Introduction
Clemson University is committed to providing educational opportunities for all students and assisting them in making their college experiences successful and positive. In compliance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), Clemson University recognizes a student with a disability as anyone who has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activity. Student Disability Services coordinates the provision of reasonable accommodations for students with disabilities. All reasonable accommodations are individualized, flexible, and confidential based on the nature of the disability and the academic environment.
Individuals requesting accommodations must provide current documentation of their disability from a licensed professional to the Office Student Disability Services in Redfern Health Center (Voice/TTY 656-6848).
Working with Students with Disabilities
There is no need to dilute curriculum or to reduce course requirements for students with disabilities. However, special accommodations, as well as modifications, may be needed in the way information is presented and in methods of testing and evaluation. Depending on the disability, the student may require the administration of examinations through E-text or computer and/or scribes, extensions of time for the completion of exams, a quiet and private room to take the exam, or a modification of test formats. For out-of-class assignments, the student may negotiate the extension of deadlines. The objective of such considerations should always be to accommodate the student's learning disability, not to lower scholastic requirements. The same standards should be applied to students with disabilities as to all other students in evaluation and assigning grades.
It would be helpful to put a statement at the end of a course syllabus such as, "Students with disabilities needing accommodations should contact the Office of Student Disability Services in G20 Redfern Health Center, 656-6848, prior to contacting me during office hours." To ensure consistent accommodations with each student, and to inform students of support services available, please make referrals to Student Disability Services. Prior to receiving accommodations a student obtains a Faculty Accommodation Letter from this office.
It is important to discuss appropriate accommodations with students; however, asking questions about a student's disability, such as the diagnosis, must be avoided. Students have the legal right not to disclose the diagnosis; they need only discuss how reasonable accommodations assist them in their academic environment.
Other information:
Faculty members are not required to make modifications that fundamentally alter the nature and content of a course. Faculty are not required to provide accommodations that have an adverse impact on the integrity of the academic program.Remember to make sure students go through Student Disability Services in order to receive accommodations from you. For example, if a student tries to approach you with a pill bottle to document their disability or a psychological evaluation for you to review, please send them to disability services to certify the disability.
“Medical documentation alone can only establish that the student has an impairment. Everyone with an impairment is not considered disabled under the law. In addition to evidence of the existence of an impairment a determination must also be made regarding the impact the impairment has on an individual. The determination of whether an individual has a disability is not necessarily based on the impairment the person has, but rather the effect of the impairment on the life of the individual. Thus, the student’s impairment must “substantially limit” his/her ability to participate in and/or to benefit from the educational programs and services offered by the institution.
The assessment of pertinent data and the ultimate determination of whether a student has a substantial limitation involves the consideration of a number of factors, including but not limited to: the general nature of the impairment, the specific manifestations of the impairment, the impact of the impairment on the student’s major life activities, and the student’s present abilities and limitations in relationship to the educational environment in question or to a similar or comparable environment. This is an extremely complicated assessment process and the determination is one that disability specialists have the expertise to make and are, in fact, responsible for making that decision on the institution’s behalf.
In providing academic adjustments, (an institution) does not guarantee the success of the student, rather it commits itself to providing that student whatever assistance is necessary to ensure that a disabled student has the same opportunity of academic success as any other student in the same program" we strive to level the playing field.
Source: Salome Hayward, JD. Hayward, Lawton and Associates, Inc. 2002.