Thomas College

Policies in Support of Students with Disabilities

Overview

            Thomas College is committed to providing academic accommodations and access to College facilities as needed.  It is the College’s policy to provide access, in so far as it is able, so that no qualified person is subject to exclusion or discrimination with regard to any program or activity. All accommodations are determined with consideration for meeting individual needs while maintaining the academic integrity of Thomas College programs of study.

According to the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, including Section 504, and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, a person with a disability is any person who 1) has a physical or mental impairment; 2) has a record of such impairment; or 3) is regarded as having such an impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities such as self-care, walking, seeing, hearing, speaking, breathing, or learning.

            To request accommodations or supportive services, students with learning disabilities or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD) should contact the Center for Academic Success (CAS); students with physical or other psychological impairments should contact the Student Affairs Office.  As necessary, the offices will cooperate in determining and providing services. Whenever possible, these contacts should be made at least two weeks prior to the beginning of the semester.  Services will be provided upon review of 1) appropriate medical, psychological, psycho-educational, or neuropsychological documentation indicating the student’s disability and suggesting accommodations; 2) additional helpful information, such as the transition plan prepared by high school support services; 3) the signed consent authorizing the designated contact person to discuss the need for accommodations with the source(s) of the documentation. 

 

Student Rights and Responsibilities

            Every student with a documented disability has the following rights:

1) Access to programs, services, jobs, activities, and facilities;

2) Reasonable and appropriate accommodations, academic adjustments, and/or auxiliary aids determined on a case-by-case basis;

3) Appropriate confidentiality of all information pertaining to his or her disability; and

4) Reasonable access to information in a convenient format.

            Every student with a documented disability has the following responsibilities:

1) Meeting the College’s qualifications and essential academic and technical standards;

2) Identifying himself or herself in a timely manner when seeking accommodations

3) Providing documentation from an appropriate professional source that verifies the nature of the disability, functional limitations, and the need for specific accommodations;

4) Following carefully the individual plan based on provided documentation and constructed with the cooperation of the student, the contact person from the Center for Academic Support or the Student Affairs office, and, as needed, faculty members (included in the plan is relevant information about the disability, accommodations, and needs; and an outline of student responsibilities, such as meeting with the faculty member to arrange for testing or other accommodations); and

5) Providing authorization for release of information about the student’s disability to appropriate faculty and staff, and authorization for the College contact or resource person to communicate with the sources of the documentation, as necessary.

Institutional Rights and Responsibilities

        Thomas College has the right to

1) Maintain the College’s academic standards;

2) Request current and appropriate documentation that verifies the student’s needs;

3) Select reasonable and appropriate accommodations in cooperation with the student;

4) Deny accommodations, adjustments, and/or auxiliary aids if the documentation fails to identify and/or verify the disability, or if it is not current or provided in a timely fashion; and

5) Refuse to provide unreasonable or inappropriate accommodations, adjustments, and/or auxiliary aids, including those that:

a) pose a direct threat to the health and safety of others;

b) constitute a substantial change or alteration to an essential element of a course or program;

c) pose undue financial or administrative burden on the College.

Thomas College has the responsibility to

1) Provide access and protections against discrimination to students with disabilities;

2) Provide accessible information about its policies and procedures to students with disabilities;

3) Evaluate students on their abilities, not their disabilities;

4) Provide reasonable and appropriate accommodations, academic adjustments, and/or auxiliary aids for students with disabilities upon timely requests;

5) Maintain appropriate confidentiality of records and communication, except where disclosure is required by law or authorized by the student;

6) Provide self-identified students with a resource or contact person in the Center for Academic Support or the Office of Student Affairs who will a) assist the student in receiving assistance and understanding the availability of College resources, b) oversee the administration of the College’s responsibilities to students with disabilities, and c) act as a liaison on behalf of the student with faculty and administration as necessary.

Faculty Rights and Responsibilities

            Thomas College faculty rights and responsibilities include

1) Discussing with the designated contact person any concerns related to accommodations or other arrangements for the student;

2) In consultation with the student’s liaison from the CAS or the Office of Student Affairs, providing appropriate accommodations, including alternative test formats when identified in a student’s plan;

3) Assuring the confidentiality of information with regard to students with disabilities.

Classroom and Testing Accommodations

            All accommodations are made on a case-by-case basis.  These may include (but are not limited to) the following: preferential seating in the classroom; permission to record lectures on a tape player; access to notes provided by the instructor, another student, or a note taker; extended time to take examinations; a reader for examination questions; a testing location free of distractions; and alternative exam formats.  Although the College will consider the method of accommodation preferred by a student, it may select a different accommodation that is reasonable and suitable.

Procedure for Course Substitution

            The request for a course substitution due to the perceived impact of a disability should include a statement detailing how the student’s disability would affect his or her achievement in the course. A course may be substituted for a specified course in a student’s program or in the college’s general education requirements, so long as the substitution satisfies the intent of the program requirements and does not adversely affect the student’s academic preparation for the anticipated degree. The College may choose to refuse a request for a substitution if it deems that the student can complete the course with accommodations or if a substitution would result in a substantial alteration of the program. Any course substitution must be approved by the student’s advisor, the Department Chairperson, and the Chief Academic Officer.

