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Contact us

Our office hours are 9 am to 4 pm,
Monday to Friday

Centre for Accessible Learning (CAL)
1250 Maggie Benston Centre
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Burnaby BC V5A 1S6
Email: caladmin@sfu.ca
Phone: 778.782.3112
Secure Fax: 778.782.4384

Visit our Accessibility Information Page to find detailed information about our office and its accessibility considerations.

Student Accommodations

Faculty and instructors have the right to:

  • Establish standards and core requirements for courses and academic programs
  • Consult with the CAL regarding reasonable accommodations given the academic requirements of a course
  • Contact the CAL at any time to discuss concerns or problems that have arisen with accommodations
  • Request mediation or assistance for working with a student receiving accommodations

Faculty Responsibilities

Accommodations

For instructors whose students are registered with the CAL and have been recommended accommodations, we ask that you:

  • Consider including a statement on course syllabi that informs students about the process for requesting and receiving reasonable accommodations based on disability (see Suggested Syllabus Statements)
  • Provide academic accommodations as recommended by the CAL up to the point of undue hardship (this does not mean lowering academic standards by compromising requirements that are essential to the course)
  • Explore and discuss with the CAL any alternatives if the requested accommodation appears unworkable
  • Participate in the discussion and implementation of reasonable academic accommodation (once notified by the CAL of a student’s entitlement to accommodation, the instructor may accept and implement the request without further discussion)
  • Discuss any concerns that should arise with recommended academic accommodations with the student and the CAL 
  • Acknowledge that requests for reasonable academic accommodations can be difficult for some students
  • If documentation and/or accommodation requests are submitted directly to faculty without an official notification from CAL, faculty is encouraged to refer the student to CAL

Exams

For instructors whose students are registered with the CAL and have authorized exam accommodations, we ask that you:

  • Participate in arranging recommended exam accommodations, including confirming the online exam request, forwarding the exam particulars and arranging for exam delivery and pick-up. 
  • Direct any questions regarding appropriate accommodation to a Disability Access Advisor at the CAL
  • Explore and discuss any alternatives with the student and CAL if a recommended exam accommodation appears unworkable

Note-taking Assistance

In order for the note-taking process to work smoothly for both the student taking the notes and the student for whom this service is an accommodation, we ask that you:

  • Approve note-taking assistance as an academic accommodation, if it is recommended by the CAL in the appropriate paperwork, and discuss any concerns or alternatives with the student and the CAL
  • Assist in the implementation of note-taking assistance services by making an in-class announcement for recruiting volunteer note-takers, as indicated by the CAL paperwork provided by the student in need of assistance
  • Maintain the confidentiality of the identity of the student by not revealing his or her name
  • If a note-taker is not identified in a timely manner, discuss other alternatives with the student