Contents

Our Commitment
Overview
Definitions
Requesting an Accommodation
Documentation Requirements
Determining Accommodations

Confidentiality
Implementing Accommodations
Denial of Accommodation
Student Appeal
Special Admissions Review
Undergraduate Admissions
Graduate Admissions
Foreign Language Substitution
Information Requests

Our Commitment

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 states that: “No otherwise qualified person with a disability in the United States…shall, solely by reason of …disability, be denied the benefits of, be excluded from participation in, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.”

The Catholic University of America supports the integration of all qualified individuals into the programs of the university and is committed to full compliance with all laws regarding equal opportunity for all students with a disability. At CUA, students, Disability Support Services (DSS), faculty, academic deans and department chairs, the Equal Opportunity Officer (EOO) and Advisory Committee on Students with Disabilities all play a joint role in ensuring "equal access" to campus facilities and programs.

Overview

Services include, but are not limited to, special admissions review, advocacy and disability advising, classroom and test accommodations, early registration, housing accommodations, assistance with foreign language substitution application, books on tape, assistive technology training and referral for testing or additional services. More information on the special admissions review and the foreign language substitution is given below.

Students identify themselves to DSS to request services or accommodations. Documentation of a disability is required. All information regarding a disability is confidential and may be shared only with permission of the student. A student is responsible for making arrangements for accommodations by providing his or her instructors with a letter from DSS requesting the approved accommodations.

Disability Support Services (DSS) evaluates and maintains all disability records for students with disabilities. DSS determines eligibility for services, provides verification of the disability, and specifies needed accommodations to the instructor. DSS serves as a mentor and adviser to students with disabilities and is available to faculty and staff for consultation.

Faculty are responsible for implementing accommodations requested by DSS. The teacher for a given class receives a letter from ODSS, by way of the student, requesting the approved accommodation.

Academic Deans and Department Chairs ensure that faculty and students are informed about the university’s ADA policies and procedures and that faculty fulfill their roles in assisting with approved accommodations. Only academic deans have the right to waive, substitute or adjust course or degree requirements. The foreign language substitution is an example of an adjustment that might be made to the Arts and Sciences degree requirements.

Equal Opportunity Officer (EOO) resolves conflicts in the provision of reasonable accommodations, or denial of same. The EOO coordinator also reviews the status of the university’s compliance with the ADA.

Advisory Committee on Students with Disabilities reviews and makes recommendations regarding disability policy and procedures and stands ready to assist students with any disability which might preclude their full participation in university activities. Members of the committee include faculty, staff and administrators in a variety of specialized areas including clinical, counseling and educational psychology, educational assessment and measurement, disability issues and student advisement.

Definitions

• An individual with a disability is someone with a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more “major life activities.” Physical or mental impairments include, for example, specific learning disabilities, emotional or mental illness, blindness and visual impairments, deafness and hearing impairments, mobility impairments and some chronic illnesses.
• Major life activity means functions such as caring for oneself, performing manual tasks, walking, seeing, hearing, speaking, breathing, working and learning. A person is considered to be an individual with a disability and protected by the law if he/she has the disability, has a record of having the disability or is regarded as having the disability.
• A qualified person with a disability means an individual who, with reasonable modifications or “accommodations” (if necessary) to rules, policies or practices, the removal of barriers or the provision of auxiliary aids and services, meets the eligibility requirements for the receipt of services and the participation in programs or activities. 
• Accommodation refers to a change in the status quo. A reasonable accommodation in the student setting is a modification or adjustment to a course, program or building that allows the person with a disability to participate as fully as possible in the programs and activities offered by the university.

Requesting an Accommodation

• Students with disabilities are required to meet the same academic standards as other students at the university. It is only through a student’s voluntary disclosure of disability and request for accommodation that CUA can support disability needs.
• Students with disabilities who wish to receive accommodations or services must disclose the disability and make a personal request to DSS. The student meets with an ODSS adviser; submits required disability documentation; and formally requests services, including accommodations.
• A disclosure of disability or request for an accommodation made to a faculty or staff member, other than the staff of DSS, will not be treated as a request for an accommodation.
• Requests for services or accommodation should be made early (in some cases prior to the start of the semester or very early in the semester) to allow time to review requests and documentation and make proper arrangements. Accommodation arrangements may be compromised or denied if a request is not made in a timely manner.
• Requests for accommodation must be renewed each semester.