Guidelines for Acceptable Documentation of a Specific Learning Disability

Students who wish to receive reasonable and appropriate services and accommodations must provide current documentation of their learning disability.  This documentation must identify a significant discrepancy between achievement and ability that cannot be explained by other disabling conditions or environmental deprivation, measure the student’s specific strengths and weaknesses, describe the challenges that exist because of the disability, and suggest the modifications or accommodations that may be appropriate. 

The following guidelines, which are consistent with the DSM-IV diagnostic procedures, should be followed.

1) Testing must be comprehensive, include more than one assessment device, and    address the following domains:

APTITUDE:  acceptable instruments are the Wechsler Adult Intelligence

Scale-Revised (WAIS-R) and the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for

Children-Revised.  In either case, subtest scores should be included.

ACHIEVEMENT:  current levels of functioning in reading, mathematics, and written language are required.  Acceptable instruments include the Woodcock-Johnson Psychoeducational Battery-Revised:  Tests of Achievement (WJ-R); Scholastic Abilities Test for Adults (SATA), the Stanford Test of Academic Skills (TASK); or specific achievement tests such as the Test of Written Language-2 (TOWL-2), Woodcock Reading Mastery Tests-Revised, or the Stanford Diagnostic Mathematics Test.  (Note: Because the Wide Range Achievement Test-Revised (WRAT) is not a comprehensive measure of achievement, it is not acceptable.)

INFORMATION PROCESSING:  specific areas of information processing (e.g. short and long term memory; sequential memory; auditory and visual perception/processing, processing speed) must be assessed.  Use of subtests from the WAIS-R, WISC-R, Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Cognitive Ability is acceptable.

2) Documentation must be current:  in most cases, completed within three years of the time the student first identifies himself or herself as a student with a possible need for accommodation. A student who was identified as having special educational needs in high school (i.e., had an I.E.P. in effect until graduation) will be considered eligible for accommodations for the school-identified disability or disorder, so long as the student enters the College within three years of the high-school graduation. If a student submits as documentation for a learning disability a comprehensive assessment (consistent with the criteria described in these policies) completed during adulthood (age eighteen or older), that assessment will be considered valid. 

3) The assessment must also include a clear diagnostic statement.  Individual “learning styles” and “learning differences” do not by themselves constitute a learning disability.  In addition, the assessment report should include test scores, including subtest scores.

4) Assessments must be conducted by professionals qualified to do so and familiar with learning disabilities in adults, so reports should include the names, titles, and license numbers of the evaluator(s), as well as the date(s) of testing.

5) All students with available documentation, whether or not they intend to request accommodations, are encouraged to file this information with the Director of the Center for Academic Support as soon as they are admitted to the College.   

Guidelines for Documentation of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

To ensure the provision of reasonable and appropriate services for students with attention disorders at Thomas College, current and comprehensive documentation of their disability is required.  This documentation should include information upon which the diagnosis (based on DSM IV criteria) was made, a description of the student’s functional limitations in an educational setting, the severity (e.g., use of Global Assessment of Functioning Scale Score) and longevity of the condition, a description of the effectiveness of current treatment, and recommendations for additional treatment/assistance. The College may request annual re-evaluations of the student’s disorder and need for academic accommodations.

Guidelines for Documentation of Other Qualified Disabilities                       

            Students who require reasonable and appropriate accommodations for physical or psychological disabilities must provide current documentation from a qualified health-care provider.  This documentation should describe the onset, longevity, and severity of symptoms; a description of the ways the disability has interfered with educational achievement; and recommendations that would support the student’s ability to participate in programs and access college facilities. The College may request annual re-evaluations of a student’s disorder and need for academic accommodations.

Procedure for Requesting Relocation of a Program or Event 

Given timely notice, the College will make a reasonable attempt to relocate campus programs or events to enable access.  To request such a change, a student must provide a written request to his or her designated contact in CAS or Student Affairs, indicating what constraints exist in the original location that affect access.  In most circumstances, requests should be made within one week of the time the program or event is posted and at least seventy-two hours in advance of the event.

Eligibility for Financial Aid

            Students with documented disabilities may enroll in a less-than-full-time course load as an academic adjustment under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and the regulations accompanying Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.  Students are encouraged to discuss full-time course load requirements with the assigned academic advisor.  A financial-aid counselor can determine how a reduced course load will affect aid.

            Students should be aware that federal law requires the federal Pell Grant funds be prorated based on the number of credits taken, and that the student financial-aid budget will be reduced accordingly.  In addition, to be eligible for the federal Stafford Loan Program, or to have a previous loan deferred, the student must take at least six credits. 

            As always, eligibility for Financial Aid depends upon satisfactory academic progress.

Dean’s List status

            Students with documented disabilities that prevent them from taking the equivalent of a full-time load will still be eligible for the dean’s list following the same policies as those recommended for financial-aid eligibility.

Grievance Procedure

            The following steps are available to students dissatisfied with the nature or implementation of accommodations:

1) The student attempts to resolve the problem with the instructor or staff member. 

2) As necessary, the CAS or Student Affairs contact person assists in an attempt to bring the disagreement to a timely conclusion. 

3) If no agreement can be reached, the student files a petition outlining the problem and the desired solution with the Chief Academic Officer, who will convene a committee composed of the ADA Compliance Officer, a faculty member from the discipline of the disputed course (or appropriate staff member) and the appropriate department chair or supervisor. The committee reviews the petition and related information from College personnel (including the faculty member and the liaison) and provides the Chief Academic Officer with its recommendation within ten days.

4) The Chief Academic Officer makes the final decision, which is communicated to the student within five days.