Faculty Resource Council on
Disability Model

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Recommendations:

Council Composition

• When possible, recruit faculty members with a specific interest in improving the quality of education for students with disabilities.

• Try to recruit tenured faculty. These faculty members will more likely remain with the university for a longer time and are likely in a position to provide guidance to newer faculty.

• For departments in which the representative is not the chair, provide a brief (2 to 3 hour) orientation to department chairs regarding Disability Support Services, the FRC model, available resources, and the process of accommodating students with disabilities. This will help them understand the role of the FRC member and enable them to choose an appropriate representative for their department. It will also provide them with the skills necessary to better assist faculty in their departments with concerns related to providing accommodations and teaching students with disabilities.

• Consider including key personnel from other departments on campus such as computing services, academic advising, or faculty development. It may not be necessary or appropriate for these individuals to attend all of the training sessions, but there may be specific content that would be very helpful to them.

• If a member has to resign from the FRC, consider how a replacement will be chosen and how professional development will be delivered. If turnover is not very high, it may be best to consider web-based training combined with one-on-one technical assistance.

• Provide incentives for participation if possible. Explore avenues for providing financial incentives, including private donations and grants. While some campuses may not have the resources to provide financial incentives, with administrative support, there may be other incentives that can be provided.

FRC Member's Role

• Consider the level of commitment that the FRC will need to make and communicate those expectations at the time you are recruiting members. Will ongoing meetings of the FRC occur after the initial training? Will follow-up workshops be provided? Will attendance be required or optional? How will ongoing support be provided?

• Allow flexibility in carrying out the role so that the culture of a given department can be taken into consideration. Providing some structure or suggestions for carrying out responsibilities will be helpful to some faculty members, but others may be more creative in developing their role if given that flexibility.