Documentation Requirements

• All disabilities require documentation. Disability documentation must be current and include a written evaluation from a physician, psychologist or other qualified specialist that establishes the nature and extent of the disability and includes the basis for the diagnosis and the dates of testing. Further, the documentation must establish the current need for an accommodation and contain suggestions for offsetting the effects of the disability.
• The type of documentation will vary according to the disability, e.g., a psycho-educational or neuro-psychological assessment for learning or other cognitive disabilities and attention deficit disorder, a psychiatrist’s report for psychological disabilities, a letter from a doctor or other specialist for physical and most other disabilities. Whether or not documentation is current will depend on the nature of the disability.
• For more specific information regarding documentation requirements contact DSS.

Determining Accommodations

• Disability documentation is used to determine eligibility for services and establish accommodations.
• Accommodations are determined on a case-by-case basis taking into account the learning needs of the student, the requirements of the learning task, the course standards and essential requirements, and the educational environment.
• The university need not give primary consideration to a specific accommodation requested by a student. However, the legislative history of the ADA1 strongly encourages consultation with the student when determining appropriate accommodation. (1 See 28 C.F.R. Part 36 Appendix B under § 36.303.)
• At CUA, the determination of an appropriate and reasonable accommodation is based on an interaction between the individual and the university. Specifically, accommodations are determined by DSS in consultation with the student and with input from the faculty, as needed. Determining how students are to be evaluated in a course is an example of an area where faculty input would be solicited.
• Questions about the process involved in the determination of reasonable accommodations should be directed to DSS.

Confidentiality

• Documentation of a student’s disability is maintained in a confidential file in DSS. This documentation is not a part of the student’s academic record.
• All information related to a disability is confidential and may be disclosed only with the permission of the student or otherwise as permitted by the university’s student records policy and federal laws.
• Disability information so disclosed should be maintained in a confidential file and never discussed with other individuals without permission of the student.

Implementing Accommodations
Student Guidelines

• A student who wishes an accommodation is responsible for obtaining a letter from DSS that states that he or she is a qualified individual with a disability. The letter also advises the faculty or staff member of the action required to provide an accommodation for the student.
• Students are not required to divulge the nature of their disabilities or provide copies of their disability documentation to faculty or staff.
• Students are responsible for working directly with the faculty or staff member involved in the provision of an accommodation. Contact should be maintained throughout the semester.
• Assistance with test administration is available if a faculty member is unable to monitor the administration of an accommodated test, or if computer access is required. The student initiates the alternate arrangements using the Test Administration Request form available through DSS.
• Students need to provide feedback to DSS on the effectiveness of accommodations. DSS should be notified if an accommodation is not provided.
• Questions about the provision of reasonable accommodations should be directed to DSS.

Faculty and Staff Guidelines

• A faculty or staff member is responsible for the implementation of the accommodation identified in the letter from DSS. Faculty and staff must support approved accommodations.
• Individually, faculty have a legal responsibility to make sure that each course, when viewed in its entirety, is accessible. Accessibility, the primary consideration of disability law, should be in the forefront of course and technological planning. Further information on this legal obligation may be obtained from the Office of General Counsel.
• Faculty are encouraged to include a notice on the course syllabus referring students to contact DSS if they have need for accommodation related to a disability.
• Faculty may need to submit early book lists and copies of articles to the bookstore and DSS to allow for the taping or transcription of books and materials. Assistance may also be requested to identify note takers and possible tutors for students.
• Questions regarding the provision of an accommodation, or related to offering a course in such a manner that disabilities are accommodated, should be addressed to DSS.
• Faculty questions regarding alterations to a course or program should be addressed to the cognizant dean.

Denial of Accommodation

• The university reserves the right to deny services or accommodations in the event that documentation does not comply with its published guidelines for service eligibility, e.g., the student does not meet the criteria of ADA or Section 504, or documentation is out-of-date or incomplete.
• If the documentation provided by a student does not support the existence of a disability or the need for an accommodation, the student will be so advised. Students will be given the opportunity to supplement the initial documentation with further information from a physician, psychologist or other specialist.
• The university is not required to provide an accommodation that compromises the essential requirements of a course or program, imposes an undue financial burden based on the university’s overall institutional budget or poses a threat to the health or safety of the student or others.

