Accessibility Support Contact for Faculty
Faculty seeking assistance with accessibility of course materials may contact the Office of Faculty Development and Instructional Technology (OFDIT) for support.
Email: facultysupport@sps.cuny.edu
Website: SPS Faculty Community Hub: Accessibility and Universal Design for Learning
Academic Adjustments and Accommodations
Academic adjustments, often called accommodations, are modifications intended to allow students with disabilities equal access to academic programs. The Office of Student Disability Services is responsible for confidential review of disability documentation and engaging students in an interactive process to determine appropriate accommodations. CUNY Policy encourages collaboration among faculty, students, and student disability services staff to implement student accommodations on an individual basis.
If a student discloses a disability, offers to provide clinical documentation, or requests disability accommodations without a formal letter from our office, kindly direct your student to contact DisabilityServices@sps.cuny.edu for assistance.
Accommodation Letters
Each term, usually by the first week of classes, a student with an approved accommodation submits a request through CUNY Accommodate. Once this request is reviewed and approved by an OSDS staff member, each of the student’s instructors receives the following email notification:
A student in your class has been approved for accommodations by the Office of Disability Services (ODS). An Accommodation Letter for your student has been sent to CUNY Accommodate for you to view.
Instructors may follow the steps below to view accommodation letters sent from students in their current classes. The email notification you receive for each student also contains instructions for accessing accommodation letters.
- Login to CUNY Accommodate with your CUNYfirst credentials
- Navigate to the Accommodation Letters tab
- Select Review to view each letter detailing the student and their accommodations
- Select Courses to view a list of students with accommodations enrolled in your classes.
The University has provided instructional videos and comprehensive guides to familiarize faculty with the new system. Please see below for links and additional information.
In keeping with University guidance, we invite faculty to initiate a process of collaboration with OSDS when implementing a student’s approved accommodations in a particular course. If you have any questions about using CUNY Accommodate or would like to discuss how to best implement student accommodations in your courses, please contact student disability services specialist Amarna Williams at DisabilityServices@sps.cuny.edu.