Faculty and staff

We're here to help YOU! 

Course instructors/faculty members are legally required to accommodate students with disabilities. AccessAbility Services (AAS) is here to help you understand your obligations, and to offer services and resources to help you facilitate these accommodations. For more information on roles and responsibilities in the accommodation process, please read the University’s Student Academic Accommodation Guidelines.   

On this page:

Faculty Notification Letters: Informing you of student eligibility for accommodations 

When a student requests an approved accommodation for your course, the instructor(s) listed in Quest will be notified of the accommodation(s) by email in the Faculty Notification Letter (FNL). The FNL also includes a description of the accommodation, so you are aware of the roles and responsibilities in facilitating that accommodation.  Please ensure any teaching assistants or co-instructors leading course, labs or tutorials are aware of these accommodations as well. An FNL may be generated at any point in the term as students may experience a disability, and/or a change in their condition, at any time in the year. 

It is expected that you will accept that the student requires an accommodation, and that you will follow the direction in the FNL accommodation descriptions. If an accommodation interferes with the essential components or objectives of your course, or, if you have concerns or questions about the accommodation, contact AccessAbility Services at access@uwaterloo.ca to be directed to the student's Accommodation Consultant. You may also refer to the University’s Dispute Resolution Process for student academic accommodations.

Faculty Module in the online system: Enabling you to manage your student's academic accommodations 

AccessAbility Services’ online system is used by students and AAS staff to request and manage accommodations. Course instructors can use this same system to manage their course accommodations, through the Faculty Module. This module enables you to: 

  • View a dashboard listing of your students and their accommodations for each of your courses. 
  • Export a list of students by eligibility (e.g., Extra time: 5, 10, 15 minutes per hour, etc.).
  • Receive real-time updates to accommodation plans should it change throughout the term. 
  • Navigate between courses and sections using the Advanced Search Panel option. 
  • Submit and make changes to your Alternative Testing agreement, so AAS can appropriately facilitate your in-person tests on your behalf.  

Watch this quick video on how to use the Faculty Module!

View on YouTube

AccessAbility Services resources: Enabling you to facilitate your students’ accommodations 

Tips for creating an accessible online learning environment

Tips and scripts for referring students to AAS

If a student discloses a disability or medical condition to you:

  1. Offer thanks: Thank them for confiding in you.
  2. Offer help: State that you work closely with AAS to ensure that students with disabilities are appropriately accommodated and supported.
  3. Provide information about AccessAbility Services: Indicate that AAS is the University's centralized office for the provision of academic accommodations for students with a known or unknown disability, illness, or condition. Say that even if they are unsure of whether they qualify for AAS support, an AAS consultant can talk them through next steps, and refer them elsewhere if appropriate.
  4. Make a referral: Ask them if they are comfortable with you referring them to AAS. You can offer to email us on their behalf and CC them on the message.
  5. Maintain their privacy: Indicate that in order to protect their privacy, only AAS can review and store medical documentation.
  6. Follow up: You can follow up with them throughout the term to see how the course, and any accommodations, are meeting their learning needs. This discussion will not be about their specific disability, but rather about how the accommodations and classroom environment are working for them.

If a student is struggling academically and you suspect they may require academic accommodations or support:

  1. Offer hope: Indicate that you have observed that they are experiencing some challenges academically, and that you can want them to get the support they need.
  2. Offer help: State that there are a variety of campus supports and services that are designed to aid a student’s success, including the Writing and Communication Centre, the Student Success Office, and Counselling Service, which are available to all students. Indicate that AAS is another resource if they feel they may need academic accommodations or support.
  3. Provide information about AccessAbility Services: You can indicate that AAS is the University's centralized office for the provision of academic accommodations for students with a known or unknown disability, illness, or condition.. Say that even if the student is unsure of whether they qualify for AAS support, an AAS consultant can talk them through next steps, and refer them elsewhere if appropriate.
  4. Make a referral: Ask them if they are comfortable with you referring them to AAS. You can offer to email us on their behalf and CC them on the message.
  5. Maintain their privacy: Indicate that in order to protect their privacy, only AAS can review and store medical documentation.
  6. Follow up: You can follow up with them throughout the term to see how the course, and any accommodations, are meeting their learning needs. This discussion will not be about their specific disability, but rather about how the accommodations and classroom environment are working for them.

For additional information and examples about referring a student to AAS, refer to Appendix C: Referring to AccessAbility Services of the Student Academic Accommodation Guidelines.

Tips for protecting a student's personal health information (and for protecting yourself as well!)

