Privacy
Swarthmore College respects the privacy of its students. The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) governs all student record information.
Swarthmore's enrollment comprises students with a range of learning styles and learning differences. Some students have been diagnosed with learning disabilities that make it challenging for them to process and retain written and/or oral material efficiently. Others are coping with disabilities that make it difficult for them to express themselves verbally or in writing. The Learning Disabilities Association of America defines a learning disability as "a neurological condition that interferes with a person's ability to store, process, or produce information." The condition does not stem from a lack of intelligence or lack of preparation.
Whether or not students have diagnosed learning disabilities, all process information in different ways. Some students retain visual information more easily (e.g., charts, graphs, images). Others benefit from lecture and discussion formats, where they can hear ideas and information. Others engage with course content more easily through labs and group projects.
While it is difficult to design a course so that is perfectly suited to each student's particular style, below are some strategies of universal design that can be helpful for all students.
Adapted from DO-IT (Disabilities, Opportunities, Internetworking and Technology) at the University of Washington.Academic Accommodations for Students with Learning Disabilities University of Washinton DO-IT
If a student identifies to you as having a disability and expresses a need for accommodations, please ask whether the student has also registered with the Student Disability Service so that we can draft formal accommodations letters. We recommend that you schedule an individual meeting with the student so that the two of you can identify accommodations that will enable the student to access the course material without altering fundamental course requirements. We have found that even when multiple students have the same disability, each student often benefits from different strategies for accessing the material.
Swarthmore College respects the privacy of its students. The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act governs all student record information.
Swarthmore College respects the privacy of its students. The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) governs all student record information.