Policy Management 
    
    Oct 14, 2024  
Policy Management
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HR 1.01pr - Reasonable Accommodations for Students with Disabilities :


SUMMARY/SCOPE
Edmonds College is committed to providing qualified students with a disability an equal opportunity to access the benefits, rights, and privileges of college services, programs, and activities in the most integrated setting appropriate to the student’s needs, in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, Section 504 Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Revised Code of Washington 28B.10.910. No student shall, on the basis of his or her disability, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or otherwise be subject to discrimination under any college program or activity.

DESCRIPTION
The purpose of this procedure is to identify the rights and responsibilities of students and to establish clear guidelines for seeking and receiving reasonable accommodations. To receive reasonable accommodations, students are responsible for requesting accommodations and providing notice of the nature and extent of their disability in a timely manner. 

PROCEDURE DETAILS
Scope Of Accommodations
Reasonable accommodations under this procedure include, but are not limited to, (a) academic adjustments, such as modification of academic requirements and flexibility in test-taking arrangements; (b) adjustments in nonacademic service and other rules; and (c) auxiliary aids and services.

Edmonds College will make those modifications to its academic requirements that (1) are necessary to ensure that those requirements do not discriminate, or have the effect of discriminating, against a qualified student with a disability based on that disability and (2) do not impose an undue hardship on the college or require alteration of essential program requirements.

Appropriate academic adjustments/reasonable accommodations will be provided to qualified students with disabilities for recruitment, the application process, enrollment, registration, financial aid, course work, academic counseling, housing programs owned and operated by the college, and nonacademic programs and services.

Section 202 of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 states: ”No qualified individual with a disability shall, by reason of such disability, be excluded from the participation in or be denied the benefits of the services, programs or activities of any public entity, or be subjected to discrimination by any such entity.”

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 states in part: ”No otherwise qualified, individual with a disability in the United States shall, solely, by reason of his or/her disability, be excluded from the participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.”

 

Obligations and Rights of the College

To meet its obligation under the law, the college shall:

  • Notify students of the college’s policy of nondiscrimination on the basis of disability and of steps the student may take if he/she believes discrimination has taken place. This notice shall be included in all formal correspondence that communicates decisions or policies adversely affecting the student’s status or rights with the institution of higher education. This notice shall include the phone numbers of the United States Department of Education, U.S. Office of Civil Rights, and the Washington State Human Rights Commission.
  • Make available to all students information on the services available to students with disabilities, including the name and location of Services for Students with Disabilities, and the process for accessing those services.
  • Work with the students, faculty, and staff on a case-by-case basis, to select and provide those accommodations/core services appropriate for each qualified student with a disability.
  • Develop procedures to protect the confidentiality of information regarding the nature and extent of the documented disability.
  • Maintain the academic integrity of its programs.
  • Not make pre-admission inquiry as to whether the applicant has a disability, except as provided by law.
  • Work collaboratively with eligible students to determine what accommodations are reasonable and appropriate.

To identify the accommodations that are reasonable based on the nature and extent of a student’s disability, the college may require specific documentation from the student’s medical provider. This documentation shall be kept in Services for Students with Disabilities.

 

Obligations and Rights of Students

A student who seeks accommodations is responsible for providing notice of the nature and extent of the disability. What is appropriate for a student is a case-by-case determination. The college will work collaboratively with the student in determining the appropriate accommodations. To ensure that needed accommodations are provided in a timely manner, the student shall:

  • Provide timely notice of the nature and extent of the disability and the accommodations requested to the Director of Services for Students with Disabilities or designee. Some accommodations should be received by the college six (6) weeks prior to the beginning of the quarter for which the request is made, when possible. Lack of advance notice may delay the availability of an accommodation.
  • Provide such additional documentation on the nature and extent of their disability as the college may require to determine appropriate accommodations. Such documentation may include, but is not limited to, identification of tests administered, test results, description of the covered disability, and recommended accommodations. For some disability issues, students may be required to be retested if the documentation is more than three (3) years old.
  • Cooperate with Services for Students with Disabilities representative and/or appropriate faculty and administrators to develop an appropriate curriculum plan and reasonable accommodations.
  • Promptly notify Services for Students with Disabilities of any problems encountered in receiving the agreed-upon accommodations.

 

Services for Students with Disabilities

  • Services for Students with Disabilities is responsible for the coordination of services to qualified students with disabilities requiring reasonable accommodations.
  • Services for Students with Disabilities is committed to a reasonable approach in the identification of students with disabilities, including contacting all students who voluntarily self-identify during the college admission or orientation process.
  • Information regarding a disability will be kept confidential unless the student signs a Release of Information form. Information is available to appropriate college administrators, faculty and security personnel on a need-to-know basis.
  • The Director of Services for Students with Disabilities or designee will assist and advise each qualified student with a disability who requests accommodations under this policy in identifying those reasonable accommodations appropriate for the student, and ensuring that the agreed-upon accommodations are provided.