The Ontario Human Rights Commission has directed all post-secondary intuitions to NOT require students to reveal their private medical information to, or seek accommodation directly from, their professors, course instructors, teaching assistants, etc. This is a measure to protect a student’s personal and private medical health information.

The best approach is for course instructors/faculty members, and academic support staff to not view or accept medical documentation or private health information. It is appropriate for a course instructor, faculty member, and academic support staff to view a UW Verification of Illness Form, provided it does not contain any additional information on the form that includes personal health information.

If you already have collected private medical information from a student, it is important to safely dispose of, or store it:

  • If the student has graduated, withdrawn or gone inactive more than two years ago, shred using the University of Waterloo’s confidential shredding method.
  • If you are in contact with the student, indicate that only AccessAbility Services should be in receipt of their medical documentation for the purposes of accommodation planning. Ask them for consent to send it to AccessAbility Services (Needles Hall North, Room 1401) for appropriate and confidential storage. Please use a sealed envelope, not an internal campus mail re-sealable pouch. While verbal consent is appropriate, you should follow up with an email summarizing your discussion.

For additional information on storing and retaining personal health information, please contact the Secretariat.

Tips and scripts for supporting students with disabilities in the academic setting

If it is essential that you impose a restriction within the academic setting that may be a barrier to a student with a disability (e.g., banning technology or devices)…

  • Include a statement in the course outline or other materials such as this: "If this restriction poses a barrier to learning, or interferes with an approved accommodation, please contact AccessAbility Services."

If there are health and safety concerns that students need to consider prior to participating in the academic setting (e.g., presence of hazardous elements or duties in the environment, protection of safety through experiential learning, etc.)…

  • Indicate that: “In order to support the health and safety of students, those who have a permanent, temporary, or suspected disability/medical condition or pregnancy that may affect their ability to safely participate in/complete academic demands, are asked to contact AccessAbility Services to ensure that appropriate accommodations and preparations have been considered.”

Retroactive accommodation process (during/after course)

If a student requests a retroactive accommodation on the grounds that the delay/failure/omission was disability-related, and you are unsure if the request should be granted...

  1. Offer help: Inform them that retroactive accommodations will be thoughtfully considered.
  2. State AccessAbility Services will be consulted: Inform them that in order to consider retroactive accommodations that are disability related, AAS will need to be consulted and engaged in the process to protect their privacy and ensure they are supported.
  3. Make a referral: Ask them if they are comfortable with you referring them to AAS. You can offer to email us on their behalf and CC them on the message
  4. Maintain their privacy: Indicate that in order to protect their privacy, only AAS can review and store medical documentation.
  5. Follow up: Let them know that you will follow up with them once a decision has been made.

Important note: If a student was not already registered with our office, we will ask them to supply our office with appropriate documentation, or support them in obtaining it. We will then review and vet their documentation and speak with them about the situation. After doing this, we can provide you, or the department, with our recommendations. Factors that are taken into consideration would include the knowledge of disability prior to request (of both student and instructor), the timing of the request, and the quality of documentation. You can then use the information from our office to make an informed decision on whether the student should be accommodated after the fact.

For additional information about Retroactive Accommodations, refer to the Student Academic Accommodation Guidelines.

AccessAbility Services: Collaboratively facilitating your student's accommodations

AAS facilitation of in-person exams that require accommodations

AAS facilitation of alternate format of course materials

  • Timeline requirements to facilitate accommodations

    • Submitting a copy of the syllabus (including a list of all textbooks, course readings, and audio-visual content): Upon request. Note: This can be as early as 4 weeks in advance of the course to arrange alternate production of text books.

    • Submitting PowerPoint presentations, including alternative text and long descriptions (when appropriate): At least 1 business day prior to class.

    • Submitting materials that will be handed out in class: At least 3 business day prior to class.

For additional information about timeline requirements, refer to Appendix D: Course Instructor Timeline Requirements to Facilitate Accommodations of the Student Academic Accommodation Guidelines.

AAS facilitation of Instructor Approved Memory Aid

What is a Memory Aid?

  • It is an accommodation that enables a student with a disability to have an equal opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge in a testing situation.
  • It is a sheet that a student can use during a test to cue or “prompt” information that they have studied and learned.
  • It cannot include complete terms and definitions, facts or information that can alter the academic expectations of the course, or any information that is to be remembered as part of an essential learning outcome or course requirements.
  • It may include keywords, pictures, phrases, acrostics, acronyms etc.

What are the guidelines of a Memory Aid?

