The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a sweeping civil rights bill that is designed to ensure that people with disabilities are able to participate in all areas of public life. You need to know how it affects you as a member of the university community.
Faculty as employees
If you have a disability or become disabled, you have the right to any reasonable accommodation that you need to do your job. If you need accommodation, contact your Department Chair, Academic Human Resources, or the Disability Management Coordinator at x9-4602.
Faculty as employers
If you hire student or staff employees, you should make sure that your hiring process does not disadvantage applicants with disabilities. When you supervise employees with disabilities, you are responsible for ensuring appropriate accommodation. For example, you may need to arrange for a sign language interpreter for a deaf applicant, or slightly modify the way a job is done for a person with a learning disability. For guidance, contact Academic Personnel Office, Student Employment, or the Disability Management Coordinator.
Faculty as professors
When you teach classes, you must provide reasonable accommodation to any student with a disability who requests such accommodation. For example, a student with a vision impairment or a learning disability may need enlarged print; a student with a hearing impairment may need to have all video presentations closed-captioned. The Disability Resource Center is a resource for faculty and teaching assistants. For more information on academic accommodation, please read the Faculty Resources Page on the Disability Resource Center's Web site; or contact the Disability Resource Center directly at x9-2089.
Faculty as providers of public services and programs
If you are involved in any activity that is open to the public (such as a lecture series, a performance, or a social event), you are responsible for providing reasonable accommodation to any participant with a disability, including members of the community. All events open to the public must be held in accessible locations. Publicity for such events must include notice about how to request disability-related accommodations. Such accommodations might include a sign language interpreter, Assistive Listening Devices, or enlarged-print materials. For more information, consult the ADA Compliance Officers listed below.
Faculty as web developers
If you maintain a web page, please follow good coding practices, which include making web content accessible. Advice and information is available elsewhere on this web site at Web accessibility at UCSC.
For more information:
- Peggy Church, x9-2089, for academic and other program access issues (drc@ucsc.edu)
- Kelly Roberts, x9-4602, for employment issues (roberts@ucsc.edu)
- Susan Willats, x9-3759, for facilities, transportation, or computer access issues (willats@ucsc.edu)