Fast Facts for Faculty & Staff

Fast Facts for Faculty is an educational tool for faculty on the go and is designed to offer practical information to facilitate teaching and interacting with diverse learners, including students with disabilities.  The impetus for Fast Facts for Faculty grew out of SJSU faculty survey and focus group findings.  Each Fast Facts for Faculty issue unfolds information relevant to the dynamic needs of professors in the classroom and the issues identified in both student and faculty focus groups and surveys.  For more information about Fast Facts for Faculty or to pose a question to be addressed in a future issue, please contact the Accessible Education Center at 924.6000.

Mental Health

The Fall 2014 issue [pdf] features the following topics:

  • Mental Health as a state of well-being
  • Depression and anxiety on campus and how to recognize signs of emotional distress
  • Responding to students through tips for managing stress and listening nonjudgementally 
  • Mental Health intervention programs, and community and campus resources

Working with Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students

The Fall 2017 issue [pdf] features the following topics:

  • Cultural perspectives on Deafness
  • Suggestions for communicating and interacting with Deaf students in the classroom
  • Tips for working with educational sign language interpreters and captioners
  • Laws governing equal access for Deaf and hard of hearing individuals
  • Information about the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services Program at SJSU

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) & Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

The Spring 2009 issue [pdf] concentrates on Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and features the following topics:

  • PTSD and TBI Definitions
  • Prevalence of PTSD and TBI
  • PTSD and TBI Characteristics
  • Research-based classroom practices and strategies
  • Students’ perspectives: What students with PTSD &/or TBI wish professors would know about them
  • Community & Campus Resources
  • Potential classroom/course modifications

Autism Spectrum 

The Spring 2020- Fall 2020 [pdf] fast facts concentrates on Autism Spectrum and features the following topics: 

  • What is Autism
  • Causes of Autism 
  • Characteristics and Misconceptions 
  • Strengths of Autsim 
  • SJSU students’ Testimonies 

Universial Design for Learning

The Fall 2006 issue [pdf] features the following topics:

  • How to enhance learning for ALL students through Universal Design for Learning (UDL).
  • Suggestions for considering creative approaches for group work.
  • Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act (modified 1998). What professors need to know.
  • How to handle student disruption during or following a classroom discussion.

The Spring 2006 issue [pdf] features the following topics:

  • How to handle excessive class absence regarding student with a disability.
  • Suggestions for approaching & communicating with a student at risk of failing your course.
  • Tips to bolster professor-student communication & interaction.
  • Disability green sheet statement S05-14.
  • How to identify if a referral to the AEC for a learning disability assessment may be warranted