Student Responsibilities

Any student who has been diagnosed with a learning, physical, or medical disability should be aware of his or her responsibilities in requesting accommodations through the Learning and Teaching Center.  Please use the following information as a guide to the steps you should take to ensure timely accommodations.

About Documentation and Accommodations

  • Disability documentation serves two primary purposes:

    1. To establish the right to protection from discrimination.

      Non-discrimination is an assurance that individuals with disabilities will not be excluded or provided lesser access to programs and activities based on assumptions rooted in stereotype or perception of ability that are not based in fact. Non-discrimination also provides freedom from harassment based on perceptions of disability. 

      Documentation needed for protection from discrimination based on disability without a request for accommodation can be quite brief. A diagnostic statement from an appropriate professional or a past history or recognition as a person with a disability could suffice as the basis for protection from discrimination.

    2. To determine the accommodations to which the individual may be entitled.

      Reasonable accommodations include modifications to policy, procedure, or practice and/or the provision of auxiliary aids and services that are designed to provide equal access to programs and services for qualified individuals with disabilities. Accommodations are reasonable when they do not fundamentally alter the nature of a program or service and do not represent an undue financial or administrative burden.

    Laws and regulations that apply to K-12 education are designed to promote the success of students with disabilities. It’s important to note that the ADA and Section 504, which apply to college students, are designed instead to provide equal access to programs and services; success is not guaranteed.

  • Reasonable Accommodations

    Each student’s needs are different, and recommendations for reasonable accommodations cannot be made without reviewing adequate documentation and talking with each student. Possible accommodations for students with documented disabilities may include:

    Disabilities affecting mobility:

    • Residence hall room in an accessible residence hall (first floor and/or building with an elevator) with an accessible restroom (may not be private)
    • Relocation of courses from inaccessible buildings to accessible classrooms

    Disabilities affecting learning:

    • Extended time and/or a distraction-reduced testing environment for courses
    • Access to assistive technology for coursework

    Disabilities affecting hearing:

    • Residence hall room with an accessible fire alarm (usually a flashing alarm)
    • For a student with little to no hearing, potentially interpreter services

    Just as it’s important to understand what accommodations may be reasonable, it’s important to understand the types of auxiliary aids and services that the College cannot provide.

    Personal aids and services, including help with personal needs such as bathing, dressing or other personal care, are not provided.  Personal attendants and individually prescribed devices are the responsibility of the student who has a disability and not required of the College.  For example, readers may be provided for classroom use, but the College does not provide readers for personal use or for help during individual study time. Reasonable accommodations do not include personal auxiliary aids or devices, such as hearing aids, wheelchairs, or glasses.

    Auxiliary aids can be provided for a student’s equal access to programs and services, but the College may not provide the most sophisticated auxiliary aid that is available or the aid that is preferred by the student.  The aids the College will provide will effectively meet the needs of the student with a disability, but the College retains the flexibility to provide an equally effective aid that is more cost-effective for the College.

    The College is not required to waive essential requirements.  For example, the College is not required to eliminate a course requirement that is reasonably necessary for a course of study.  Further, the lowering or substantial modification of reasonable academic standards is not available as an accommodation.  At all times, the objective of the accommodation efforts is to afford a student with a disability an equal opportunity for academic success.   If a specific academic adjustment is requested, the College may offer that adjustment, or it may offer an effective and reasonable alternative. Accommodations are reasonable when they do not fundamentally alter the nature of a program or service and do not represent undue financial or administrative burden.

  • Documenting a Disability

    Though documentation can vary by student, it should contain the following:

    1. Credentials of the evaluator
      Disability documentation must be provided by a licensed or credentialed professional with relevant training and experience. The name, title, and professional credentials of the evaluator should be clearly stated in the documentation. Reports should be on letterhead, typed, dated, and signed. Disability documentation may not be provided by an individual who has a personal relationship with the student.
    2. Statement of diagnosis
      Disability documentation must include a current diagnostic (DSM-IV or medical) statement.
    3. Description of the diagnostic methodology
      The documentation must include a description of the diagnostic criteria for the condition and the evaluation method used to render a diagnosis, including medical examinations, formal testing instruments, structured interviews, and observations. The dates of administration must be included and a history of the presenting symptoms.
    4. Description of the current functional impact of the disability
      Provide a comprehensive description of the impact of the condition on the student in an academic environment and other life settings including the severity, frequency, and pervasiveness of the symptoms. This description must provide evidence that the student is substantially impaired in one or more major life activities. Documentation must be current.  
    5. Treatment/ medication and prognosis
      Describe the impact of medication and/or treatment and anticipated prognosis. If relevant, provide information about the cyclical or episodic nature of the condition.
    6. Accommodation recommendations
      It is helpful for the evaluator to recommend accommodations or services in an academic setting that will address the functional impact of the condition. Accommodation recommendations should be directly connected to the limitations caused by the condition. If accommodations have been used in the past, include a description of the accommodations and information regarding their efficacy.

    Students may provide other documents from their high schools, such as IEPs; however, while these additional documents can provide useful information, they alone do not usually constitute sufficient documentation.

Process for Requesting Accommodations

At the beginning of each semester

Schedule a meeting with the Learning and Teaching Center.  During the meeting, you will go over your schedule for the current semester and your anticipated accommodation needs.  It is important to meet each semester because your courses, instructors, and accommodation needs may change.

You will receive copies of your accommodation letters for your faculty members.  It is your responsibility to deliver them to your instructors.  This should serve as your opportunity to discuss your needs with your instructor and, if necessary, to schedule a time for the two of you to meet with the Assistant Dean of Faculty for Learning Support for any clarifications.

During the semester

Changes may be made to your accommodation plan if necessary.  Your discussions with your instructors about your accommodations should be ongoing, but if you need additional documentation or other support from the Learning and Teaching Center, schedule an appointment.

Note-taking needs are usually accomplished by the student in need of a note-taker asking a peer in the class for copies of his or her notes.  If other arrangements need to be made, you should discuss your request with your faculty member and/or the Learning and Teaching Center.

If you are approved for testing accommodations, please consult the separate Test-Proctoring Guidelines.  Please be aware that it is your responsibility to initiate the request for test-proctoring 1-2 weeks before your test.

Please note that accommodations should be requested in a timely manner.  All students should expect that no accommodations, particularly for proctored testing, can be honored and/or arranged without one week’s notice. Waiting until the day before an exam to set up your accommodation plan for the semester does not allow enough time for your documentation to be reviewed, for your faculty letters to be prepared, for your faculty to be notified, and for testing accommodations to be arranged.

  • Grievance Procedure

    Lake Forest College does not discriminate on the basis of a disability against any otherwise qualified person by denying him or her participation in, or the benefits of, any College program or activity. 

    Section 504 requires the adoption of a grievance procedure to deal with allegations of discrimination on the basis of a disability. If a member of the student body feels there is reason to believe that discrimination because of disability has occurred under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, a grievance should be handled in the following manner: 

    • Individuals with a grievance should notify the President’s Office of their grievances, in writing, within seven days of the alleged incident. 
    • Failing resolution, individuals should follow appropriate grievance procedures established for sex discrimination.