CONCORD UNIVERSITY
PROTOCOL AND PROCEDURES FOR SERVING STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES COVERED UNDER SECTION 504/ADA
PURPOSE: To establish procedures for identifying students with disabilities and providing reasonable accommodations in compliance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act.
COORDINATION OF SERVICE:
Office of Disability Services
Student Center, Main Floor
(304) 384-6086
PROCEDURE:
1. Admissions office sends to all new students, upon acceptance, the Special Student Criteria Form, which provides students the opportunity to disclose a disability to the institution. This form, when returned to the Office of Disability Services, constitutes the
student’s initial self-identification and request for accommodations. The timely submission of this form is encouraged but not a prerequisite for receiving services, nor does the submission of this form alone guarantee the provision of services. (see 4-9 below.)
2. Current students requesting services should contact the Office of Disability Services to register, provide documentation, and request accommodations. The office is located on the lower level of the Student Center.
3. Faculty and staff (i.e. University offices, Student Support Services, Admissions, Counseling Center, faculty, Student Affairs) should refer any student who discloses a disability and/or requests accommodations to the Office of Disability Services.
4. After the student self-discloses (via the Special Student Criteria Form or contacting the Office of Disability Services), the student should make an appointment with the Disability Services Coordinator, who will register the student using the Office of Disability Services Registration Form, accept appropriate documentation for the disability, and begin the process of determining and implementing appropriate accommodations.
5. Providing appropriate documentation of the disability is the student’s responsibility, although the Office of Disability Services may assist in this process by securing the student’s signature on the Office of Disability Services Permission for Release of Information Form and forwarding it to the applicable agency, school or professional. Appropriate documentation from a physician, therapist, vocational rehabilitation counselor, or other professional qualified to make the diagnosis must be current (no older than five years), be presented on letterhead stationery, state the specific diagnosis/disability, include the professional’s recommendation (if any) for accommodations needed to assist with the academic program, and list any medications the student is taking for the disability. A recent high school Individual Education Program (IEP) or Transitional Plan may be used as
documentation, but it must contain a diagnosis and recommendations for accommodations.
6. While awaiting requested supporting documentation, Concord University is under no legal obligation to provide services; however, some reasonable accommodations may be made at the discretion of the Office of Disability Services and other involved faculty, staff and administrators. In the event the student claiming a disability has never been diagnosed professionally and therefore does not have supporting documentation, Concord University is not obliged to provide or fund the required evaluation. However, the Office of Disability Services may assist the student in locating an appropriate professional to complete the evaluation or refer the student to a Division of Rehabilitation Services office for possible assistance with the evaluation and diagnosis process.
7. Within a week of the submission of documentation of the disability, the Office of Disability Services will provide to the student a response granting or denying the requested accommodations and begin coordinating the approved accommodations. Accommodations will be implemented in a reasonable time period specific to the request, and although coordinated by the Office of Disability Services may be provided by any number of University offices and personnel, including faculty, staff and administrators as well as the Office of Disability Services, depending on the nature of the accommodations. When necessary, the Office of Disability Services may make a written referral of the student to other campus offices using the Office of Disability Services Referral Form.
8. All documents, forms, and other written information regarding the student’s disability are considered confidential and will be stored securely in locked file cabinets in the Office of Disability Services. With the written permission of the student (secured on the Office of Disability Services Registration Form), the Office of Disability Services may share with other University personnel only the information necessary for those personnel to provide the requested accommodations and to serve the best interests of the
student.
9. If a student believes that the services or accommodations provided or recommended do not meet his/her needs, the student should consult the Concord University Grievance Procedure for Students with Disabilities Covered under Section 504/ADA. Such grievances are processed by the 504/ADA Compliance Officer for students, Dr. Dean Turner, Vice President and Academic Dean.
NOTE: The University encourages students to request the desired accommodations as early in the semester as possible. In the event the student chooses to delay registering with the Office of Disability Services, providing documentation and/or making a request for accommodations, the University will not provide retroactive accommodations, but will upon the student’s request begin the procedure for approving and implementing future accommodations.