Disability Services Policy
Arcadia University complies with the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.
According to Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, “No otherwise qualified handicapped individual in the United States...shall, solely by reason of his handicap, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance...”
The regulation issued under this statute guarantees entrance of qualified students with disabilities into colleges and universities. To be qualified means that the student meets the academic and technical requirements for admission. Under Section 504, institutions of higher education are obligated to adhere to the following conditions:
- The University cannot place a limitation on the number of qualified students with disabilities who can be admitted.
- Preadmission inquiries as to whether applicants are disabled or not cannot be conducted.
- Students cannot be excluded from a course of study solely on the basis of a disabling condition.
- Reasonable modifications in degree or academic course requirements must be made when such requirements discriminate against qualified students with disabilities.
- Certain rules (such as prohibiting certain recording equipment in class rooms) must be waived for certain students with disabilities.
- Devices or aids that ensure the full participation of students with disabilities in the classroom cannot be prohibited.
- Alternative testing and evaluation methods for measuring student achievement may be necessary for students with sensory, manual or speaking skill impairment. (Exceptions include areas in which these skills are being measured as an indication of achievement.)
- Faculty members may be requested to adapt teaching techniques and use special devices (such as amplification equipment) for classes in which students with disabilities are enrolled.
- It is discriminatory to counsel students with disabilities toward restrictive careers unless such counseling is justified by the licensing or certification requirements of the profession.
- Students with disabilities who feel discriminated against have the right to process complaints through the University civil rights channels or to initiate legal proceedings on an individual basis.
Academic requirements that the University can demonstrate are essential to the program of instruction being pursued by students or to any directly related licensing requirement will not be regarded as discriminatory. (104.44 of Section 504). “…(R)equests of students need not be provided when: (1) the student is not qualified; (2) the accommodation would result in a fundamental alteration of the program; (3) the institution is being asked to address a personal need; or (4) the accommodation would impose an undue financial or administrative burden” (Heyward, 1995).
Procedure for Requesting Special Services
As an institution of higher education Arcadia University has the responsibility of informing students with disabilities about the process of accessing reasonable accommodations. It is the student’s responsibility to initiate academic accommodations and services and to provide appropriate documentation in order to qualify for academic accommodations. To receive classroom accommodations or any other special services or consideration due to a disability, all students must initially identify themselves with the Office of Academic Development, Disabilities Support Services.
For each subsequent semester that they are enrolled at Arcadia University, graduate students must go to the Office of Academic Development, Disabilities Support Services, who will prepare the letters of accommodation for their classes. Ideally this should occur after a student registers for classes, but should occur at least three weeks before classes begin in order to put the necessary accommodations in place before the start of the semester. Students do not need to provide new documentation for every semester, unless they require accommodations that are not supported by their documentation on file.
Confidentiality
The Office of Academic Development, Disabilities Support Services, will hold all information concerning a student’s diagnosed disability in confidence unless the student requiring special services requests that information be shared with certain faculty or other University personnel. For situations in which the student is requesting special services, communication with faculty and other appropriate University personnel may be necessary. Any student wishing to file a grievance because of perceived discrimination, based on their disability, may do so based on the procedure outlined in this handbook.