Student interns in the Office of Advocacy and Accessibility staff the information booth on Autism Awareness Day.
We serve as an initial point of contact, conduit of information, and provider in matters related to disability accommodation, access, and advocacy. By keeping current on emerging trends and information, the Office for Advocacy and Accessibility will effectively and efficiently respond to the needs of the population it serves.
Mission
While conveying to the campus community that disability is a natural part of the life experience, The Office for Advocacy and Accessibility also supports student success by promoting independence, cultural awareness, access and self-advocacy.
General Guidelines
The documentation guidelines provide a general overview of the information required when reviewing the different requests of the students. Students may request accommodations for the following:
Learning (for example: slides or notes from instructors)
Testing (for example: extended time, use of a computer for essay exams, reduced distraction test location)
Access (for example: physically accessible classroom, electronics, and information technology)
The Office for Advocacy and Accessibility will review any third-party documentation provided, including any recommendations for accommodations that may assist with determining how best to assure equal access for the student. Documentation is most beneficial when it provides specific diagnoses with insight into how a disability impacts the student’s various academic experiences (testing, reading, etc.). If the provided recommendations are for support to enhance success or are deemed to be outside the scope of what is necessary for equal access, the student will be referred to other resources and or given options that may be able to address the specific need.
We will request that the student work with their healthcare providers to submit information that will assist in determining accommodations. Healthcare professionals are encouraged to consider the questions provided in the "Questions for Medical Professionals'' section when submitting a letter, assessment, or report.
*Note - you should not delay meeting with us if you do not have the right paperwork as we may be able to provide feedback for further steps you can take after the initial meeting.
Requirements for All Requests
In reviewing documentation for accommodation eligibility, our office is looking for information that:
Identifies the disabling condition and its impact on functioning on the campus
Is provided by an appropriately licensed professional
Is dated with letterhead, signed by the provider, and has accurate provider contact information.
What Is the Purpose of an Accommodation?
Reasonable accommodations are put in place to provide the student with a disability an equal learning opportunity to their peers. Reasonable accommodations do not guarantee student success and do not provide an unfair advantage. Accommodations are intended to reduce or eliminate barriers to equal access and promote equal opportunities in order to ensure students with disabilities have equal access and opportunity to learn and participate fully in all educational programs at Talladega College.
Academic Accommodations
Academic accommodations provide students who report living with a disability with equal access to course instruction, materials, and evaluation. Accommodations provide equal access by reducing and or eliminating barriers caused by the interaction between a student’s disability and the campus learning environment.
Non-Academic Accommodations
Housing, dining, and assistance animal accommodations in college are important and help promote inclusivity; meeting students' diverse needs, and ensuring equal access to education, living environments, safe dining options, are important to support for students with disabilities. Reasonable non-academic accommodations (ex: dining hall access) must be medically necessary to be approved.
Commonly Requested Accommodations
Testing accommodations
extra time; a reduced distraction environment; a reader and/or scribe
Note Taking
provision of note taking technologies such as digital recorders and Livescribe pens; requesting instructor notes/Powerpoint slides; and peer note taking
Textbooks and other text in alternate formats like Braille and audio.
Priority Seating in classrooms
Sign Language Interpreting
An assigned scribe or note-taker
Easily accessible seating
Quiet classroom space for exams
What Are NOT Accommodations?
Fundamental Alteration
If an accommodation reduces the academic standards of the College, its schools, departments, or its courses, the College may deny the accommodation as unreasonable. Academic standards are essential for ALL students. It is unreasonable to alter fundamental academic standards as an accommodation for a student with a disability.
Retroactive Request
Students with disabilities are responsible for requesting accommodations in a timely manner. The College is not required to provide retroactive accommodations.
Personal Service
If a request for an accommodation is deemed to be a personal service, the College can deny the request as unreasonable. Personal services are considered services that a person with a disability must use regardless of attendance at the College. There are no correlations between the disability’s functional limitation and program access. The College, for example, does not purchase wheelchairs or other assistive technologies used in every setting to compensate for mobility impairments. Other examples of personal services may include but are not limited to: walking a student to and from class, feeding, toileting, bathing, mental health counseling, rehabilitation, remediation, and tutoring.
Administrative Burden
A disability-related accommodation is a reasonable method change that does not fundamentally alter an essential element of the environment in question. An undue administrative burden occurs when the College does not have enough time to respond to the request, the request is impossible, or if the request is deemed infeasible. In every instance, the College reserves the right to offer another, equally effective accommodation.
Faculty are expected to provide or allow accommodations for which the student has been approved. Faculty with questions or concerns about particular accommodations in the context of a specific course, have an obligation to communicate any concerns to The Office for Advocacy and Accessibility in a timely manner.
Getting Started
If you are a student who believes they have a current and essential need for disability-related accommodations, our office may be able to assist you in receiving academic, dining, housing, facilities or assistance animal accommodations. The assistance and accommodations may help mitigate the impact of your disability on campus. Please look at our three easy steps to learn how to apply for accommodations:
Step 1: Fill out a Registration Form
Step 2: Schedule a Welcome Meeting
Step 3: Documentation
Collection of information about your experiences and needs occurs during the Welcome Meeting. Our office will also help guide you in the accommodation process. You can prepare for you Welcome Meeting by:
Collecting copies of your current documentation and provide us with the information.
Thinking/noting specific questions to ask during your meeting
After the Welcome Meeting, you will receive a follow-up email sent to your student email address with everything discussed. Please be sure to check your student email as the follow-up information from our office also includes next steps, resources, and a recap of accommodations we discussed.
