Grad School

How can engineering departments be welcoming and accessible to students with disabilities?

The group of individuals pursuing engineering fields is becoming increasingly diverse with respect to gender, race, ethnicity, learning style, age, disability, and other characteristics. Engineering careers are potentially open to individuals with disabilities because of advancements in assistive technology that provide access to computers and facilitate common engineering tasks such as 3D-printing or Computer Numerical Control machines for fabrication and manufacturing.

A college student needs a computer accommodation to take her exam. How can I ensure the test is properly supervised?

Discuss the exam format, location, supervision options, and time limit with the student and disabled student services staff. You or a teaching assistant could arrange to supervise the test or the disabled student services office could provide a test proctor as an accommodation.

Is it appropriate for me to ask a postsecondary student what type of disability he has?

If a student does not disclose a disability to you, it is generally not appropriate for you to inquire about a possible disability. If a student requests an accommodation, you may ask the student to present appropriate documentation from the campus disability student services office or other designated entity to verify that he has followed your institution's policy for requesting and receiving approval for accommodations. As a staff or faculty member in a postsecondary institution, you are required to provide reasonable accommodations for students with disabilities who request them.

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