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Rights & Responsibilities

Students with disabilities have the right to expect:

  • Full and equal participation in the services and activities of Fresno Pacific University.
  • Reasonable accommodations, academic adjustments and/or auxiliary aids and services in response to documented disabilities.
  • Confidential information about their disability will not be shared without their prior consent unless permitted by law and then only on a “need to know” basis.
  • Information about policies, procedures, accommodations, and services of the Academic Support Center will be readily available in alternate formats upon timely request.

Students with disabilities have the responsibility to:

  • Meet qualifications and maintain essential institutional standards for courses, programs, services, and activities.
  • Self-identify and self-advocate for accommodations, services, and auxiliary aids.
  • Provide the university with acceptable documentation of disability prior to the authorization for any accommodation, service, or academic adjustment.
  • Demonstrate and/or provide documentation how their disability limits their participation in courses, services, and activities.
  • Follow established policies and procedures for obtaining accommodation.
  • Buy required textbooks prior to requesting alternate format texts.
  • Submit requests for alternate format texts in a timely manner.
  • Attend class according to syllabus or adjusted requirements. Inform the office for Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) and professors of any absences from class related to a documented disability as soon as possible. In some cases a note of medical services may be required.
  • Make every effort to use and understand technology and services to support their own learning and physical needs.
  • Communicate with professors throughout the semester about needs and effectiveness of certain accommodations.
  • Remind professors of accommodations needed for testing at least three week-days in advance.
  • Make arrangements with the Academic Support Center or regional center for accommodations in a timely manner and keep all appointments.
  • Inform the SSD of changes in condition or new recommendations from qualified specialists.
  • Inform the SSD of difficulties obtaining services or ineffective accommodations at FPU facilities.
  • Keep in regular contact with mentor/advisor for accountability to the highest academic standards.
  • Use accommodations of extended due dates and leniency with attendance only when absolutely necessary and with appropriate communication with professors.
  • Do make-up work for class sessions missed due to disability issues if assigned.
  • Complete Audio-Recording Class Agreement with instructor for each class prior to recording class sessions.
  • Inform SSD if accommodations will be required each semester.

Fresno Pacific University has the right to:

  • Establish essential functions, abilities, skills, knowledge, and standards for courses, program, services, and activities.
  • Confirm disability status of a student (for accommodation purposes) after requesting, receiving, and reviewing current and appropriate documentation. The documentation must support any request for accommodations, academic adjustments, auxiliary aids, and services.
  • Discuss and develop accommodation strategies for students with disabilities.
  • Deny a request for an accommodation, academic adjustment, auxiliary aid, or services, if the student’s documentation of disability does not corroborate the need or support the student’s request.
  • Select among equally effective accommodations, academic adjustments, auxiliary aids, and services.
  • Deny any accommodation, academic adjustment, auxiliary aid, service, or facility-related request that imposes an undue financial or administrative burden on the institution.

Fresno Pacific University has the responsibility to:

  • Develop an educational accommodation plan for each student that chooses to register with Services for Students with Disabilities. The plan will authorize certain accommodations, academic adjustments, auxiliary aids, and services that may mitigate the impact of a student’s disability in the major life activity of learning.
  • Provide readily accessible information to faculty, staff, and students regarding disability policies mandated by law (state and federal) and implementing procedures available to the university.
  • Ensure that courses, programs, services, activities, and facilities, when viewed in their entirety, are accessible in the most integrated and appropriate settings.
  • Evaluate student performance based on ability, not disability.
  • Respond to requests for accommodations and access to courses, programs, services, activities, and facilities in a timely manner.
  • Provide authorized accommodations, services, academic adjustments, and auxiliary aids in a timely manner.
  • Maintain all documentation verifying disability in a secure environment that ensures confidentiality.
  • Inform other students in a class if the class is being recorded.

Subsequent to the receipt of appropriate documentation, an educational accommodation plan will be developed based on the following criterion:

  • Does the student have a disability? “Disability” is defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act 1990 as amended (ADA) as a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities.
  • Does the disability substantially limit a major life activity? (e.g. walking, seeing, speaking, hearing, breathing, learning, performing manual tasks, caring for oneself, working, sitting, standing, lifting, reaching, thinking, concentrating, interacting with others, and sleeping).
  • Is the student “otherwise qualified” for the course, program, or activity?
  • Did the student initiate a request for accommodation, academic adjustments, auxiliary aid, or service?
  • Did the request for an accommodation, academic adjustment, auxiliary aid, or service follow established ASC policy and procedures?
  • Is the request reasonable and readily achievable? Does it impose a financial or administrative burden on the university?
  • Does the requested accommodation fundamentally alter the nature or expectations for a course, program, or an activity?

Right to Appeal

Should the Academic Support Center not approve an accommodation or later suspend an authorization.

To initiate your right to appeal contact:

D. Gayle Copeland, Provost/VP Academic Affairs
1717 S. Chestnut Ave, Fresno, CA 93702
gayle.copeland@fresno.edu

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