Students with documented disabilities are accommodated at Grinnell College. Not only is this required by law, but it is fair practice for students who need it. All students seeking academic accommodations for a disability must contact Joyce Stern, Dean for Student Academic Support and Advising, so that she may review their documentation, meet with them, and make decisions about appropriate accommodations. This is the procedure the College has adopted to allow for thorough review of students' documentation and to treat students individually but consistently.
Part of the procedure for determining appropriate accommodations includes a meeting with the student's adviser. At this meeting the student, the adviser and Joyce discuss the disability and how it affects the student, the student's past history of accommodations, and necessary accommodations for their time at Grinnell. Together they complete the Academic Accommodations Form - this official paperwork is signed by the student, by the student's adviser, and by Joyce. Students with disabilities have a range of limitations that need accommodation in order to allow equal access to their education. Typical kinds of accommodations include a seat at the front of the class, books/texts in an alternate format, and extra time on exams.
Advisers may also need to know how the disability could impact the bigger picture of a student's time at Grinnell. For example, some students need to take an average of 12-13 credits each semester due to a disability and will need to use summers to transfer in credit to reach 124 credits by graduation. Other students need to select courses carefully based on the student's strengths and weaknesses to strike a good balance. As every disability is unique to each person, we work with students in a very individual manner.
Advisers are brought into a very small circle of people who are aware of the student's disability and are expected to maintain the student's confidentiality, making every effort not to disclose this information to other students or faculty except with the student's express permission.
