Faculty Resources

myDRS Faculty Portal

Faculty can view and support accommodations for students in their class by logging into the myDRS faculty portal.

• View a myDRS Video Tutorial on the faculty portal

Working with DRS

• Frequently asked questions
• Faculty responsibilities in the accommodation process
• Specific UW accommodation information
• Faculty Response Timeline
• Accommodation reconsideration process

Working with Students with Disabilities

• Supporting students with disabilities at the UW 
• DRS Syllabus Statement
• Tips for engaging with different disabilities
• Deaf and Hard of Hearing Resources for Faculty
• This is How Blind and Visually Impaired Individuals Use Technology

Universal Design for Learning

• UDL on Campus: Universal Design for Learning in Higher Education
• Video of Equal Access: Universal Design of an Academic Department (10 mins)
• Universal Design in Higher Education Promising Practices
• When we design for disability, we all benefit Elise Roy TED Talk
• Plain Language and Inclusive Document Design
• UW Canvas Course Template
• How Design for One Turns Into Design for All 

Online Course and Digital Document Accessibility

The mandate to have accessible courses is clear:

• Why technology and materials need to be accessible

But what accessibility in an online environment mean? Do you use Canvas, Blackboard, Catalyst or another Learning Management System? Following DRS’s Online Course Accessibility Checklist is a basic strategy to ensure online course content is accessible. More advanced levels of accessibility can be achieved through consultation with DRS. Want to hear what other faculty have done? Check out these articles: Online Accessibility a Faculty Duty and Views of a Faculty Member: Accessibility From Where I Stand. Courses at the University of Washington need to be accessible to all students. For information how to make accessible word documents and PDFs, please refer to the UW Accessibility webpage.

• Do you use Canvas, Blackboard, Catalyst or another Learning Management System? Following DRS’s Online Course Accessibility Checklist is a basic strategy to ensure online course content is accessible and check out this 30 min video about Canvas’s perspective on accessibility
• Courses at the UW need to be accessible to all students, why you ask: Why technology and materials need to be accessible
• How to make accessible word documents, PDFs, and videos please refer to the UW Accessibility webpage but for quick basic conversions check out the Free Online Document Conversion Tool.
• Accessible websites are possible! Check out Accessibility Guidelines for United Nations Websites.
• 7 Steps to Creating an Accessible PowerPoint Slideshow (Perkins School)
• 10 Tips for Creating Accessible Online Course Content (3Play Media)
• 4 Things to make Word Docs Accessible – Windows
• 4 Things to make Word Docs Accessible – Mac

Academic Literature Related to Working with Student with Disabilities

• The Chronicle of Higher Education
  • Are You Being Rigorous or Just Intolerant? How to promote mental health in the college classroom
  • Diversity in Academe: Disability on Campus
  • Serving Neurodiverse Students
  • The 21st-Century Academic
  • Autism as Academic Paradigm
  • Commentary: How Colleges Silence Eccentrics
  • Why We Dread Disability Myths
• Parker Palmer: The Courage to Teach: Exploring the Inner Landscape of a Teacher’s Life
• Combat to Classroom:  Veteran Affairs training guide on serving veterans who are transitioning to college
• The Nexus of Autism and Title IX

Additional UW Campus Disability Resources

The Access Technology Center (ATC) serves users with disabilities, allowing full use of campus computing resources. ATC staff provides accessibility consultations and instructs users in accessible hardware and software basics.

The Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) is dedicated to advancing innovation and sharing expertise on teaching and learning across the UW campus. CTL works with individual instructors, departments, units, and communities of practice, to disseminate evidence-based research on teaching, learning, and mentoring.

DO-IT (Disabilities, Opportunities, Internetworking, and Technology) promotes the use of computer and networking technologies to increase independence, productivity, and participation in education and employment.

Healthy Huskies Initiative Faculty & Staff Wellness Guide for Students is a resource to promote individual and community wellness while informing individuals of access to the programs and services they need.

Title IX/ADA Coordinator Office: Program provides University-wide compliance support to facilitate equal opportunity and ensure compliance with relevant University policies and local, state, and federal laws.