 

Reasonable Accommodations - Examples by Categories

The process of selecting reasonable accommodations for each qualified student with a disability shall be made on a case-by-case basis, appropriate to the nature and extent of the student’s disability.

Academic Modifications
Academic modifications may include, but are not limited to:

  • Flexibility in timelines for completion of courses, certification, and degree requirements.
  • Substitution of specific courses required for the completion of the program.
  • Adaptation of the manner in which specific courses are conducted.
  • Flexibility in teaching methods and test-taking arrangements.
  • Flexibility in credits required to satisfy institutional eligibility for full-time status.

Auxiliary Aids and Services

  • Flexible procedures in the admissions process (early registration or priority registration).
  • Qualified sign language, oral and tactile interpreters, or other technological alternatives.
  • Access to adaptive equipment including, but not limited to: video phones, FM communicators, closed caption devices, closed-circuit televisions, low-vision reading aids, text to speech software, braille devices, and computer enhancements.
  • Textbooks and other educational materials in alternative media including, but not limited to: large print, braille, electronic format, and audio format.
  • Provision of readers, notetakers, and/or proofreaders.
  • Release of syllabi, study guides, and other appropriate instructor-produced materials in advance of general distribution and access beyond the regular classroom session to slides, films, overheads, and other media, and recording of lectures.

Access

  • Ongoing review and coordination of efforts to ensure campus accessibility, including barrier-free design, signage, identification of hazards of mobility barriers, maintenance of access during construction, snow and ice clearance, and designated disability parking spaces for all facilities.
  • Facilitating physical access to programs and services including relocating classes, activities, and services to accessible facilities.
  • Referral to appropriate on-campus and off-campus resources, services, and agencies.
  • Accessibility to e-content, tutoring, mentoring, peer counseling, and academic advising, if available on campus, for students with disabilities.

 

Course Substitutions and Waivers

In recognition that certain disabilities may preclude a student from successfully completing a specific course requirement for a degree even with appropriate accommodations, the college recognizes its obligation to accommodate students with disabilities without compromising the integrity of the academic program.

The college is not required to waive essential requirements of a student’s program of instruction. Therefore, every student enrolled in a degree program at the college is required to meet the essential requirements of a degree program.

Because altered methods of course delivery and/or providing core services will enable most students with disabilities to successfully complete course requirements (except in unusual circumstances), the student with a disability shall attempt to successfully complete the required course with accommodations.

If the student is unsuccessful in completing the course, the student may request course substitution per the college’s established Course Substitution procedure. Waivers of degree program requirements will rarely be given, and then only after the student has attempted, with appropriate reasonable accommodations, to meet those requirements.

Requests for waiver of a program requirement will only be considered when the course substitution is not successful. To request a waiver, the student must complete the Request for Waiver of Academic Requirement form per the college’s established procedure.

 

Reasonable Accommodations - Disputes

If a student believes that Services for Students with Disabilities, or other college staff involved in services to students with disabilities, has not identified or provided reasonable academic adjustments or auxiliary aids, the student may seek review of the Director’s actions by contacting the Office of the Vice President for Student Services.

The student will submit the appeal to the Office of the Vice President for Student Services. The Vice President, or designee, will review the student’s appeal and respond within five (5) business days.

If the student believes that she or he has been discriminated against or that the accommodation does not meet appropriate legal standards, the student may file a formal complaint with the college’s ADA Coordinator, or designee. At that time, the ADA Coordinator, or designee, will provide the student a copy of the formal complaint procedures which shall include the phone numbers of the U.S. Office of Civil Rights and the Washington State Human Rights Commission.
 

Student Employees of Edmonds College

Accommodations for students who are also employees of Edmonds College will be governed by the college’s Equal Opportunity and Access for Persons with Disabilities, and Nondiscrimination and Accommodation Regulations for Disabled Employees and Job Applicants employee policy and procedures with regard to employment accommodations. 

 

GLOSSARY TERMS
Reasonable Accommodations

Qualified Student With a Disability

Student With a Disability

Undue Hardship

Program Accessibility

Core Services

Course Substitution 

RELATED POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
HR 1.0 Policy on Equal Opportunity and Access for Persons with Disabilities

 

SOURCE INFORMATION
(was) C 6.3.105 R102 Accommodations for Students with Disabilities

RCW 28B.10.910 Students with disabilities - Core services.

Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990

Section 504 Rehabilitation Act of 1973

CONTENT OWNER. The primary responsibility for this policy belongs to:
Vice President for Human Resources and Operations

PRIMARY CONTENT CONTRIBUTOR (Director/Dean)
Vice President for Student Services

REVIEW PERIOD
Three years.

REVIEW HISTORY
2021-Oct 19  Amended to update content owner

2016-Apr 06  Revisions approved by President’s Cabinet

1995-Feb 13  Adopted

 



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