Accessibility for Students with Disabilities
A. General Policy
Carroll College’s policy and practice is to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and state requirements regarding students and applicants with disabilities. Under these laws, no otherwise qualified individual with a disability shall be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or otherwise be subject to discrimination on the basis of disability under any program or activity at the College. Individual students shall be provided reasonable accommodations in accordance with this policy, unless the accommodation would impose an undue hardship on the operation of the College’s program or activity. Carroll College, through its Accessibility Services Office, will make the final determinations regarding all accommodations granted to a student.
B. Definitions
- A person with a disability is any person who (1) has a physical or mental impairment which substantially limits one or more major life activities; (2) has a record of such impairment; or (3) is regarded as having such impairment.
- A qualified person with a disability is an individual with a disability who meets the academic and technical standards requisite to admission and participation in the College’s educational program and activities.
C. Admission Policy & Procedures
Information provided by an applicant during the admissions process concerning his or her disability shall be provided on a voluntary basis and shall be kept in accordance with state and federal laws regarding confidentiality. Information regarding a student’s disability will be stored digitally. Hard copy documentation will be scanned into the student's accessibility file and then returned to the student.
- ACT and SAT scores
An indication by the College Board or the American College Testing Program that an applicant took the SAT or ACT under accommodated conditions shall not be used as the basis for discrimination. The scores received on such tests shall be treated the same as any un-accommodated scores. The College policy is to view non-standard testing conditions as necessary and reasonable accommodations that have been afforded only after proper evaluation by SAT or ACT and that do not result in unfair advantage or inflated scores.
- Requesting Accommodations for the Admission Process
Applicants who need an accommodation for their disability during the admission process can contact the Director of Accessibility Services, and/or complete the online application.
- Information on the Disability Retained in Applicant’s File
Written documentation regarding a disability, disclosed as part of the admission process, will be forwarded to the Director of Accessibility Services. It is the student’s responsibility, however, to ensure that documentation is on file in the Accessibility Services office if accommodations will be requested. Information provided during the admission process does not constitute notification to the College for the purpose of requesting accommodations for classes, residential life, or other programs, unless that information was sent directly to the Director of Accessibility Services. Students must obtain an Accommodations Approval letter before accommodations will be implemented.
D. Responsibilities of Students
- Identifying the Need for Accommodations
Students with disabilities who require accommodations must make those needs known to the Director of Accessibility Services. Students are responsible for making these needs known and for providing documentation. Students must be certain that their disability is clearly stated and that accommodations they intend to request are addressed within this documentation and that they have qualified for services at Carroll College.
Students who provide documentation should verify with the Director of Accessibility Services that documentation has been received and whether or not they qualify for services.
Students who do not require accommodations need not make their disabilities known.
Information on a student’s disability and accommodations is treated as confidential information under applicable federal and state laws and college policies and is only provided to individuals on a need-to-know basis. Faculty members who are informed of a student’s disability are advised that this information is confidential.
In some cases where only minor accommodations are required (such as requesting to sit in the front row because of a visual or hearing impairment), the student should feel free to simply make a request of the faculty member. If requests for minor accommodations are not responded to adequately, the student should make the request through the Director of Accessibility Services.
- Accommodations
The College will provide reasonable accommodations to ensure that students with disabilities have access to all applicable or relevant services, programs and activities. Students can apply for accommodations at https://www.carroll.edu/about/policies-procedures/accessibility
Students should identify their needs as soon as possible to the Director of Accessibility Services to ensure that accommodations are available when needed. If a student does not make requests in a timely manner (i.e., 3 weeks for alternative format textbooks; 3 days for test accommodations), these services may not be available on the first day of class. The
Director of Accessibility Services will work with the student to notify faculty of their responsibilities for provision of
accommodations and to assist in forming an open and collaborative relationship among the team that includes the student.
- The Accommodations Process
See Accessibility Services webpage for accommodation processes and more information: Accessibility Services at Carroll
E. Disability Resources Handbook
For more information about Carroll College Accessibility Services and ADA Law, please follow this link to the Disability Resources Handbook.