter.
Instructor AIM Portal
Faculty may log into the Instructor AIM Portal to view requested accommodations for each course. Note: You will only be able to view accommodation details for students who requested in AIM to use their approved accommodations in your course.
This portal will also be used to manage some specific accommodations (e.g., attendance flex plan).
Syllabus Statement
Including an accommodations statement in your syllabus will facilitate timely requests for course accessibility letters. It is also best practice to include a statement in your syllabus inviting students to discuss academic needs with you.
Below is a sample statement.
- Access and Accommodations: Rhodes College is committed to creating inclusive, equitable, and accessible learning environments for all students. If you anticipate or experience any barriers to learning in this course, please feel welcome to discuss your concerns with me. If you have a disability or think you may have a disability, you can work with Student Accessibility Services (SAS) to request academic accommodations. Reasonable accommodations are established through an interactive process between you, SAS, and your faculty. For more information, contact SAS@rhodes.edu or call 901-843-3815. If you have already been approved for accommodations through SAS, please share your course accessibility letter with me as soon as possible so we can develop an implementation plan together.
Testing Room
The Testing Room, located in 303 Barret Library, is an optional non-proctored, distraction-limited testing space accessible by fob only to Rhodes students with approved test accommodations.
Faculty choosing to use the Testing Room in the provision of approved test accommodations should review the Testing Room Procedures and the Test Cover Sheet.
Accessible Course Planning
Providing accessible content from the beginning means that no diverse learner will be denied access or experience delayed access while your materials are remediated after the fact. Consider the following:
- Start with the syllabus! Equal Access: Universal Design of Your Syllabus
- Plan early and choose materials that are already available in accessible formats whenever possible (e.g., digital/ePUB, Word, accessible PDF). Such formats benefit auditory learners and students with disabilities who use text-to-speech software.
- Select videos with captions and audio descriptions.
- Create accessible new Microsoft Office content (e.g., Word, PowerPoint, Excel) using Microsoft 365 resources.
- Check previously developed Microsoft Office content using the Microsoft Accessibility Checker. If needed, make necessary edits using the checker, SensusAccess, and/or Adobe Acrobat Pro.
- Contact SAS@rhodes.edu for consultation and resources.
Universal Design
Designing accessible learning environments is essential for ensuring inclusive and equitable academic experiences for all students. Doing so requires proactively planning for the needs of as many diverse learners as possible, not just those of the "average" learner.
The Faculty Room at the University of Washington offers many resources for applying the Universal Design framework in higher education.
- The Center for the Universal Design in Education
- Burgstahler, S. (2020). Creating inclusive learning opportunities in higher education: A universal design toolkit. Harvard Education Press.
- Published books and articles:
Additional Resources
Additional information on accessibility best practices and SAS processes is available in the FacStaff Public Information Student Life Box Folder. Some examples include:
- Academic Access & Inclusion at Rhodes
- Glossary of Accommodations & Disability-Related Terms
- Rhodes SAS 101
- SAS FAQs