GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS FOR STUDENTS AND FACULTY

Specific suggestions for teaching students with disabilities will be offered in the sections devoted to each disability. This section will discuss several general considerations.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE STUDENTS

It is the responsibility of the student to identity himself/herself to the College and to provide professional documentation of the disability. Some students wish to “go it alone” and will not disclose their disability until they experience some form of difficulty. They may share about their disability after they are failing a class, or after violating an institutional policy. Please refer students suspected or diagnosed with physical, mental or learning disabilities to Dr. Maggie Martin or Ms. Annie Sims in the Student Development Office.

The student will consult with the appropriate professional to determine specific accommodations based on documentation that will be utilized while he/she is a student at ABAC. The student will authorize any notification of instructors of his/her required modifications and strategies. The student will be told of his/her responsibility to meet with his/her instructor at the beginning of each semester to discuss arrangements for accommodations in each course.

Students with disabilities must maintain the same responsibility for their education as non-disabled students. This includes maintaining the same academic progression standards, maintaining appropriate behavior and giving timely notification of any needs for reasonable accommodations.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE FACULTY

It is the shared responsibility of the faculty and student to cooperate with ABAC’s ADA personnel in providing authorized accommodations and support services in a fair and timely manner. Faculty should meet as quickly as possible with students who request accommodations. Students should initiate this meeting, but faculty may take the initiative when students are reluctant to self-advocate.

Faculty should not refuse to provide reasonable accommodations, to question the validity of a documented disability when accommodations have been authorized by the College, or to request to examine the students’ confidential documentation. However, faculty members should have input and should arrange with students the means for providing accommodations in a particular class. A student must be able to comprehend the course material and communicate that comprehension to the instructor. Accommodations give the student the opportunity to achieve that outcome. Reasonable accommodations do not alter the fundamental nature of the course or program. If a faculty member has questions about the appropriateness of a reasonable accommodation, he or she should consult with the appropriate ADA personnel. If the disagreement is not resolved, the faculty member should contact the Vice President for Student Affairs for physical and/or mental disabilities and the Vice President for Academic Affairs for learning disabilities.

If a student requests that an instructor provide accommodations for a disability and the faculty member has had no official notification of the student’s need for accommodation, it is important that the instructor assist the student in contacting either Dr. Maggie Martin or Ms. Annie Sims. If the disability is visible (use of wheelchair, hearing aids, service dog, etc.) and the request accommodation is obviously appropriate, the faculty member should provide the accommodation while the referral is being completed.