Faculty/Staff Information about the Faculty Notification Letter (FNL)

An FNL is issued by the Student Accessibility Resource Center (SARC) for a student to notify WKU faculty/staff of that student's need for academic accommodation. This information is disclosed to WKU community members at the student's discretion.

The FNL will outline an accommodation or list of accommodations that the student will need in their courses. These letters are NOT retroactive. These letters do not go into effect until they are signed by all parties and returned to the SARC.

There are a few ways a student may present faculty with their FNL. They may approach faculty before/after class, ask to make an appointment, come by office hours, or send an email.

A student will reach out to you if they need accommodations in your course. Generally, they will do this at the beginning of the semester. However, they may present their accommodations to a faculty member at any point during the semester. You are not expected to apply the accommodations retroactively, but you are expected to meet the request for accommodations thereafter.

If an accommodation is deemed not applicable or is otherwise not provided to the student, the SARC should be notified of such alterations. Please, send an email to sarc.connect@wku.edu stating such.

If it is believed, by the student or faculty, that alterations need to be made to the accommodations listed therein, the Student Accessibility Resource Center should be contacted immediately in writing. If an accommodation is deemed not applicable or is otherwise not provided to the student, the SARC should be notified of such alterations. The SARC will review and determine if revisions are appropriate.

1. Read the FNL thoroughly. As needed, pursue a discussion with the student about their academic accommodations. This can be done in person or via email. Feel free to copy (cc) the SARC to all emails. If you meet with the student in person, you are encouraged to write a follow-up email to the student and the SARC outlining the discussion. 
2. The SARC must have a complete FNL on file. The FNL can be hand-delivered to the SARC or scanned and emailed to sarc.connect@wku.edu. In lieu of a printed and signed FNL, the faculty can email the student and the SARC from their WKU email with a statement of acknowledgment.
3. If it is believed, by the student or faculty, that alterations need to be made to the accommodations listed therein, the Student Accessibility Resource Center should be contacted immediately in writing. If an accommodation is deemed not applicable or is otherwise not provided to the student, the SARC should be notified of such alterations. The SARC will review and determine if revisions are appropriate.