Academic Accessibility

Transitioning to college can be a challenge for any student, but for students with disabilities, there may be particular challenges. For one thing, the laws that govern accommodations are different for post-secondary students.

While at the K-12 level, parents and families take an active role in getting their students reasonable accommodations, at the post-secondary level, students will themselves be responsible for seeking out and getting accommodations.

For more information, please visit the U.S. Department of Education website.

College students need to be aware of their rights and responsibilities as well as the responsibilities of the college they choose to attend. For example, in K-12, you might have had a 504 plan or an IEP. Your college may not be able to match your previous 504 plan or IEP.

You’re under no obligation to notify your college that you have a disability, but you should know that if you choose not to disclose, you may lose out on some accommodations that you might find helpful.

You’ve taken the first step by visiting this website for more information. Make sure you bring documentation to college to establish what kind of disability and related accommodations you may need. Providing your IEP or 504 plan documents will help in determining what accommodations would help you. You should also be sure to follow up with accessibility services should there be a change in your circumstances or if you find that the accommodations you’ve worked out are not sufficient.

In determining the College’s ability to offer reasonable accommodation to students, each request for accommodations will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Appropriate accommodations are provided based on the current impact of the student’s disability as determined based on relevant documentation and the intake interview. As a reminder, accommodations may not be as comprehensive as those provided by an IEP or Individualized Education Plan for K-12.

Reasonable accommodations do not:

• Negate the requirements for successful completion of a program, course, services, and/or activity
• Remove the need to comply with generally accepted standards of behavior.
• Negate the College’s general responsibilities or the students’ rights and responsibilities
• Remove the requirement to adhere to faculty/staff directions and instructions.

In determining reasonable accommodations, factors to be examined include, among others:

• The academic and technical standards required for admission or participation in an education program or services
• The purpose and nature of the program, course, and/or service
• The precise education-related abilities and functional limitations of the student and how those limitations could be overcome with reasonable accommodation
• The nature and cost of accommodation required in relation to the College’s financial resources
• The consequences of such an accommodation upon the operation and educational mission of the College, course, program, services, and/or activity
• Other federal, state, and local regulatory requirements.

Accommodations are considered unreasonable and will not be provided by the College if:

• The educational standards or mission of Sweet Briar College would be substantially altered.
• The nature of the program, course, services, and/or activity would be fundamentally altered.
• Students are not otherwise qualified (with or without accommodations) to meet the academic and technical standards required for admission or participation in an education program, course, services and/or activity.
• The effects of a student’s disability cannot be overcome even with reasonable accommodations.
• The accommodation creates an undue financial or administrative hardship for the College.
• If a student poses a direct threat to the health or safety of others.

• Black or dark markers only on whiteboards

• Preferential seating

• Short breaks as needed during class

• Use of a calculator for graded work

• Access to presentation materials (typically slides)

• Extended time on timed assessments (1.5 times the standard time)

• Option to take assessments in a reduced-distraction environment

• Modified Attendance

Students with disabilities who wish to seek academic accommodations should contact the manager of the Student Academic Success Center. Accommodations and services are offered for eligible students with cognitive, medical, mental health, and physical disabilities, including temporary disabilities such as injury, acute conditions, or surgery.

Students engage in a collaborative process with accessibility services and with relevant faculty and staff to determine and arrange reasonable and appropriate accommodations. Current and incoming students are encouraged to begin the accommodations process as soon as possible once a potential accommodation need has been identified. Requests will be addressed in the order in which they are received and acted upon as quickly as possible. Please note that the summer and start of the fall semester are generally busy times, so students are encouraged to begin the process as soon as possible.

Intake Form

Collaboration and effective communication among students, faculty, and staff are an integral part of the accommodations process. Once accommodations are in place, it is essential that students remain in communication with accessibility services and relevant faculty/staff regarding their ongoing accessibility needs. Students are encouraged to contact accessibility services as soon as possible if:

• Their accommodations are not meeting their needs
• Their needs have changed
• They would like to request additional or different accommodations
• They encounter any barriers in implementing their approved accommodations
• They would like to request assistance in communicating with faculty or staff around specific accommodation needs

Students who have academic accommodations must speak with their instructors about their accommodations in order to activate the accommodations. Students are encouraged to do so early in the semester whenever possible. Accommodations are not retroactive.

Sweet Briar College is committed to providing equality of opportunity and meaningful access for qualified students with disabilities in compliance with Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

Accommodations are determined on a case-by-case basis. There are no accommodations that are automatically appropriate for certain disabilities or diagnoses; Accessibility Services will help determine appropriate accommodations based on meeting with the student and reviewing any supporting documentation.

Generally, students seeking disability support services must provide adequate documentation of their disability to accessibility services. Documentation should be current and relevant. The provision of all reasonable accommodations and services is based upon a case-by-case assessment of the impact of the student’s disabilities on their academic performance and/or participation in college programs at a given time in the student’s life.

Documentation may include, but is not limited to, the following:

• Medical, educational, and psychological records
• Assessments from health care providers, psychologists, and related reports
• 504 Plan or an IEP
• Record of accommodations at other institutions of higher learning

Students who do not yet have documentation of a disability are welcome to meet with accessibility services to learn about the accommodations process, the resources we offer, and other campus resources that may be available with or without the use of accommodations.

Note: IEPs and 504 plans serve as a starting point for our work with a student. Our goal is to understand the current impact of the disability. During the initial intake interview, we may request additional information as needed to make a final determination of appropriate accommodations. In these instances, we may give a student provisional accommodation(s) until the additional documentation is received.

Documentation of the disability should reflect the student’s current condition and related impact(s). Although documentation can be from a variety of sources, it should follow these guidelines:

• Be prepared by a professional who has the appropriate credentials and qualifications to address the functional limitations related to the disability in the relevant setting (i.e., academic, residential living, etc.) and is not related to the student.
• Give a specific diagnosis of limitations.
• Describe how the diagnosis was determined (tests, procedures, evaluation process).
• What and how are major life activities limited by the impairment?
• How does the specific disability cause academic difficulties?
• Should include a list of recommended accommodations that might benefit the student in an academic setting.

Costs associated with diagnosis, evaluation, and testing or re-testing generally are the responsibility of the student. For students currently enrolled at Sweet Briar College, referral to Blue Ridge Medical, Horizon Behavioral Health, and/or other professionals in the community may be appropriate.

Apply for Academic Accommodations

Academic Accommodation Appeals should be sent to the Dean of the College at deansoffice@sbc.edu.