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What Is A Reasonable
Accommodation?
Reasonable accommodations are changes in the learning environment that
permit students with disabilities to compete on equal footing with their
peers at Southern West Virginia Community and Technical College. The accommodations modify non-essential elements
of College programs.
Examples include, but are not limited to:
- extended testing times
- tape cassette books
- sign language interpreters, and
- course relocation to physically accessible classrooms
Requesting Accommodations and Student
Choice
Disability Services coordinates and provides reasonable accommodations
to qualified students with disabilities. Accommodations are
individualized to address specific functional limitations resulting from a
disability. There must be a logical link between the functional
limitation and the accommodation. All accommodation requests will be
given due process and consideration.
Students with disabilities meet with the Disability Services Specialist
confidentially as a first step in arranging
accommodations. Students must provide documentation of a disability
from an appropriate professional licensed to diagnose the condition. The
Disability Services Specialist works with the student to
individualize the type and level of services that will be provided.
This is accomplished through review of documentation and discussion with the student.
A 'Notification of Need for Accommodation' is prepared by the Disability
Services Specialist. Students have the responsibility of presenting
accommodation requests to their instructors and working out the
particulars of the accommodation. Students with insufficient documentation may be
referred to physicians, psychologists, or other qualified diagnosticians
for complete assessment before accommodations are granted.
The College will honor student accommodation
choices whenever feasible, but periodically may need to provide equally
effective alternatives to that choice.
Students may arrange follow-up meetings for
assistance with on-going problem solving.
When Are Accommodation Requests
Denied?
The College provides accommodations unless they
fall under one of the following three categories:
- fundamental alteration
- undue hardship
- personal service
Fundamental Alteration
If an accommodation reduces the academic
standards of the College, its divisions, or courses, the College denies
the accommodation because it is unreasonable. Academic standards are
essential for every student. It is unreasonable to alter these
fundamental standards with an accommodation.
Undue Hardship
If an accommodation costs too much or is
impossible to administer, the College denies the accommodation because it
is unreasonable. An unjustifiable financial burden will have an
adverse effect on the entire College. Therefore, decisions regarding
undue financial hardship can only be made by the administration of the
College. An undue administrative burden occurs when the College
doesn't have the time or ability to respond to a request.
Personal Service
If a request for an accommodation falls under the
definition of a personal service, the College denies the request because
it is unreasonable. Personal services are those that a person with a
disability must use regardless of attendance at the College. In
addition, personal services are those for which no correlation between the
disability's functional limitation and program access can be
established. The College, for example, does not purchase wheelchairs
or other assistive technologies used in every setting to compensate for a
mobility impairment. Other examples of personal services
include:
- independent living,
- mental health,
- rehabilitation, and
- tutoring
Last Update -
05/21/2007
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