Faculty/Staff FAQs

Not sure how to support a student with a disability or accommodation concern? Uncertain when to refer students to SARC, what to say, or how to respond in a supportive and appropriate way? Faculty and Staff referrals are often the first step in helping students access services and succeed at WKU. The SARC referral guide linked below will help you navigate these and other questions:

SARC Faculty Referral Guide

In compliance with University policy, students with disabilities who require academic and/or auxiliary accommodations for this course must contact the Student Accessibility Resource Center (SARC), located in Downing Student Union, Room 1074. SARC can be reached at 270‑745‑5004 [TTY: 270‑745‑3030] or by email at sarc.connect@wku.edu.

The Faculty Notification Letter (FNL) is the official documentation from SARC confirming a student’s registration with our office and outlining their approved accommodations and is meant to be a communication tool between the student and faculty member. Students should provide their FNL to instructors as early as possible and discuss the listed accommodations or services with them, as needed, to ensure understanding and timely implementation. Please do not request accommodations directly from the instructor without first registering with SARC and obtaining your FNL. A complete and signed copy of this FNL must be on file at the SARC. In lieu of a printed copy, the SARC office will also accept (and encourages) correspondence from a faculty member's WKU email. Simply add sarc.connect@wku.edu in email correspondence. If an accommodation is deemed not applicable, or is otherwise not provided to the student, the SARC should be notified in writing (sarc.connect@wku.edu). Reminder: Accommodations are not retroactive. Accommodations listed in the FNL become effective the date the student presents the FNL to the faculty member.

WKU is committed to ensuring equal access for students with disabilities. If you believe you have experienced disability-related barrier to access, you have the right to file a grievance. Students are encouraged to first work with SARC to resolve concerns; however, a formal grievance may be submitted at any time for review in accordance with university policy and federal guidelines. The link to the SARC student grievance form is linked below: 

SARC Grievance Procedure

Students register for accommodations through the SARC. They can do this online on our website or come to the SARC office in DSU 1074, and we can help them register.

Click here for the registration page for students.

If the student has accommodations through our office, they should bring you a Faculty Notification Letter (FNL) to review. They can provide this to you at any point in the semester.

Click here for more information about completing the FNL.

A Faculty Notification Letter (FNL) notifies the faculty of the student’s classroom and testing accommodations. Any questions or concerns related to the accommodations as they are outlined on the FNL should be addressed to the SARC office rather than the student.

Click here for more information about completing the FNL.

If neither the SARC nor the student has presented you with a Faculty Notification Letter (FNL), please wait until you are presented with an FNL. If you have any concerns, please contact the SARC office at sarc.conect@wku.edu or 270-745-5004.

Student Grievance Policy

If the student believes they have not been accommodated, the student can take legal action against individual members of the WKU community, the departments, and/or the university.

Denial of accommodations or not providing recommended accommodations could be considered a violation of a student’s civil rights. Colleges and universities cannot discriminate against qualified people with disabilities in recruitment, admission, or treatment after admission.

If you have any questions or concerns about a request, you should contact the SARC office immediately.

Accommodations, which are legally denoted in ADA and Section 504 as “academic adjustments and auxiliary aids and services,” do not compromise required course objectives or elements, nor do they weaken the academic standards of a course or program.

An accommodation provides an alternative way of accessing the college experience. For example, for classroom and testing accommodations specifically, they provide an alternative means to accomplishing the course requirements by removing or minimizing disability-related barriers. As a university, we aim to provide equal access, not an unfair advantage.

If you have any questions or concerns about a request, you can contact the SARC office. We can assist with any questions you may have about making your course accessible.

Additionally, the Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning has information about universal design, online teaching, and distant learning, which may be able to assist you. Universal design is a way of structuring a course that makes it accessible to an array of different learners, including students with and without accommodations.

If you believe an accommodation affects one of the required course objectives, please contact the SARC office immediately.

Our staff will discuss the accommodation with you and begin any necessary review process.

If you believe an accommodation is not necessary, please contact the SARC for a consultation first. The implementation of accommodations may look different in each course according to the student’s need and course requirements.

The SARC will also be able to clarify any questions you may have, as well as assist you with the resources you need to provide the accommodation.

Our staff assigns accommodations based on the student’s history, a qualified professionals recommendation, and other aspect involved in an interactive process.

 If a student schedules an exam through our office, we will notify you by email. The email will ask you to fill out an Instructor Form and send the SARC office the exam materials about 24 hours before the exam date.

Click here for more information about SARC Testing Services.

Note Takers are a vital link in providing support services to students at WKU.  Student Accessibility Resource Center registered students who have a note taking accommodation listed on their accommodation letter may utilize recording devices, note taking applications, request lecture notes/power points from the Instructor, or ask a student in the class to voluntarily share their class notes. The SARC student must initiate such requests.

The student may ask for your assistance in securing a volunteer note taker in the class. If a student approaches you for assistance with identifying a class note taker, you can make an announcement using the SARC announcement flier or pair the student needing notes with a student you are confident will provide excellent course notes. We welcome your recommendations for a potential class note taker volunteer. 

At the end of the semester, the SARC will provide note takers with a statement of volunteer hours earned along with a small gift as a token of our appreciation. For additional information, please email sarc.notetaking@wku.edu.

Potential student volunteer note takers can access the next steps by navigating to the SARC note taker webpage.