Procedures for Accommodating Students With Disabilities

The college is obligated to make accommodations only to the known limitations of an otherwise qualified student with a disability. It is the student's responsibility to notify the College of disabling conditions and to request accommodations.

The procedure for doing so is as follows:

All students accepted for admission to Glenville State College will receive in their orientation packet from the Vice President for Student Affairs a form on which they may voluntarily indicate that they have a disability. After doing so they must provide documentation of their disability and request specific accommodations.

The Director of the Academic Support Center will maintain a separate, confidential file of this information, and will use the information for the exclusive purpose of arranging the necessary accommodations for the student. The Director of the Academic Support Center will coordinate these accommodations directly with the persons (e.g., individual faculty instructors, residence hall directors, director of the physical plant, etc.) who will make them. They will also maintain, in the student's separate file, a complete record of the accommodations provided.

Students with disabilities who elect not to identify themselves immediately, or who develop disabilities after being admitted, may identify themselves and request accommodations at any time. They may do so by contacting the Director of the Academic Support Center.

If testing is required to document the disability, the Director of the Academic Support Center will refer the student to an appropriate party to be tested. NOTE: any costs of such testing will be borne by the student requesting accommodation.

Upon submission of the Self-Identification Form, a meeting is then scheduled with the Director of the Academic Support Center and the student to assess and discuss their individual needs. This meeting may also include the students' parents or guardians, if the student chooses to have them present.

When the student contacts the office, they are alerted to their obligation to provide appropriate documentation, provided they have this information. This information includes any psychological evaluations, previous Individual Education Plans, medical records, etc. If the student feels that they may have a condition which would warrant consideration for accommodation but has no documentation to that effect the Director of the Academic Support Center, with the consent of the student, then makes a referral to an appropriate agency for an evaluation. The student then bears the responsibility for any fees that may be incurred during this evaluative process, as assessed by the agency.

Identified Students

Students who have already self-identified and who are currently enrolled in the Student Disabilities Services program at Glenville State College are alerted to the necessity to reactivate their enrollment at the beginning of each semester. Students are sent a letter in which it is requested that they contact the Director of the Academic Support Center to schedule an appointment.

This appointment serves more than a single purpose. First, it serves as a means to assess the student to determine if there are any changes that need to be made in accommodations, and it allows the Director of the Academic Support Center the opportunity to assess academic progress. If a student is being successful, then few adjustments may be necessary. However, if the student is experiencing academic difficulty, it may be necessary to make adjustments for that student on a variety of levels. The adjustments may come in the form of further assessment to determine need for accommodation or teaching the student new skills, such as study skills, time management, test taking skills, etc.

Next, the appointment gives the student the opportunity to make personal contact with someone who can act as a liaison between the student, faculty and staff. This personal contact provides a healthy proportion of humanity to what could otherwise potentially be perceived by the student as nothing more than an exercise in bureaucracy.

Accommodations and Notification of Faculty and Staff

Once the student meets with the Director of the Academic Support Center and a plan for accommodations has been established, the next step is the notification of faculty and staff. Letters are written to notify the instructors that, "John Doe is a student in your (specified) class that has a documented disability." The letter further elaborates on what accommodations are necessary for that student. The student receives the original of this letter and a copy. It is the responsibility of the student to deliver this letter to the instructor, as this gives the student the opportunity to discuss any information that they might feel the instructor needs to know. The second copy of the letter is for the student to maintain his/her own records. A copy of this letter is also kept on file in the office of the Director of the Academic Support Center.