1. Judith Brooder, Manager Student Accessibility Services
Student Wellness and Accessibility Centre
Finding Balance:
Academic Accommodation for Persons with Disabilities and Academic Requirements
Judith Brooder, Manager
Student Accessibility Services

2. Agenda Highlights SAS Accommodation Decision Tree
Student Wellness and Accessibility Centre
Agenda Highlights
SAS Accommodation Decision Tree
Essential Requirements
Communication
Questions

3. Student Accessibility Services
Student Wellness and Accessibility Centre
Student Accessibility Services
Service area within Student Wellness and Accessibility Centre;
Review documentation and assess student needs/requests;
Determine and facilitate appropriate accommodation options;
Provide support services;
Communicate with faculty and staff regarding accommodation provision.

4. Our Collective Role…. Embrace Brock’s commitment to access and equity;
Student Wellness and Accessibility Centre
Our Collective Role….
Embrace Brock’s commitment to access and equity;
Ensure Brock meets its legal duty to accommodate;
Ensure Brock is free from systemic discrimination;
Maintain the academic integrity of university programs.

5. SAS Accommodation Decision Tree
Student Wellness and Accessibility Centre
SAS Accommodation Decision Tree

6. Is There a Disability Impacting Academic Participation?
Student Wellness and Accessibility Centre
Is There a Disability Impacting Academic Participation?
Brock provides accommodations if:
There is a disability present;
There is a disability-related functional limitation;
The functional limitation impacts academic participation at Brock.

7. UDL and Strategy Options
Student Wellness and Accessibility Centre
UDL and Strategy Options
Reduce the need for accommodation by:
Incorporating principles of Universal Design for Learning;
Providing access or referrals to strategy instruction.

8. Appropriate Accommodation
Student Wellness and Accessibility Centre
Appropriate Accommodation
Appropriate accommodation is:
Specific to the functional impact of the disability;
Specific to the academic context.

9. Essential Requirements
Student Wellness and Accessibiilty Centre
Essential Requirements
An essential requirement is:
A curriculum component that is “indispensable, vital and very important” (OHRC);
Rationally connected to the performance of a task;
Adopted in the good faith belief of its necessity;
Demonstrably necessary, to the point of incurring undue hardship.

10. Moving from Reactive to Pro-active
Student Wellness and Accessibility Centre
Moving from Reactive to Pro-active
Pro-active strategies:
Determining essential requirements;
Following principles Universal Design for Learning (UDL);
Communication regarding essential requirements and course design.

11. Communication New features in OASIS Instructor Portal:
Student Wellness and Accessibility Centre
Communication
New features in OASIS Instructor Portal:
Organization by accommodation;
More information about accommodations;
Options for incorporating UDL to reduce the need for accommodations;
Opportunities for faculty discussion regarding accommodations.

12. OASIS Instructor Portal
Student Wellness and Accessibility Centre
OASIS Instructor Portal

13. OASIS Instructor Portal
Student Wellness and Accessibility Centre
OASIS Instructor Portal

14. Student Wellness and Accessibility Centre
Questions

15. Student Wellness and Accessibility Centre
Resources
Brock’s Centre for Pedagogical Innovation. innovation/resources/accessibility/
OHRC Guidelines on Accessibly Education. e_education.pdf
OHRC Policy on Ableism and Discrimination Based on Disability.
Senate Policy on Academic Accommodation for Students with Disabilities, Accomodation-for-Students-with-Disabilities.pdf
Please also visit our Sharepoint page for more information and Faculty Resources: