Policy on Student Learning Disabilities

General Information

Equal Access to Education

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 states that "no otherwise qualified individual with a disability shall, solely by reason of the disability, be excluded from the participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance." To this end, Earlham College is committed to providing equal access to education by removing unnecessary barriers to enhance each student’s ability to demonstrate his or her academic abilities. The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) reinforced the provisions of the Rehabilitation Act and extended coverage to the private sector with the extension of access into all aspects of campus life, including communications and other privileges and advantages by requiring that all public facilities, services, and communications be accessible to persons with disabilities and that auxiliary aids and services be provided unless such provisions place an undue hardship (defined as significantly difficult or expensive) upon the institution.

Who is Considered Disabled under these Laws?

The ADA defines an individual with a disability as a person who (1) has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more of the major life activities of that person, (2) has a record of such an impairment, or (3) is regarded as having such an impairment. Major life activities include caring for oneself, performing manual tasks, walking, seeing, hearing, speaking, breathing, learning, and working.

Reasonable Accommodation

"Reasonable accommodation" is the term used by the ADA and the Rehabilitation Act for modifications made to an environment which eliminate or decrease, to a reasonable degree, structural and/or learning barriers which a student might encounter due to his or her disability. The law does not require that students with a disability be given "special" advantage that places them in a better position to succeed than their classmates. Reasonable accommodations are made to put students with a disability in the same starting position as their nondisabled classmates. Nevertheless, an academic unit is not required to fundamentally alter the nature of its academic program in order to accommodate students.

Earlham College is committed to providing access to all of its programs, activities and services and will either remove physical barriers or enhance access in other ways to enable qualified students to participate in such endeavors.

What is a Learning Disability?

The general term Learning Disability (LD) refers to a heterogeneous group of disorders manifested by significant difficulties in the acquisition and use of listening, speaking, reading, writing, reasoning, or mathematical abilities. These disorders are intrinsic to the individual and may occur across the life span. Even though a learning disability may occur concomitantly with other conditions or life stressors, a learning disability is not the direct result of those conditions or influences.

Learning Disabilities often exist with other conditions (e.g., ADD/ADHD) and we will review a student’s ADA/Rehabilitation status with consideration of all of her/her presenting conditions.

College Commitment and Support

Commitment

Earlham College is committed to providing equality of opportunity to students with learning disabilities through a supportive academic and social environment. Faculty and students work together in partnership to determine students' needs and attempt to see that those needs are met. The College, however, does not provide a comprehensive learning disabilities program.

Support

Many resources and services are available to students with learning disabilities.

• The Center for Academic Enrichment is responsible for assisting students with diagnosed learning disabilities through the coordination of reasonable academic accommodations. In addition, the staff provides access to technological assistance, can refer students to resources in the local area, and coordinates a support group for students with learning disabilities. The Center for Academic Enrichment offers free peer tutoring to all students, has information on disabilities and study skills, and meets individually, on a limited basis, with any student to work on learning strategies.

• Academic advisors help students create academic plans and provide them with information on classes and majors.

• Classroom professors are available to all students to answer questions regarding classes, specific course content, and teaching and learning styles.

Policy and Procedures

Diagnostic Documentation

Diagnostic documentation is critical in determining suitable accommodations. It is the individual student's responsibility to identify her- or himself as a person with a learning disability and to provide the College with diagnostic documentation of the disability from an appropriately licensed professional. The documentation should demonstrate how the learning disability limits the student's ability to participate in an academic setting and must be submitted to the Center for Academic Enrichment for verification before an accommodation is sought.

Communication

Earlham expects students with learning disabilities to take an active role in communicating their needs, because they can best describe their strengths and weaknesses. It is important that students inform the College of their disabilities as soon as possible, preferably before the beginning or within the first-two weeks of the semester or within two weeks of being diagnosed. This will allow sufficient time to make any necessary arrangements. Please be advised that reviewing documentation and arranging for appropriate accommodations takes time and student's delays in following through could delay receiving such accommodations.

Confidentiality and Information Release

Earlham College is committed to ensuring that all disability information regarding a student is maintained as confidential as required or permitted by law. In most instances, the College will not inform the faculty member as to the nature of the student’s disorder unless it is necessary for providing appropriate accommodations or in order to protect the health and safety of the student and/or others. Faculty are informed as to what accommodations are necessary or appropriate to meet the student's disability-related needs. A student may give written authorization for the release of diagnostic documentation if he or she wishes to share it with others.

In addition to the usual accommodations provided to faculty, the College reserves the right to release supplementary information should there be a need to know. Some common needs to know might result from, but are not limited to:

• a request for a course substitution

• the safety of the student and/or others

• grievance cases

• special financial aid considerations

Procedure for Requesting Academic Accommodations

1. Submit current documentation (generally within the past three years) regarding the specific disability to the Director of the Center for Academic Enrichment. The documentation should state, as determined by an appropriate professional, what reasonable accommodations the student needs. The documentation will be reviewed and verified and the student will be notified once that process is completed. It is recommended that the student meet with the Director of the Center for Academic Enrichment to discuss the review/verification findings and the appropriate academic accommodations. The initial academic accommodations recommended for a student may be modified as directed by a change in the student's need or the nature of course requirements. It is the student’s responsibility to request the modification and to provide support for said change.

2. Academic accommodations may be requested following the review/verification process. A faculty notification form should be completed within the first two weeks of each semester or within two weeks of being diagnosed with a disability. Students are to complete their portion of the form and then must submit the form to the Director of the Center for Academic Enrichment.

3. The Director will finalize the form and send copies of the form to the student’s EC drawer. The student must promptly give the completed forms to faculty members to receive academic accommodations. One copy of the form will be retained in the student’s disability file.

4. Some accommodations may dictate that the student, Director, and course professor collaborate to identify an accommodation that meets the needs of both the student and professor. Should such collaboration be necessary, it is the student’s responsibility to inform the Director. Accommodation appeals will be directed to the Committee for Academic Programs (CAP).

5. If a student encounters difficulties with a professor or other College personnel regarding accommodations, the student should bring the difficulties to the attention of the Director of the Center for Academic Enrichment. If the Director is unable to resolve said difficulties, the Associate Academic Dean will be brought into the discussion to assist with a resolution.

Appropriate Academic Accommodations and Auxiliary Aids

Appropriate academic accommodations and auxiliary aids may include, but are not limited to:

• providing note takers, readers, and computer assistance

• assistance in obtaining books on tape

• extended time or testing assistance via a scribe or computer technology

• a test-taking environment with limited distractions

• in very limited circumstances, a different testing format

• using computers for assignments and tests

• the substitution of appropriate courses for the second language requirement

The substitution for the language requirement begins with the student contacting the Language Department Convener, who ultimately presents the request to the department. Other course substitutions must be discussed with the convener of the relevant department, and a petition should be sent to the Committee for Academic Programs (CAP).

The Center for Academic Enrichment is located in the basement of Runyan Center.

Earlham College, Drawer 134, Richmond, Indiana 47374 (765) 983-1341

Earlham College is a member of the Association for Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD) and is in compliance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.

August 2000