The University of Windsor's rights and responsibilities

The University of Windsor has a responsibility to:

• respond effectively to students' request for accommodations and provide them with physical access to all its facilities and services

The Ontario Human Rights Commission mandates that universities have a “duty to accommodate” students with disabilities. While academic accommodations should not compromise academic integrity, standards or expectations, faculty, staff and students share a responsibility to collaborate in creating an accessible learning community, free from discrimination on the basis of disability.

It is the responsibility of the University not only to accommodate students with disabilities, but to ensure the specific rights and entitlements which are guaranteed by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (Section 15), the Ontario Human Rights Code (Section 17, Subsections 1-4), the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA - Bill 118) , and University of Windsor Senate Policy S2: Special Needs Policy.

In fulfilling the obligation to accommodate student with disabilities, it is recognized that the needs of each student with a disability must be individually assessed to determine the appropriate accommodations. Not all students with the same disability will have the same needs, and the accommodations available to each student are highly individualized and specific to that student. The University has a responsibility (through Student Disability Services) to notify faculty of the specific accommodations to which a student with a disability is entitled, and to work with faculty to ensure that the rights of the student are met and that the integrity of the course remains intact.

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