Grinnell College, Division of Student Affairs

Grinnell College, in compliance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), and with the ADA Amendments Act of 2008 recognizes that qualified students who have diagnosed or identified disabilities are entitled to benefit from the educational programs of the College if reasonable accommodations can be arranged.

Costs associated with diagnosis, evaluation, and testing are the responsibility of the student except in cases of severe financial need demonstrated to, and upon recommendation of, the Office of Student Financial Aid.

Requests for adaptive equipment needs for academic purposes will be submitted through the Director of Academic Advising who will consult with the Dean of the College. The Dean will assess the need and determine whether the college will purchase the adaptive equipment.

The Director of Academic Advising will report all accommodation requests and actions to the Committee on Academic Standing. Requests for curricular accommodation outside of the Grinnell College academic and residential model or the character of learning and instruction at this institution shall be taken to the Committee on Academic Standing for a recommendation to the Dean of the College.

Appeals of decisions regarding academic accommodation shall be made to the Dean of the College, whose decision shall be final.

REFERENCES:

"No otherwise qualified handicapped individual shall, solely by reason of his handicap, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance." Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended.

"No individual shall be discriminated against on the basis of disability in the full and equal enjoyment of the goods, services, facilities, privileges, advantages, or accommodations of any place of public accommodation by any person who owns, leases (or leases to), or operates a place of public accommodation." Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.

The ADAAA (which also ammends Section 504 and the ADA) defines disability to means "any person who (1) has a physical or mental impairment which substantially limits one or more major life activities, or (2) has a record of such an impairment, or (3) is regarded as having such an impairment." "Major life activities" refer to functions such as caring for one's self, performing manual tasks, walking, seeing, hearing, speaking, breathing, learning, concentration, thinking, and working; also "major bodily functions" such as normal cell growth, digestive, bowel, bladder, neurological, brain, respiratory, circulatory, endocrine, immune system, and reproductive functions.

"Specific learning disability" means "a disorder in one or more of the basic psychological processes involved in understanding or in using language, spoken or written, which may manifest itself in an imperfect ability to listen, think, speak, read, write, spell, or to do mathematical calculations. The term includes such conditions as perceptual handicaps, brain injury, minimal brain disfunction, dyslexia, and developmental aphasia. The term does not include children who have learning problems which are primarily the result of visual, hearing, or motor handicaps, of mental retardation, of emotional disturbance or of environmental, cultural or economic disadvantage." Section 504.

"A qualified handicapped individual" is defined as "one who meets the academic and technical standards requisite to admission or participation in the recipient's education program or activity." Code of Federal Regulations, Title 34, revised as of July 1, 1988, Part 104.3. Note: The ADA regulations adopts this language by reference to public accommodations.

"Grinnell College is committed to a policy of nondiscrimination in matters of admissions, employment, and housing, and in access to and participation in its education programs, services, or activities. No person shall be discriminated against on the basis of race, national or ethnic origin, age, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, religion, creed or disability." Grinnell College Catalog.

Read on to learn: How Do I Receive Academic Accommodations?