Information for Faculty & Staff
Both University of Toronto policy and the Ontario Human Rights Code place a clear duty on faculty and staff to accommodate students with disabilities in the provision of educational services. The University of Toronto recognizes that excellence can be achieved only through recognizing and dealing with the barriers that prevent excellent students from full participation in the academic experience of the University.Most barriers for students with disabilities can be overcome with planning, flexibility and input from the students themselves. Resources and assistive devices available through Accessibility Services are making it easier for the University to provide the full range of opportunities to students with disabilities. In most cases, minor adjustments in teaching and assessment methods are required to complement the services students can take advantage of on their own.
In some cases, significant accommodations will have to be made. In addition to creating an opportunity for the particular student, any changes you make to the physical facilities will pave the way for future students who might require similar accommodations. Over time, fewer and fewer changes will have to be made.
Occasionally, minor inconveniences to you or other students will result from the accommodation strategies implemented but these will generally be outweighed by the advantages of having all students, regardless of their disabilities, participate fully in the course.
There are benefits for everyone.
Many of the changes you make to accommodate a student – for example, speaking more clearly, or keeping aisles cleared in labs – will benefit more students than simply those with disabilities.