Office of Student Life
Disability Services
Staff:
Sylvia Buck, Director Counseling, Health Education, and Disability Services
Ronda Stone, Coordinator of Disability Services
Karen Stenstrom, Counselor & Disability Services Provider
Location: McCurdy Alumni Memorial Union, Student Life Center
Phone: 812-488-2663
As the designated disability service providers, the counseling staff of the Office of Counseling and Health Education coordinates the provision of appropriate and reasonable academic accommodations and support services for any qualified student with a properly documented disability.
ACCOMMODATING STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES
The University of Evansville is strongly committed to providing an accessible and supportive environment for students with disabilities, and is committed to treating all individuals in a fair and equitable manner. It is the policy and practice of the University of Evansville to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Under these laws, no otherwise qualified individual with a disability will be denied access to or participation in courses, programs, services, or activities at the University of Evansville.
Rights and Responsibilities of Students with Disabilities
Federal Laws Impacting Disability Services in Post-Secondary Level Education
• Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973
• Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) 1990
Rights of Students with Disabilities
• Students have a right to equal access to courses, programs, services, and activities.
• Students have a right to “Reasonable” accommodations.
• Students have a right to file a grievance/complaint.
Responsibilities of Students with Disabilities
• Students must self-identify themselves to the disability services office if they are requesting
accommodations.
• Students must submit documentation of a disability.
• Diagnostic records are kept confidential, but the student must allow the disability service
provider to provide the instructor with a verification letter before expecting accommodations.
• Students are expected to meet the academic performance standards of the class after an
accommodation is provided.
• Students are expected to follow established institutional procedures.
• Students must request accommodations each semester in a timely manner by meeting with
his or her counselor/disability service provider.
• Students should discuss the accommodation request with instructors of each class for which
the student will use the accommodation.
• Students need to notify their counselor/disability service provider if there are difficulties with
the accommodations.
Rights of the University
• The University will identify and establish core competencies and technical standards.
• The disability service provider will request and receive current documentation of disability for
each student requesting accommodations.
• The disability service provider will determine reasonable accommodations.
• The University can deny a request for accommodations when the accommodation would
change the fundamental nature of the program and/or pose an undue burden.
Responsibilities of the University
• The University must publish notice of available services for students with disabilities.
• The University must ensure that courses, programs, services, and activities when viewed
in their entirety are accessible to qualified students with disabilities.
• The University must provide appropriate reasonable accommodations.
• The disability service coordinator will maintain disability records and ensure that all
information will be used in accordance with applicable confidentiality.
• The University must provide a grievance procedure.
Procedures to Establish Eligibility
Students who wish to request accommodations must establish eligibility by providing appropriate written documentation of the disability to the Office of Counseling and Health Education, Union 135. As the designated disability service providers for the University of Evansville, the counseling staff of the Office of Counseling and Health Education coordinate the provision of appropriate and reasonable academic accommodations and support services for any qualified student with a properly documented disability. Each student should schedule an appointment to meet with a counselor/disability service provider (812-488-2663) for an individual consultation. During the consultation, the counselor and student discuss the current impact of the disability in the academic setting. After reviewing the student’s medical and/or diagnostic records and meeting with the student and faculty member(s) as appropriate, the counselor makes recommendations for services or reasonable academic accommodations for the student. The medical records and disability documentation will be maintained in the Office of Counseling and Health Education and used in accordance with applicable confidentiality.
Procedures for Communicating with Faculty
If the student chooses to receive recommended services that require assistance from an instructor or other staff member, a release form signed by the student will allow the counselor to inform the necessary staff members about the student’s disability. The counselor will be responsible for notifying each professor in writing about the student’s approved accommodations as well as offering assistance to implement the accommodations if necessary.
It is the student’s responsibility to request the accommodations from individual professors as needed. The student should make an appointment with each professor to discuss the accommodations that are needed for that particular class, and to verify that the professor has received the accommodation letter. The student should give the professor two weeks advance notice of accommodation needs to allow adequate time for the professor to make arrangements.
Professors often report that they receive an accommodation letter from the Office of Counseling and Health Education, but the student does not follow up by requesting the accommodations. This sometimes happens because a student feels that he/she will not require an accommodation in a particular course due to the manner in which the material is presented, etc. It is the student’s responsibility to request the accommodations he/she wants to use.
Procedural Difficulties with Accommodation Requests
The professor is only required to make available the accommodations that are delineated within the accommodation letter issued by the Office of Counseling and Health Education. If students or faculty have difficulty with specific accommodation needs, the counselor should be contacted for assistance. If, as the semester progresses, the student feels additional accommodations are warranted, the student should consult with the counselor to discuss other support services or options.
Disability Advisory Committee
The Disability Advisory Committee is a committee set up to review atypical requests regarding disability accommodations and to make recommendations regarding requests which involve accommodations related to changes in curriculum or program. This committee is composed of representatives from faculty, counseling/disability services, academic affairs, academic advising,and the registrar’s office. The committee acts in an advisory capacity and submits written recommendations on each request to the vice president of academic affairs, who makes final decisions on the requests.
Grievance Process
If a student is dissatisfied with the accommodations recommended by the counselor/disability service coordinator, the student will complete a Grievance/Appeal Petition (available from Counseling Center Office) and the request/complaint will be reviewed by the Disability Advisory Committee. The written petition must be submitted within 180 days of initial complaint. The Disability Advisory Committee makes a recommendation to the vice president of academic affairs who makes the final decision on the request.
Subsequent Semesters
Students who wish academic accommodations must contact the Office of Counseling and Health Education at the beginning of each semester to review progress, review the student’s schedule and needs for the semester, and secure appropriate releases for notification of professors. The student will be responsible for scheduling the appointment.
Further Information
For further information contact Sylvia Buck, director of counseling and health education, at 812-488-2663. Information regarding documentation guidelines and grievance procedures are available upon request.
Housing Accomodation Requests
For information on requesting campus housing accommodations based on medical, psychological, or disability related needs please click here.
