Why might you want to attend?

Get ready for a new term by preparing for the interactions you'll have with students about your course and their accommodations. The AEC and TEP offer this session to support faculty and GEs in feeling clear and confident as you approach accommodation-related communication and processes with your students. 

Over the last decade, how we understand accessibility and disability has changed in important ways, including in higher education. Some educators feel understandably uncertain about what language to use when talking with students (or colleagues) about access needs and disability. Simultaneously, the number of UO students who have Accessible Education Center (AEC) accommodations has increased, and instructors are responsible for engaging in accommodation-related communication with a greater number of students than before. 

What will we focus on?

We'll focus on the following, so you leave the session able to:

• briefly summarize recent changes in how we understand disability/accessibility in higher education
• apply knowledge about disability-related language norms and identity as you respond to students
• identify the points of communication you'll encounter as part of the accommodations process, and when to contact AEC
• identify what you might do when a student discloses a disability (or for some reason you believe they may have a disability) but they are not working with AEC

We’ll also explore the questions and challenges that you have encountered in the past, so that we can remain positive partners in making education accessible for all in the future.