Accessibility Reminder and Resources to Support Students

Dear Twin Cities faculty and instructors,

As the fall semester winds down, I want to thank you again for all that you have done and continue to do to support our students through what has likely been one of the most challenging semesters in our lifetimes. The COVID-19 pandemic and ongoing racial injustices have deeply impacted our community. I appreciate your creativity, resilience, and especially the understanding that you have extended to your students during these extraordinarily stressful times.

The changes made to grading policies earlier this week highlight that flexibility will continue to be important as we head into finals week, especially for students who are experiencing a range of educational barriers supported by the Disability Resource Center (DRC). The impacts of the pandemic and racial injustices mean that many students who have never requested disability accommodations in the past are now seeking them. Due to the high and increasing volume of students seeking accommodations, the DRC has a wait time of approximately four weeks to meet with an Access Consultant for an initial appointment.

Creating pathways for students to succeed in the midst of these difficult times is our collective responsibility. Please consider providing informal accommodations without DRC letters (see these FAQs for instructors for more information). If you have questions about how to provide informal accommodations, please reach out to a DRC Access consultant via a drop-in consultation.

Looking ahead to spring semester, you may want to consult resources available to help you design accessible courses. In particular, Accessible U includes information about how to create accessible captioned content for videos, online lectures, or similar content, or you can submit a request for media captioning through the DRC Instructor Portal.

I would also ask that you please consider these recommendations developed by the Provost’s Council on Student Mental Health as well as the data and recommendations provided to me by the University Senate Committee on Disabilities Issues. I am also pleased to announce that I’ve convened a task force charged with engaging faculty and instructors who will recommend professional development and best practices in implementing accommodations in the learning environment. I will share more with you as their work progresses, and hope to broadly engage you and many others across the University to make this work successful.

I value all of the work that you are doing in this difficult semester and again want to express my gratitude for your ongoing support for the academic progress and well-being of students and our collective community while continuing to advance your own research, outreach, and service. I hope you also take time to care for yourself and your loved ones during this challenging time.

Sincerely yours,

Rachel T.A. Croson
Executive Vice President and Provost

email sent to all Twin Cities faculty and all instructors assigned to teach in fall 2020 and spring 2021 semesters on December 11, 2020