1B.4 Access and Accommodation for Individuals with Disabilities

Board Policies
Chapter 1 - System Organization and Administration
Section B - Equal Education and Employment Opportunity

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Part 1. Policy Statement.

Minnesota State Colleges and Universities is committed to ensuring its programs, services and activities are accessible to individuals with disabilities, through its compliance with state and federal laws. The system recognizes that individuals with disabilities may need accommodations to have equally effective opportunities to participate in or benefit from the system's programs, services and activities.

Part 2. Definitions. An individual with a disability:

Subpart A. An individual with a disability:

Any person who has a physical or mental impairment which materially limits one or more of the person's major life activities.

Any person who has a record of such impairment which means that a person has a history of or has been classified as having a mental or physical impairment that materially limits one or more major life activities.

Subpart B. Qualified individual with a disability. An individual who, with or without reasonable modifications to rules, policies, or practices, the removal of architectural, communication, or transportation barriers, or the provision of auxiliary aids and services, meets the essential eligibility requirements for receipt of services or participation in a system office, college, or university program or activity. Essential eligibility requirements include, but are not limited to, academic and technical standards requisite to admission or participation in an education program or activity.

Subpart C. Personal devices and services may include wheelchairs; individually prescribed devices, such as prescription eyeglasses or hearing aids; readers for personal use or study; or services of a personal nature including assistance in eating, toileting, or dressing.

Part 3. General Access Policy.

Colleges, universities and the system office shall provide access to programs, services and activities to qualified individuals with known disabilities as required by law. An individual requesting an accommodation may be required to provide documentation of eligibility for the accommodation.

Part 4. Availability and Notice.

Colleges, universities, and the system office shall post notices to the public in an accessible format stating 1) prohibition against discrimination on the basis of disability, and 2) contact information for the person designated to provide information about or respond to requests for reasonable accommodation.

Part 5. Reasonable Accommodations.

Subpart A. Programs, Services, and Activities. Colleges, universities and the system office shall make reasonable accommodations to ensure access to programs, services, and activities as required by law. Access means that a qualified individual with a disability will not be excluded from participation in or be denied the benefits of the programs, services, or activities, nor will the individual be subjected to discrimination. Reasonable accommodations may include modifications to: rules, policies, or practices; the removal of architectural, communication, or transportation barriers; provision of auxiliary aids or the provision of equally effective programs, services, or activities. In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, accommodations will not be provided 1) for personal devices or services even though the individual may be a qualified individual with a disability, or 2) that result in a fundamental alteration in the nature of a service, program, or activity or in undue financial or administrative burdens.

Subpart B. Employment. System Procedure 1B.0.1, Reasonable Accommodations in Employment, applies to accommodation requests by employees and applicants for employment.

Part 6. Offered and/or Sponsored Services or Activities for Qualified Students with Disabilities.

Colleges and universities have a responsibility to provide a qualified student with a disability access to services and activities that are operated or sponsored by the institution or that receive significant assistance from the institution. Such access shall be provided in a reasonable manner as required by law. At a minimum, the following must be available to qualified students with disabilities:

support, counseling, and information services that may include support groups, individual counseling, career counseling and assessment, and referral services;
academic assistance services that may include assistive devices, early registration services, early syllabus availability, course selection, program advising, course work assistance, testing assistance and modification, and tutoring; and
coordination services that may include personnel acting on the student's behalf and serving as the primary contact and coordinator for students needing services, assistance in working individually with faculty and administrators, intervention procedures, and grievance procedures.

Part 7. Process.

Each college and university shall establish a process for an individual with a disability to request an accommodation to access the institution's programs, services, or activities consistent with state and federal laws. The process for individuals with disabilities to request an accommodation must, at a minimum include the following:

a. Provide the requesting individual with a copy of Board Policy 1B.4.

b. Assignment and identification of a staff member responsible for making a determination about the request for accommodation or the delivery of services.

c. Provide a process for appealing a denial of a request for accommodation.

Policy History:

Date of Adoption: 6/20/95,
Date of Implementation: 7/01/95,

Date & Subject of Revisions:

1/25/13 – technical change made to Part 2, Subpart C, amended “Program devices” to “Personal devices.”

7/20/11 - Amended title to include both access and accommodation. Added new Part 1 - policy statement. Amended language in Parts 2-7 for clarification.

There is no additional HISTORY for policy 1B.4.

1B.4 Access and Accommodation for Individuals with Disabilities

Related Documents:

Policy History: