For Faculty and Staff

University faculty and staff are essential partners in making sure that all students have equal access to academic success. Access and Inclusion are shared responsibilities for the entire university community.

Disability Defined

A disability is any type of physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or moremajor life activities and lasts at least six months.

As a result, students registered with our office receive services and accommodations directly related to their disabilities in an effort to make USC accessible. Accommodations vary based on individual needs.

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990, As Amended, protect students with disabilities from discrimination that occurs as a result of attitudinal barriers, misconceptions, and/or failure of the institution to provide appropriate services, or accommodations (such as extended time for exams, notetaking accommodations, and educational materials in alternate formats (e.g., PDF with searchable text, print enlargement, Braille, etc.). and auxiliary aids (such as qualified interpreters, video/ audio captioning, materials in alternate formats)

Types of Disabilities We Accommodate

Students registered with the Student Disability Resource Center have disabilities including, but not limited to:

ADD/ADHD
Learning Disabilities
Mental Health (depression, anxiety, PTSD, etc.)
Deaf/ Hard of Hearing
Blind or Low Vision
Autism Spectrum Disorder
Chronic Medical Illness
Mobility Concerns
Food Allergies

Determining Accommodations

SDRC determines appropriate classroom accommodations for students by engaging in an in-depth interactive process by:

reviewing the student’s submitted application,
reviewing the students submitted disability documentation,
engaging in an extensive orientation with the student in regards their disability and how it impacts the student in the learning environment,
working with students to ensure they are trained on how to utilize their accommodations,
directing the student to orientation and accommodation related information on the SDRC website, and
providing an assigned Coordinator, along with available SDRC staff to assist students with any issues, problems, concerns, or clarification needs,

Accommodations Provided

Accommodations are individualized to a student’s needs, therefore it is difficult to identify specific accommodations for specific conditions. Disabilities, symptoms, and treatments impact students differently. What may be deemed a reasonable accommodation for one student may not be reasonable for another.

Accommodations provided can be, including but not limited to:

Exam Accommodations
Note-taking Assistance
Alternate Formats of Class Materials
Sign Language Interpreting
Housing Accommodations (In collaboration with University Housing)
Dining/ Meal Plan Accommodations (In collaboration with the campus
Temporary Conditions and Injuries (TCI) Coordinator)
Assistive Technology
Auxiliary Aids
and Other Services for accessibility and inclusion in campus events outside of the classroom.

Assisting Students

If a student discloses they have a disability, or you suspect they do, encourage the student to register with the Student Disability Resource Center in order to explore receiving accommodations. Students may register at any time throughout the term. Complete our student referral form if you sense a student may benefit from accommodations.

Student Disability Resource Center