In order to receive accommodations, we will need to review documentation explaining your disability(ies) with the diagnosis as well as indications of the disability’s impact, and any past accommodations. Please reference our documentation guidelines for acceptable documentation.
Documentation Guidelines for Academic Accommodation Requests
All academic accommodation requests require medical documentation submitted to the Office for Advocacy and Accessibility.
Example Documentation:
IEP/504
Psychological Evaluation
Letter from a licensed medical provider (see guidelines below)
Other previous medical records
Specific Learning Disability Documentation Guidelines
Providing academic accommodations to students who have a learning disability is most accurate when we have information about how the student qualified for the diagnosis and the nature of their specific academic challenges. Qualifying diagnostic information is typically available in a standard testing battery. Students requesting accommodation on the basis of a specific learning disability must provide documentation from a professional who has undergone comprehensive training and has relevant experience in differential diagnosis of a full range of cognitive and psychiatric disabilities (e.g., psychologist). The provider completing the report may select tests other than those listed in the following example if they provide a rationale for the tests selected.
*Please note- an IEP or 504 plan MAY NOT be adequate.
A typical comprehensive testing battery contains the following elements:
A diagnostic interview including a description of the presenting problem(s), any developmental, medical, psycho-social, histories and possible comorbid concerns.;
An assessment – the comprehensive assessment must outline the following domains:
Aptitude/cognitive ability;
Academic achievement; and
Information processing
A specific diagnosis which meets the criteria for a specific learning disability, as stated in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.
A clinical summary which:
Identifies the substantial limitations to major life activities posed by the specific learning disability;
Describes the extent to which these limitations impact the academic context for which accommodations are being requested;
Suggests how the specific effects of the learning disability may be accommodated; and
States how the effects of the learning disability are mitigated by the recommended accommodations.
*Please Note - testing must have been administered using adult norms or have occurred within the last 4 years. Please contact the Office for Advocacy and Accessibility for guidance if you are updating a previous testing battery.
General Documentation Guidance and Helpful Information
Transitioning from K-12 to College
Below are highlights between the similarities and differences seen with receiving accommodations in the K-12 and college settings. You will also find additional helpful information about receiving accommodations at the college level.
Similarities
Students:
may receive accommodations under Section 504 and/or ADAAA.
may receive accommodations once proper protocol is followed.
receive support from appropriate departments.
Information is confidential and maintained by appropriate personnel.
Differences
During the K-12 Experience:
Students may receive accommodation(s) covered under Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
Accommodation(s) based on success
Students might utilize more personnel
Accommodations are set up by student’s team (e.g., teachers, counselors, guardian(s))
Therapy such as Speech, Medical, etc., may be provided for the student
During the College Experience:
Students may receive accommodation(s) but is not covered under IDEA
Accommodation(s) based on access
Students might utilize adaptive technology
Students are responsible for obtaining medical/psychological evaluation/testing on own accord
Personal therapy such as speech is not provided.
Helpful Information
Consult with us! We are often able to approve accommodations using documentation already in your possession. Please feel free to send us what you already have before going through the time or expense of obtaining additional information for our review.
Providing a record of academic accommodations previously provided by other institutions (e.g. college accommodation letters, 504 plans, IEPs) can be helpful in assigning current accommodations. Please note that some college accommodations will differ from High School accommodations (see similarities and differences page).
While it is helpful to have documentation that is recent, a disability will be considered ongoing in duration unless the documentation indicates otherwise. The ADA defines a person with a disability as a person who has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities. This includes people who have a record of such an impairment.
The Office for Advocacy and Accessibility does not accept the following as documentation:
Information/documentation that is illegible
Information/documentation from non-appropriately licensed professionals
Research articles related to the disability
Information/documentation that is provided by a member of the student’s family
Contact our office if you would like to make any changes to your accommodations at any time. We can advise you on whether additional documentation is needed for your request.
Office for Advocacy and Accessibility Statement
The Talladega Office for Advocacy and Accessibility is dedicated to achieving access for people with disabilities in accordance with applicable laws such as the Americans with Disabilities Act as Amended and the Rehabilitation Act, which protect qualified individuals with disabilities from discrimination on the basis of disability in services, programs, and activities provided by State and local government entities. Individual accommodation should only be provided after the interactive process is complete and directed by the Office for Advocacy and Accessibility. Talladega College is committed to providing all offerings in the most accessible way possible by maintaining compliance with standards set by the Americans with Disabilities Act as Amended. To help provide the best possible service to students, staff, faculty and visitors with disabilities, The Office for Advocacy and Accessibility assists anyone with questions about access; provides consultation on policy reviews and facilities planning; and develops disability access related initiatives. Please do not hesitate to contact the director with questions or concerns.
Contact Information
Office for Advocacy and Accessibility
DeForest Chapel, Room 103
256-761-6327 sas@talladega.edu
Questions for Medical and other Treatment Provider Professionals to Consider When Submitting Supporting Documentation for Student Accommodation Requests
Describe your history with the student including how long you have been working with them.
Provide a diagnosis in accordance with current professional standards and techniques.
please include a summary of your professional assessment of the condition and any diagnostic tools used to make the diagnosis
Does the student’s diagnosis rise to the level of disability?
How has the student’s disability impaired the student in carrying out major life functions?
What, if any, have been the historical challenges /barriers in the academic setting?
What do you foresee as being challenges/barriers in the college setting?
Please provide feedback on accommodations you would recommend.
