Search: Pages People

Quicklinks: -- Select One -- About the College Academics Admissions Alumni Athletics Blackboard Directory E-mail Employment Events Calendar Financial Aid Library News & Events Student Life Support the College

• Advising
• Academic Policies
• Disabilities & ADA Accommodations
• Scholarships
• Office Guide

STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES PROCEDURE FOR PROVIDING REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION

It is the policy of St. Mary College of Maryland not to discriminate against any individual on the basis of handicap or disability in matters of admissions and educational activities, programs and services, in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, and applicable State law. Upon request and as required by law, the College will provide reasonable accommodation to a qualified student with a disability. The procedures for requesting an accommodation and processing those requests are contained below.

In addition to these procedures, a student may file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Civil Rights, for alleged violations of the ADA and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended.

Examples of disability and accommodations:

Functional Limitation	Possible Accommodation	Possible Disability
Substantial difficulty with reading rate and/or reading comprehension.	Extended test time Reader or taped exams Enlarged text	Learning Disability (LD) Attention Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder (AD/HD) Low or Limited Vision Traumatic Brain Injury Anxiety, Mood or Thought Disorders
Difficulty writing quickly and/or legibly.	Classroom note taker Scribe for exams Access to a keyboard for written work	Learning Disability Traumatic Brain Injury Paraplegia Quadriplegia Muscular Disorders Arthritis Low Vision or Blindness
Difficulty understanding or following a classroom lecture.	Sign Language Interpreter Classroom note taker	Deaf or Hard of Hearing Learning Disability TBI AD/HD Anxiety, Mood or Thought Disorders
Limited mobility in walking or moving about the classrooms, or other buildings.	Locating classes in accessible buildings Paratransit Services	Paraplegia Quadriplegia Arthritis Vascular or Pulmonary Disease Other Health Impairment

Step I,Initial Request for an Accommodation:
After the admissions process has been completed and the student has been accepted, a student with a disability may contact the Coordinator for Advising Programs to request reasonable accommodation for his/her disability. The student is required to provide adequate documentation of his or her disability and need for an accommodation. Failure to provide adequate documentation of his or her disability or of the need for an accommodation may be grounds for denying the request for an accommodation.

Step II, Review and Decision by Coordinator:
Upon receipt and review of the request and required documentation, the Coordinator for Advising Programs will respond to these requests as quickly as possible and will provide the student with written notice of his/her decision. Students are not guaranteed the specific accommodations they request. While the Coordinator shall give consideration to the accommodation requested, the Coordinator has discretion to provide an alternative reasonable accommodation, including one that is less-expensive or easier to provide than the accommodation requested by the student
The Coordinator shall meet with the student to discuss his or her request for accommodation. The Coordinator may communicate with faculty and staff, as appropriate, to determine the logistics of making a reasonable accommodation for the student. The Coordinator may request that additional information or documentation be provided by the student or his or her health care provider. The Coordinator shall issue his or her decision in writing within ten (10) days of the request for an accommodation. The written decision shall contain an explanation of the basis for the decision, including, if the decision is to deny the request, an explanation of the reasons for the denial.
If the decision is to provide a reasonable accommodation, the Coordinator will promptly communicate with faculty and staff, as appropriate, in order to arrange and implement the accommodation as expeditiously as possible.
If a student disagrees with the Coordinator's decision, the student may seek review of the decision by appealing in writing to the Associate Provost within ten (10) working days from the date of the written decision from the Coordinator. The appeal should contain an explanation of the grounds for appeal and any additional written materials that the student believes should be considered in processing his or her appeal

Step III, Associate Provost Review of Appeal :
The purpose of the review of the appeal by the Associate Provost is to determine whether or not College policy has been followed and, if not, to address the consequences that may have resulted and that may need to be corrected. The Associate Provost may decide the appeal based on the written record already created before the Coordinator and the student's written appeal of the Coordinator' decision. Alternatively, at his/her sole discretion, the Associate Provost may request additional information relevant to the appeal and may conduct interviews of any person who may have information relevant to the appeal.
Within ten (10) working days following receipt of the written appeal, the Associate Provost will provide a written decision to the student regarding the student's appeal. This deadline may be waived by the Associate Provost if further investigation is needed.

Step IV. Provost Review and Final Decision:
If the student disagrees with the Associate Provost's decision, an appeal may be made to the Provost within ten (10) working days of the written decision by the Associate Provost. The Provost will decide the appeal based on the written record and the students written appeal. The Provost's decision is the final decision of the College and may not be appealed. The Provost will take all action necessary to implement his/her final decision.
A student who makes use of the review process shall not be retaliated against.

Receiving and Maintaining Confidential Student Records
A student's disability documentation is considered confidential. Documentation of the disability is maintained at the Office of Academic Services and is not part of a student's permanent student record. Communications about a disability or accommodations should respect a student's right to privacy at all times. Conversations between instructors and students about disability-related matters, including accommodation arrangements, during class or in other public settings is discouraged.
When a faculty member has a question about the appropriateness of the accommodation for a specific course or course activity, the Coordinator of advising programs should be contacted to address the faculty member's concern.