  • Must be submitted by the student to the instructor 10 business days in advance of the test for approval or modification (if new content is provided in lecture less than 10-days in advance, the student may submit an updated memory aid no less than 2 business days in advance)
  • Completed on an 8.5 x 11 inch piece of paper, single-sided
  • Can be hand-written or typed in 10-12 point font
  • It should only make sense to the student and should only contain information that the student cannot recall without it. More information on that distinction and some examples are shown in the AAS Memory Aid Guidelines (PDF) and the video below. 

What is the responsibility of the Instructor?

  • To review and approve the submitted memory aid.
  • To submit the Instructor approved memory aid to the AAS Exam Centre aas-exam@uwaterloo.ca no later than 2 business days in advance of the test for provision with the student's test.
  • To contact AAS if this accommodation or the submitted memory aid content is thought to compromise exam integrity and/or not meet the guidelines listed above. Note: If an Instructor approves a memory aid that does not adhere to the guidelines, then the memory aid becomes an instructor approved aid (i.e., is no longer an approved accommodation tool). 

What is the responsibility of the student?

  • To generate the memory aid based on the AAS Memory Aid Guidelines (PDF).
  • To submit the memory aid to instructor for approval 10 business days in advance of the test. If new content is provided in lecture less than 10-days in advance, the student may submit an updated memory aid (for approval of updated content) no less than 2 business days in advance.
  • To only use the memory aid that was explicitly approved by the Instructor.

What is the responsibility of AAS' Exam Centre?

  • In-person test delivery: 
    • To receive the approved memory aid from the Instructor.
    • To provide the memory aid to the student with the test.
    • To return the memory aid to the Instructor via submission with the test.
  • Online test delivery:
    • AAS Exam Centre staff will not be present to verify the use of an Instructor approved memory aid or ensure submission with the test. 
View on YouTube

AAS facilitation of Instructor Approved Formula Sheet

What is a Formula Sheet?

  • It is an accommodation that enables a student with a disability to demonstrate their ability to apply formulas rather than retrieve the formula(e) from their memory.
  • It is appropriate when memorization of a computational formulae is not an essential learning objective of the course.

What are the guidelines of a Formula Sheet?

  • Must be submitted by the student to the instructor 10 business days in advance of the test for approval or modification (if new content is provided less than 10-days in advance, the student may submit an updated formula sheet no less than 2 business days in advance)
  • Completed on an 8.5 x 11 inch piece of paper, single-sided
  • Can be hand-written or typed in 10-12 point font
  • Can contain formulae used in the course
  • Cannot include a description nor specific examples of how formulas are used, nor additional course content outside of formulas. More information and some examples can be found in the AAS Formula Sheet Guidelines (PDF).

What is the responsibility of the Instructor?

  • To review and approve the submitted formula sheet.
  • To submit the Instructor approved formula sheet to the AAS Exam Centre aas-exam@uwaterloo.ca no later than 2 business days in advance of the test for provision with the student's test.
  • To contact AAS if this accommodation or the submitted formula sheet content is thought to compromise exam integrity and/or not meet the guidelines listed above. Note: If an Instructor approves a formula sheet that does not adhere to the guidelines, then the formula sheet becomes an instructor approved aid (i.e., is no longer an approved accommodation tool).

What is the responsibility of the student?

  • To generate the formula sheet based on the AAS Formula Sheet Guidelines (PDF).
  • To submit the formula sheet to the instructor for approval 10 business days prior to the test. If new content is provided in lecture less than 10-days in advance of the test, the student may submit an updated formula sheet no less than 2 business days in advance of the test.
  • To only use the formula sheet that was explicitly approved by the Instructor.

What is the responsibility of AAS’ Exam Centre?

  • In-person test delivery:
    • To receive the Instructor approved sheet from the Instructor.
    • To provide the approved sheet to the student with the test.
    • To return the approved sheet to the Instructor via submission with the test.
  • Online test delivery:
    • AAS Exam Centre staff will not be present to verify the use of an Instructor approved formula sheet or ensure submission with the test.

AAS facilitation of course notes for your lectures

Coming soon!

AAS facilitation of assistive technology support for students

Coming soon!

AAS facilitation of learning strategy support for students

Coming soon!

AAS facilitation of interpreter services for in-person lectures (e.g., American Sign Language interpretation)

Coming soon!

Campus and other resources

Keep Learning

Centre for Teaching Excellence: Accessibility in Teaching

Student Academic Accommodation Guidelines

LEARN Help: Special Access in Quiz

Accessible Campus - Resource for Educators