Disability Services Information
In recognizing the unique value of each human being, the University of Providence Great Falls (UP) is in accord with the spirit of both Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, the 2008 amendments to the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the updated regulations and guidance to Titles II and III of the ADA.
Carilyn Voorhies, Accessibility Coordinator, assists students with documented disabilities during the entirety of their academic careers. These services assure program access to the University of Providence by students with disabilities. Reasonable accommodations can be made within the learning environment that permit students with disabilities to compete on equal footing with their peers at UP.
What is a Disability?
An individual with a disability is defined by the ADA as a person who has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, a person who has a history or record of such an impairment, or a person who is perceived by others as having such an impairment. The ADA does not specifically name all of the impairments that are covered (Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990). Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act (Section 504) prohibits such discrimination at any school, including a church-affiliated school that receives federal funds, such as student financial aid loan programs.
Student Services
Specifically, the Accessibility Coordinator offers the following services to students with disabilities:
- Academic counseling and tutoring
- Personal mentoring
- Computer assistance
- Help with the admissions and registration process
- Reasonable classroom accommodations – examples include extended testing times, tests proctored at the TRIO Center or in a reduced distraction area, note takers, textbooks in audio format, use of assistive technology (speech recognition software, LiveScribe Pens, CaptiVoice, etc.)
- Program accessibility – examples include course relocation to physically accessible classrooms, sign language interpreters, alternative format for classroom materials, captioned course materials
- Assistance in meeting with professors and advisors upon request
- Promotion of effective self-advocacy skills
- Time management and academic planners
- Academic success workshops
- Referrals to both on and off campus resources
- Advocate for an accessible and hospitable learning environment
The University of Providence will NOT charge a fee to students with disabilities for reasonable accommodations.
Student Requirements
- Register with Carilyn Voorhies, Accessibility Coordinator at the TRIO Center on the first floor of Sullivan Hall.
- Accommodation and program access requests must be made in advance of the need. Accommodation requests for note takers and books in alternate format may take up to two weeks to complete. It is recommended that requests for sign language interpreters and/or real time captioning be made at least six weeks before the beginning of the semester.
- Students who qualify for adaptive equipment, which is not personal, must sign an equipment use agreement.
- Each student must meet or exceed the essential requirements of the University of Providence and its programs with or without accommodations – no modifications of curriculum.
- Be “otherwise qualified” for the chosen course of study and able to meet the behavioral standards set forth in the UP’s Student Conduct Code.
Confidentiality
- The Accessibility Coordinator treats all student personal information with the strictest confidentiality. Student files are kept in a locked file in the Accessibility office.
- Although students are required to disclose the existence of a disability to the Accessibility Coordinator in order to receive accommodations, they are not required to provide instructors with a diagnosis or any other details. Any level of disability information about which instructors become aware should remain confidential.
- Under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1976 (FERPA), the student has the right to access their own records. The parent or guardian does not share that right. This means that parents do not have legal access to their student’s grades, transcripts, or any information concerning the services they are being provided through the Accessibility Coordinator. This information is confidential.
Documentation
Acceptable sources of documentation for substantiating a student’s disability and request for particular accommodations can take a variety of forms. The rationale for seeking information about a student’s disability is to support the Accessibility Coordinator in documenting disability, understanding how their disability may impact the student’s academics, and making informed decisions about classroom accommodations.
Classroom Accommodations
- Classroom accommodations are completed with the Accessibility Coordinator
- On campus students are responsible for signing their Classroom Accommodation Agreement form. Once signed, an email will then be sent to the professors by the Accessibility office and cc’d to the student, to notify the instructors of the requested accommodations. Instructors will then review the accommodations with the student and discuss arrangements.
- Students taking on-line classes will arrange classroom accommodations through the Accessibility Coordinator. An email will then be sent to the professors, by the Accessibility Coordinator and cc’d to the student, to notify the instructors of the requested accommodations. If needed, email communication can clarify any questions that might arise.
- Students needing classroom accommodations will need to request classroom accommodations each semester, preferably two weeks before each semester begins.
Program Accessibility
Program access will be arranged through the Accessibility Coordinator on an individual basis depending on each student’s needs and disability. Assistance through the IT department may be requested. Professors will be given notification of the student’s needs and information on the assistance that will be provided.
Disability Rights
While the ADA protects the civil rights of qualified students with disabilities, it also affirms their right to refuse any accommodation. Thus, students are not required to register with the Accessibility Office, TRIO/SSS, identify themselves to instructors, staff, or other students as having a disability, or accept accommodations they do not need or want.
Self-Advocacy
Self-advocacy is the most critical skill students with disabilities can develop in their pursuit of equality in education and, later, in employment and society. The Accessibility Coordinator will work with students to help them understand their rights and responsibilities and to identify strategies for effective self-advocacy. This includes advocacy on a personal basis with instructors or other students, but also includes advocacy on a university-wide basis, or with non-university agencies such as Vocational Rehabilitation Services.
