Students with documented disabilities are accommodated at Grinnell College. Not only is this fair practice but it is required by law. All students seeking accommodations for a disability need to meet with Joyce Stern, Associate Dean and Director of Academic Advising (Joe Rosenfield '25 310-K, x3702) so that she may review their documentation and make decisions about appropriate accommodations. This is the procedure the College has adopted to treat students fairly. If faculty make accommodations directly with the student without consulting this office, equity of treatment across classes and across individuals can come into question.
In summary, the following is the procedure for students to receive academic accommodations:

• Student presents documentation to Joyce Stern and discusses the disability and necessary accommodations.
• Joyce completes paperwork indicating reasonable accommodations, as determined by the conversations and medical documentation. This official paperwork is signed by the student, by the student's adviser, and by Joyce.
• Student receives copies of the official paperwork and delivers these to each of their professors. At that time they will discuss logistics of making necessary accommodations. We encourage students to do this as soon as possible at the beginning of each semester. Please know that according to our policy, arrangements for testing accommodations must be made at least one week in advance of an exam.
• You will be presented with this information on a need-to-know basis. Thus, you are being brought into a very small circle of people who are aware of the student's disability. Please maintain the student's confidentiality and make every effort not to disclose this information to other students or faculty. (For example, this can happen inadvertently in the process of providing an accommodation on an exam.)

If, after receiving official paperwork from the Academic Advising Office, you still question the validity of a student's request, please contact Joyce Stern.

Students seeking accommodation for a disability often find approaching their professors one of the most difficult things they must do, as they fear being stigmatized, especially if this is their first one-on-one encounter with their professor. Please make every effort to encourage students to approach you about any special learning needs. The following are a few suggestions for welcoming statements which could appear on your course syllabi to indicate your willingness to work with students.

If you have specific physical, psychiatric or learning disabilities and require accommodations, please let me know early in the semester so that your learning needs may be appropriately met. You will need to provide documentation of your disability to the Dean for Student Academic Support & Advising, Joyce Stern, located on the third floor of the Joe Rosenfield Center (x3702).

I encourage students with documented disabilities, including non-visible disabilities such as chronic diseases, learning disabilities, head injury, attention deficit/hyperactive disorder, psychiatric disabilities, to discuss with me, after class or during my office hours, appropriate accommodations. You will also need to provide documentation of your disability to the Dean for Student Academic Support & Advising, Joyce Stern, located on the third floor of the Joe Rosenfield Center (x3702).

Grinnell College abides by Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 that stipulates no student shall be denied the benefits of an education "solely by reason of a handicap." Disabilities covered by law include, but are not limited to, learning disabilities and hearing, sight or mobility impairments. If you have a documented disability that may have some impact on your work in this class and for which you may require accommodations, please see me and Joyce Stern, Dean for Student Academic Support & Advising, (x3702) so that such accommodations may be arranged.

Working with Students with Learning Disabilities

"Teaching for Inclusion: Students with Learning Disabilities" from the Center for Teaching and Learning, University of North Carolina

"Teaching for Inclusion: Students with Physical Disabilities" from the Center for Teaching and Learning, University of North Carolina

"The Faculty Room" from Disabilities, Opportunities, Internetworking, and Technology (DO-IT)

Tools for Universal Design in Instruction - a project at the University of Connecticut hosts this website to provide faculty with a broad range of information and tools to enhance the design and delivery of instruction for diverse college students.

Teaching students with non-visible disabilities - Brown University's project to assist faculty at selective institutions to become effective teachers of students with non-visible disabilities. The project is based on the concept of Universal Instructional Design, that developing effective teaching strategies for students with disabilities will enhance the learning of all students. Our goal is to provide on-going leadership and support to other selective institutions as well as create a model that can be adapted and used by other institutions to educate their faculty. The project was funded by the U.S. Department of Education and was a joint venture of Brown University, Columbia University, Dartmouth College, Harvard University, and Stanford University.

Teaching Science and Math
Teaching Science and Math to students with disabilities
John Gardner's Science Education & Visual Impairments
Teaching Math to Visually Impaired Students
Barrier Free Education
National Science Foundation
Strategies for Teaching Blind Students
RFBD Symposium on Access to Math and Science
Math Education and Nemeth Code
Various Links on Math, Science, and Technology for the Blind