Student Appeal

• A student who disagrees with an DSS determination of eligibility or accommodation is encouraged to meet with the director of DSS to resolve the matter informally.
• A student who disputes the determination by DSS regarding the existence of a disability or denial of an accommodation may file a written complaint with the university’s EOO within 30 days of the date of the DSS determination. The decision of the EOO shall be final.
• A student who believes that the university has discriminated against them on the basis of their disability may contact the EOO to discuss filing a formal complaint of discrimination. 

Special Admissions Review

An applicant may choose to identify a learning or other cognitive disability and ask that it be considered a relevant factor in the admissions process. The optional review procedure is intended to enhance an individual’s opportunities for admission and may not be used to discriminate against the applicant. Individuals who choose not to identify themselves as having a disability at the time of application will be evaluated for admission in the regular manner. Recent documentation verifying the disability, which for learning disabilities should include test results, must be sent along with a request for the special review checked on the admissions application. Nonstandard administration scores from standardized entrance examinations, such as the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) and the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), are accepted and are not devalued in any way.

All information supplied by an applicant to the university regarding any disability will be treated confidentially and used only for special admissions review. Once enrolled, students must apply to the DSS to receive ongoing support services. Self-identification in the admissions process is not equivalent to a request for accommodations.

Undergraduate Admissions
If an otherwise intellectually qualified applicant believes there are weaknesses in his or her admissions material due to a disability and provides documentation of the nature and extent of that disability to the Office of Admissions, the application will be referred to a Special Admissions Committee, which will provide a fuller assessment of a student’s academic potential than the regular admissions review. The committee will include the vice president for enrollment management, the dean of the appropriate undergraduate school, an adviser from the applicant’s prospective academic unit and two staff members with disability-related expertise selected by the Advisory Committee on Students with Disabilities.

Applicants with a learning disability or attention deficit disorder who wish to be considered under the special admissions policy must submit the following information along with regular admissions requirements:

• A psychoeducational assessment report that certifies the disability and the current need for a modification, as well as the ability to do college work. The report should be current and minimally include the results and interpretations from 1) the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS III), and 2) an individually administered achievement battery, which minimally includes reading comprehension, mathematics and written language assessments (e.g., Woodcock-Johnson Psychoeducational Battery).
• Three teacher evaluations: one each from the most recent teachers of mathematics, English and one other subject. These may be submitted in place of any required letters of recommendation.
• If requested by the university, a personal interview with the university’s adviser to students with learning disabilities or other representative from the Special Admissions Committee.
• Optional: A supervised writing sample on a topic of the applicant’s choice (250 words minimum, handwritten).

Graduate Admissions
If an otherwise qualified applicant for graduate studies believes there are weaknesses in his or her admissions material due to a disability and provides documentation of the nature and the extent of that disability to the office of the dean of the school to which they are applying, the application will be referred to a Special Admissions Committee for review. The committee will be appointed by the provost and will include the dean of the appropriate school, an adviser from the applicant’s prospective academic unit and two staff members with disability-related expertise who will be selected by the Advisory Committee on Students with Disabilities.

Applicants with learning disabilities or attention deficit disorder who wish to be considered under the special admissions policy should submit the following information along with regular admissions requirements:

• A psychoeducational assessment report certifying the disability and the current need for a modification. The report should minimally include the results and interpretations from 1) the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS III), and 2) an individually administered achievement battery, which minimally includes reading comprehension, mathematic and written language assessments (e.g., the Woodcock-Johnson Psychoeducational Battery).
• Three evaluations with at least two from academic sources. One may be from a professional source reflecting previous employment. These may be submitted in place of any required letters of recommendation.
• If requested by the university, a personal interview with representatives from the Special Admissions Committee.
• Optional:  A writing sample on a topic of the applicant’s choice (250 words minimum).

Foreign Language Substitution
Two semesters of foreign language at the intermediate level are required of all undergraduate students in the School of Arts and Sciences. Students with a disability that impairs the ability to learn a foreign language may apply to substitute other courses for that requirement. The decision to grant a foreign language substitution is made by the assistant dean of arts and sciences and is based on an individual’s learning history, psycho-educational documentation of a disability that interferes with foreign language acquisition, and future educational goals. All requests for foreign language substitution must be initiated through the DSS. If granted, two courses approved by Arts and Sciences are substituted for the foreign language requirement.

Information Requests
For additional information on or questions regarding policies, procedures, and services for students with disabilities, contact DSS at 202-319-5211 or http://disabilitysupport.cua.edu.