Accommodations

Exam and Classroom
Accommodations are academic adjustments to exam conditions, such as extended time or a quiet room, as well as access to materials in alternate formats, or notetaking.

Specific examples of accommodations and/or auxiliary aids are as follows:

• Testing accommodations, such as extended time, quiet room, and use of a word processor.
  
  
• Communication accommodations, such as interpreting, realtime captioning, (CART or C-print), assistive listening devices, and notetaking.
  
  
• Other assistance such as qualified readers and/or scribes, for exams and alternative text formats.

Determination of Accommodations

Accommodations are determined by Disability Services based on assessment of submitted documentation for its appropriateness and completeness under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), and DS documentation policy.

Accommodations are determined through a series of questions. Each question must be answered "yes" or the accommodation need not be provided. Does the student have a disability? Section 504 and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) criteria are applied. Has the student provided appropriate documentation? Is the student "otherwise qualified?" With the requested accommodations, can the student perform the essential tasks of the course? Is the requested accommodation reasonable? Section 504 and ADA guidelines are applied with respect to determination of "reasonableness."

Students, faculty, and Disability Services have certain rights and responsibilities related to receiving, providing, and determining reasonable accommodations. Specific rights and responsibilities are as follows:

Q. What are the student’s responsibilities in this process?

A. The student has the responsibility to:

• provide documentation to Disability Services that supports a need for accommodations. (See Documentation Requirements)
• make a request to the professor in a timely manner (DS interprets this to be at least a week before the exam).
• speak with the professor about how and where the accommodations are provided for extended time and distraction reduced environment. Faculty may provide the rare accommodation of separate room or have the student make arrangements through DS.
• make the necessary arrangements to have the exam proctored in DS for other exam accommodations at least five business days before the exam. A proctor form delineating the exam arrangements must be signed by the professor and turned in to DS.

Q. What are faculty responsibilities regarding accommodations?

A. Faculty has the responsibility to:

• seriously consider including a statement on course syllabi that informs students about the process for requesting and receiving reasonable accommodations based on disability. (See Preferred Syllabus Statement)
• provide accommodations as delineated in a letter from Disability Services.
• provide the exam accommodations of extended time and/or distraction reduced environment. Faculty may provide the rare accommodation of separate room or have the student make arrangements through DS. All other exam accommodations are provided in the DS office in Willard.
• deny accommodations to students who cannot provide evidence of a disability that warrants such. If documentation and/or accommodation requests are submitted directly to faculty without a letter from DS, faculty is encouraged to refer the student to DS.
• Acknowledgment and requests for reasonable accommodations can be difficult for some students; therefore, sensitivity and understanding are recommended.

Q. What are Disability Services responsibilities in this process?

A. Disability Services has the responsibility to:

• determine reasonable accommodations as supported by the submitted documentation and in collaboration with the student.
• deny accommodations that are not supported by the documentation. If evidence of a significant impact is not present, accommodations may not be warranted.
• ensure that students receive the appropriate reasonable accommodations.
• support faculty members around providing accommodations as needed
• provide specific reasonable accommodations such as a reader, a scribe, use of a word processor, or a sign language interpreter.
• provide alternate format to students whose documentation supports a need for it.

Procedures for determining accommodations and individual rights and responsibilities are framed according to Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Disability Services takes the responsibility of determining accommodations very seriously. Consequently, accommodation(s) approved by DS are supported by documentation on file.

For more information about Disability Services accommodations, auxiliary
aids, services, and access, visit our Accommodations, Auxiliary Aids,
and Services page.