Facts on the ADA Accommodations and Disability

The obligation to provide accommodationsfor students with disabilities is not a newconcept. Most publicly funded educationalinstitutions have been subject to similarobligations for many years under theRehabilitation Act of 1973. Whether youhave been aware of it or not, your collegehas probably been providing some typeof accommodations for students withdisabilities for quite some time.During the 1995-96 academic year, six percentof first year students reported havinga disability that affected hearing, speech,mobility or vision, but that number isincreasing. In fact, current reports suggestthat 1 out of 11 college students havereported that they have a disability (U.S.Dept. of Education, 1999). Not every studentwith a disability will be eligible foror need an accommodation. However,as more students with disabilities enrollin post-secondary education, the need foraccommodations will increase.• Changes to a classroom environmentor task that permit a student with adisability to participate in theeducational process,• Removal of architectural barriers,Modifications to policies, practices orprocedures,• Provision of auxiliary aids andservices, and• Other adaptations or modificationsthat enable a student to enjoy thebenefits and privileges of the college’sprogram, services and activities.Accommodations do not lower academicstandards or compromise theintegrity of an academic program.Academic, conduct and technicalstandards will always be maintained.Accommodations are provided at no costfor eligible students. Eligibility for accommodationsis discussed on page 6.What is an Accommodation?An accommodation is a legallymandated modification or service that givesa student with a disability an equal opportunityto benefit from the educational process.It may be useful to think of accommodationsasadjustments to how things are normallydone.The Accommodations ProcessTypically the accommodation processstarts when a student contacts the DisabiitySupport Services (DSS) office or aninstructor and makes a request for adisability related accommodation. If astudent asks you for an accommodationand has not had his or her disabilityverified by DSS you should refer thestudent to DSS.From one perspective, accommodations canbe grouped into the followingcategories:<strong>Facts</strong> on ADA, Accommodationsand Disability