Student Accessibility Services
Salve Regina is committed to providing students with disabilities equal and integrated access to all of its educational, residential, social and recreational programs. Student Accessibility Services, as required by the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, ensures that students with disabilities receive appropriate accommodations and assistance in order to participate fully in University programs.
Student Accessibility Services has three primary goals:
- To provide support services and reasonable accommodations that allow all students equal access to Salve Regina programs, regardless of disability.
- To provide students with the opportunity to realize their full potential by developing self-awareness and self-advocacy skills.
- To provide students with general disability information and information about resources (local, state and federal) that can assist them in their academic and/or life goals.
Accommodations for students with disabilities may include, but not be limited to:
- Visual or hearing impairment technology devices
- Recorded texts or other assistive technology
- Note-takers
- Scribes for exams
- ASL interpreters
- Foreign language course substitution
- Separate location for exams
- Extended time for exams
- Classroom relocation
- Accessible or preferential classroom seating
- Housing accommodations
- Service animals
- Emotional support animals
- Campus life and co-curricular accommodations
- Modified attendance and extensions
Specific accommodations are determined by the director in consultation with the student, and are based upon the disability documentation provided.
Salve Regina is not obligated to provide accommodations that represent an undue hardship on the University, or that would represent a fundamental alteration of its essential programs.
Principles Guiding Disability Accommodations
1. Disability accommodations operate differently in college than in secondary education. In college, accommodations are determined by the university disability service provider and are based on information contained in the disability documentation provided as they apply in the university setting. These accommodations may sometimes be different than those a student received in high school.
2. Students are responsible for initiating all disability accommodation requests, and for managing their accommodations with Student Accessibilty Services and their professors. Students must request accommodations before they are needed, with the length of advance notice determined by the nature of the accommodations needed (an average of at least two weeks). Accommodations do not apply to events, assignments, grades or activities (such as exams) that have already occurred. Accommodations not requested in the timeframe and manner outlined by the University may not be guaranteed.
3. Temporary accommodations may not extend beyond one semester. Documentation not received by the end of the semester for which temporary accommodations are provided will not be renewed.
4. Accommodations are designed to provide equal access to the programs and services of the University, and are deemed necessary for that access. They do not guarantee academic success, nor are they intended to satisfy a preference. Accommodations that would require a fundamental alteration of essential course or program requirements, as determined by the University as a whole or by an individual professor or program, will not be deemed "reasonable" nor be approved.
5. Student disability-related and educational information is protected by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act. The University and its representatives are prohibited from discussing private student information with parents or guardians without a student's written consent.