The Director of Accessible Education, through the Dean’s Office, coordinates the various accommodations required to make students’ educational experiences successful. The Disabilities and Accommodations Advisory Group (DAAG) provides policy guidance to the Director, deans, and other governing bodies.
Who qualifies for accommodations at Williams College?
The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 including Section 504 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 identifies a person with a disability as any person who meets any of the following criteria:
1) The person has a physical or mental impairment;
2) The person has a record of such impairment;
3) The person is regarded as having such an impairment which substantially limits one or more major life activities such as walking, seeing, hearing, speaking, breathing, self-care or learning.
Course of Study Policy
The Director of Academic Resources works with each student individually to customize support services which will enable each student to take full advantage of the academic programs of the College and provide “reasonable accommodations.” Students with learning disabilities are expected to pursue a full course of study (four graded courses per term and at least one course per Winter Study Period) and accommodations provided by the College are normally intended to enable a student to participate in the regular program of study, not in a differently constructed or scheduled program.
Rights and Responsibilities
Prospective students are encouraged to:
consult with the Director of Accessible Education regarding potential accommodations at Williams to support a documented disability;
discuss concerns about support for disabilities with members of the admission staff, housing office, health/psychological services, and the dean’s office. These conversations are shared with College personnel on a need-to-know basis only.
Williams College students with disabilities have the right to:
equal access to courses, services, facilities, activities, and programs available through the College;
reasonable, appropriate and effective accommodations and/or auxiliary aids determined on a case-by-case basis;
confidentiality of all information regarding the disability and accommodations; readily available alternative formats of information.
Williams College students with disabilities have the responsibility to:
meet the College’s qualifications and academic requirements;
identify themselves in advance as individuals with disabilities when seeking accommodations;
provide a recent professional evaluation which:
identifies the disability,
describes the challenges faced due to the condition,
recommends accommodations to be provided;
follow specific procedures, comply with deadlines and agreements, and communicate with the Director of Accessible Education and/or the Dean’s Office regarding any problems which may arise concerning the accommodation process.
Williams College, through the administrators providing support for students with disabilities, has the right to:
uphold academic standards;
request recent documentation from a student completed by an appropriate professional source which:
identifies the disability,
describes the challenges faced due to this condition,
recommends accommodations to be provided;
discuss a student’s need for reasonable accommodations and/or auxiliary aids with the professional source of his/her documentation with the student’s signed consent authorizing such discussion;
determine appropriate accommodations and/or auxiliary aids in consultation with students with disabilities;
provide accommodations for a reasonable, temporary period of time in order to enable the student to obtain the necessary/additional documentation;
deny a request for accommodations and/or auxiliary aids if the documentation:
does not identify a specific disability,
fails to verify the need for the requested services,
is not provided in a timely manner;
refuse to provide an accommodation and/or auxiliary aid that is inappropriate or unreasonable including any that:
pose a direct threat to the health and safety of others,
fundamentally alter the essential nature of a course or program,
pose an undue financial or administrative burden on the College.
Williams College, through the administrators providing support to students with disabilities, has the responsibility to:
provide information regarding policies and procedures to students with disabilities and assure its availability in alternative formats;
provide reasonable and appropriate accommodations and/or auxiliary aids for students with disabilities upon timely requests by students (eligibility for accommodations determined on a case-by-case basis);
maintain the confidentiality of records and communication concerning students with disabilities;
inform students with disabilities of College policies and procedures for filing a grievance.
Williams College faculty members have the right to:
deny a request for any accommodation which:
fundamentally alters the nature of their course or program,
undermines the purpose of an exam or course,
alters the essential nature of the course,
Should a faculty member believe that this situation may be the case, he or she should discuss the matter with the Director.
Williams College faculty membershave the responsibility to:
discuss with the Director any concerns related to the accommodations or arrangements which they have been requested to implement;
provide appropriate accommodations, as requested;
assure confidentiality of information regarding students with disabilities;
consider the following syllabus statement:
“Students with disabilities who may need accommodations for this course are encouraged to contact the Director of Accessible Education at ext. 4672 as soon as possible to ensure that accommodations are provided in a timely manner.”
General Information about Policies and Procedures Regarding Students with Disabilities
Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, Williams College is required to provide reasonable accommodations to ensure equal access to our offerings for students with documented disabilities as long as the accommodations do not fundamentally alter the integrity of any course or program of study. The College recognizes and supports the standards set forth in Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990, as amended and similar state laws, which are designed to eliminate discrimination against qualified individuals with disabilities. Disabilities may include physical or mental impairments which substantially limit one or more of a person’s major life activities, and which necessitate modifications to facilities, programs, or services to the College. Williams College is committed to making the campus and its facilities accessible as required by applicable laws.
Williams College’s Policies and Procedures Regarding Students with Disabilities states:“The Williams College community includes students with documented disabilities who may require accommodations. Although Williams operates no specifically structured academic programs for individuals with disabilities, the College is committed to providing support services and reasonable accommodations to any students who need them. Williams endeavors to provide equal access to campus programs and activities for all members of the college community. The Director of Academic Resources coordinates the various accommodations required to make students’ educational experiences successful. The Disabilities and Accommodations Advisory Group (DAAG), which includes faculty and administrative staff, provides policy guidance to the Director, Deans, and other governing bodies.”
The Williams College Office of Accessible Education has a number of programs and services that it provides to ALL students and shares responsibility for the provision of academic accommodations under ADA. The Director of the Office of Accessible Education is the current 504 Compliance officer for students and has oversight of the provision of all accommodations inclusive of housing, dining, emergency adaptive equipment, and physical access. The Director of Office of Accessible Education reports to the Dean of the College and is responsible for processing requests for academic accommodations under the ADA.
Academic accommodations are reasonable adjustments that:
Do not result in a fundamental alteration of the program or impose an undue financial or administrative burden on the institution;
Provide an equal academic opportunity for students with disabilities;
Do not guarantee an outcome or level achievement.
Academic Accommodations are only considered upon a formal voluntary request to the Office of Accessible Education by the student and must be requested each semester that they wish to receive such accommodations.
All academic accommodations are determined as part of an interactive and collaborative process during which, Accessible Education staff will work collaboratively with students to determine how to reasonably accommodate students through possible academic adjustments and/or educational auxiliary aids. This interactive and collaborative process requires that students self-advocate and meet with a member of the Accessible Education staff to discuss their request for services prior to a decision being rendered. Academic Accommodations cannot be granted retroactively.
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