Instructors/Staff | Services for Students with Disabilities

The Services for Students with Disabilities office (SSD) is pleased to announce the implementation of Accommodate, a core electronic case management system that will assist students, faculty, instructors, and staff in requesting, approving, and implementing disability-related accommodations.

Instructor/Staff Accommodate Instructions

SSD engages in a collaborative process that is responsive to the needs of each individual as advised by the Americans with Disabilities Amendments Act of 2008 (ADAAA). During a Welcome Meeting, the student communicates their lived-experience and any academic barriers they face to their SSD coordinator. The coordinator will then follow the department’s process to explore the disability-related accommodation requests made by the student. During the exploration process, SSD will evaluate the unique attributes and requirements of the course, program, or activity. Course modifications, auxiliary aids, or services that are ineffective or constitute a fundamental alteration will not be reasonable and therefore will not meet the ADA and Section 504’s minimal standards.

Instructors/Staff are obligated to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and state and local requirements regarding individuals with disabilities.

We use a system called Accommodate to centralize accommodations implementation and communication. The system is tied to the the official course information in M-Pathways Curriculum.
- Updates occur overnight. Only courses with a student that is affiliated with our office are imported into Accommodate. If you do not see a course listed, it is because there is not a student affiliated with SSD.
- If you see a course but no students are listed, this is because a student has not chosen to request accommodations for your course, has not completed the process, or is not currently eligible for accommodations. No action needs to be taken.
Instructors associated with the course will receive an email alerting them when a new accommodation letter is received from a student and will log in to Accommodate to view Accommodation Letters for students.
- GSI/Course Coordinators who are officially associated with the course, regardless of role, will have access to Accommodate to view Accommodation Letters. When logging into the system and prompted, GSI's should select "Faculty/Staff" in order to access information for the course.
Instructors/Course Coordinators can view/download a full course list of students and approved accommodations from a central portal for each course within Accommodate.
Instructors should check their course roster in Accommodate when added to a new course or starting the semester as they will not receive letters for students that were processed before being added to the course.
- It is not necessary to reach out to SSD to request the letter be resent unless a student has an accommodation that indicates to "see the accommodation letter".
Accommodations are a part of the student's record and therefore protected under FERPA. Instructors should forward Accommodation Letters on a need-to-know basis to anyone responsible for arranging student accommodation who is not listed as an instructor for the course.

Instructors and staff can learn more about Accommodate through our online tutorials, scheduling a meeting with a coordinator, or reaching out to our office directly at [email protected] or 734-763-3000.

Services for Students with Disabilities recommends the following syllabus statement:

The University of Michigan recognizes disability as an integral part of diversity and is committed to creating an inclusive and equitable educational environment for students with disabilities. Students who are experiencing a disability-related barrier should contact Services for Students with Disabilities https://ssd.umich.edu/; 734-763-3000 or [email protected]). For students who are connected with SSD, accommodation requests can be made in Accommodate. If you have any questions or concerns please contact your SSD Coordinator or visit SSD’s Current Student webpage. SSD considers aspects of the course design, course learning objects and the individual academic and course barriers experienced by the student. Further conversation with SSD, instructors, and the student may be warranted to ensure an accessible course experience.

Student Concerns

Instructors who are concerned about a Student's wellbeing should contact the Dean of Students office. DOS staff members are available to individually support students and help manage any disruptions to their Michigan experience.