Accommodations and Services for Students with Disabilities

Kutztown University Policy EC-004

  1. Purpose

    To meet the needs of Kutztown University students with disabilities and in compliance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act, Title II, 1990 and its amendments, Kutztown University is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to ensure equal access to programs, services, and campus facilities.

  2. Policy & Procedure(s)

    The policies regarding accommodation for students with disabilities are as follows:

    1. Admissions. The university does not discriminate in its admissions decisions, therefore, information regarding an individual’s disability is not collected or reviewed as part of the application process.

    2. Student Responsibility, Self-Disclosure and Documentation.The student is responsible for disclosing their disability and providing current documentation of the disability to the Disability Services Office in accordance with the documentation guidelines and criteria. The Disability Services Office will maintain all documentation and records for a period of seven (7) years following the student’s last semester of enrollment. These records are confidential and are maintained in a secure location until purged in accordance with department procedures.

       Requests for accommodations should be made in a timely manner to allow sufficient time for the university to arrange accommodations. Students are responsible for orientation and mobility training that may be necessary in order to successfully navigate the campus.

       Students should report to the Disability Services Office, in a timely manner, any problems that arise with respect of the provision of reasonable accommodations.

    3. Academic Accommodations. When appropriate, academic accommodations will be available to students with disclosed Accommodations may include, but not be limited to, preferential seating, extended time for tests, use of a recording device in the classroom, alternative text format, peer note taker, and distraction reduced testing environment. The Director or Assistant Director of Disability Services will determine a student’s eligibility for accommodations and develop an individualized accommodation plan through an interactive process with the student. Auxiliary aids, as described in the ADA, will be made available when necessary to afford an individual with a disability equal opportunity to participate in a service, program or activity.

    4. Housing Accommodations. The university provides reasonable housing accommodations when necessary to ensure individuals with disabilities have access to university housing facilities. Requests for reasonable housing accommodations for students with disabilities should be submitted to the Disability Services Office as soon as the advanced registration deposit is paid. Reasonable housing accommodations are approved based on necessity and an evident link between impact of the disability and the requested accommodation. Housing accommodations may include but are not limited to, ADA accessible rooms, single room, air-conditioned room, and/or semi-private.

    5. Dietary Accommodations. Recognizing that some students may have food allergies or other disability related dietary needs, the university strives to provide accommodations to meet these needs. Requests for dietary accommodations should be submitted to the Disability Services Office as soon as the advanced registration deposit is paid. Students with a documented disability will be referred to the food service dietician to discuss their dietary needs. If the food service provider cannot meet the dietary needs, the student may be relieved of the dining contract obligation and be assigned to apartment style housing unit with a kitchen (to provide their own meals) or may under certain circumstances be granted exemption from the residency requirement.

    6. Campus Facilities. The university will assess its physical space on an on-going basis to achieve a barrier-free environment. All new construction will be built to current accessibility standards and Any physical accessibility concerns should be directed to the Disability Services Office.

    7. Fee for Service The Disability Services Office may offer enhanced support service programs for students with specific disabilities. These programs may have their own eligibility requirements and procedures and may have a capped enrollment as determined by the department. These enhanced services are provided at the student’s expense. The fees are established by the university each year.

    8. Selection of Courses. The university will extend to students with specific documented disabilities early registration in order to allow a student access to a course schedule that accommodates specific disability related Eligibility for early registration is based on an evident link between the functional limitations of that disability and the need for early registration as an accommodation in order to allow the student equal access to the learning environment.

    9. Appeal for Denial of Accommodations. Students who have actively participated in the interactive process and are denied an accommodation or do not accept a recommended accommodation should first discuss their concerns with the Disability Services If the matter is unresolved, the decision may be appealed to the Accommodations Appeals Committee. The committee will consist of a representative from Residence Life, Housing, and Dining Services, the Office of the Dean of Students, Health and Wellness Services, a faculty member, and a student representative. Other campus representatives may be consulted, when necessary. The written appeal should be submitted to the Director of Disability Services in writing within 14 days of the denial and include the accommodation requested, initial reason for denial, and rationale as to why it should be approved. The student will need to provide permission for documentation submitted to the Disability Services Office to be reviewed by the committee. A decision will be provided in writing within 14 working days. The Committee’s decision is considered final.

    10. Failure to Provide Approved Accommodations. Students who have provided an accommodation letter to a faculty member, but the approved accommodations are not implemented by the professor, should discuss this concern as soon as possible with the Disability Services Likewise, students who have approved accommodations to be provided by university departments (e.g. housing), but the approved accommodation is not implemented, should discuss this concern as soon as possible with the Disability Services Office. If the matter remains unresolved, the student should contact the Office of Social Equity.

    11. Complaints of Discrimination. A student who believes they have experienced discrimination or have not been provided approved accommodations should contact the Office of Social Equity. All complaints of disability discrimination will be investigated and adjudicated pursuant to Kutztown University Policy DIV-008: Anti-Discrimination Policy and Procedures.

       

  3. Effective Date

    September 2024

  4. Endorsed By

    Administrative Council

  5. Last Review

    Fall 2007
    August 2010
    August 2011
    August 2012
    July 2013
    July 2014
    July 2016

  6. Last Revision

    March 2021 
    July 2024  
    June 2026 (renamed from DIV-004)