Disability Access @ Stanford - Student Resources

Stanford University Policy and Procedure for Student Requests for Services and Accommodations

Section headings for this policy:

  1. Policy
  2. Glossary
  3. Student Resources
  4. Student Eligibility
  5. Timely Requests
  6. Determination and Notification
  7. Dispute Resolution Procedures
  8. Other Specific Accommodations
  9. Confidentiality and Records
  10. Policy Review and Evaluation

I. Policy

Stanford University has an institutional commitment to provide equal educational opportunities for qualified students with disabilities in accordance with state and federal laws and regulations, including the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. To provide equality of access for students with disabilities, accommodations and auxiliary aids and services will be provided to the extent necessary to comply with state and federal laws. For each student, these accommodations and auxiliary aids and services will specifically address those functional limitations of the disability, which adversely affect equal educational opportunity. Stanford has established the Student Disability Resource Center (SDRC) to assist qualified students with disabilities in securing such appropriate accommodations, auxiliary aids and services.

Stanford will maintain specific criteria and procedures to implement this policy.

II. Glossary

  1. "Disabled" means having a physical or mental impairment, which substantially limits one or more of a person's major life activities.
  2. "Qualified Disabled Student" means a disabled person who meets the academic and technical standards requisite to admission and participation in the educational program or activity.
  3. "Accommodations" — Such modifications to the course, program or educational requirements as are necessary and appropriate so that such requirements do not discriminate or have the effect of discriminating on the basis of disability. Academic requirements that are essential to the course or to the program of instruction being pursued by the student or which relate directly to licensing requirements will not be regarded as discriminatory within the meaning of this section. Potential modifications that may be considered include (but are not limited to) changes in the length of time permitted for completion of a degree, substitutions of specific courses required for the completion of degree requirements, extended time on an examination or paper, and other appropriate accommodations which do not fundamentally alter the essential nature of a course or academic program.
  4. "Auxiliary Aids and Services" may include but are not limited to note-takers, readers, brailled or large print materials, and mobility training for students with visual impairments; sign language interpreters, real time captioning, and note-takers for students who are deaf or hearing impaired; and typists and scribes for students with manual impairments. (This is not an exhaustive list.) Devices or services of a personal nature such as personal attendants, individually prescribed devices, or readers for personal use or study are not provided.

III. Student Resources

  1. The Student Disability Resource Center (SDRC) is responsible for determining, coordinating and providing appropriate accommodations and auxiliary aids and services for qualified students with disabilities. The SDRC is located at 563 Salvatierra Walk. Program Coordinators at the SDRC may be reached by calling (650) 723-1066 (Voice), or (650) 723-1067 (TTY).
  2. ADA / Section 504 Compliance Officer: The designated ADA / Section 504 Compliance Officer for Stanford University is Rosa González. She may be reached in the Diversity & Access Office located in Building 310, or by calling (650) 723-0755 (Voice), (650) 723-1216 (TTY). Her responsibilities include ensuring University-wide compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. In addition, Ms. Gonzalez may be contacted directly for non-student issues including access to buildings, non-academic events, and paths of travel as well as issues relating to the employment provisions of the ADA as they relate to Stanford staff and members of the faculty.

IV. Student Eligibility

Undergraduate and graduate students are eligible for consideration for accommodations and/or auxiliary aids and services if you have a documented disability and a SDRC Program Coordinator has met with the student and determined that functional limitations of the disability require such accommodation, auxiliary aids and/or services.

  1. Student Responsibility — Each student bears the responsibility of initiating a disability-related request for accommodations, auxiliary aids and/or services with a Program Coordinator at the SDRC prior to the time such an accommodation, auxiliary aid and/or service is needed. See below for suggested timeframes.
  2. Documentation — Once specific academic accommodations, auxiliary aids and/or services are identified and discussed with the SDRC, the student will be asked to provide to the SDRC appropriate documentation to support the request. This documentation from an appropriate professional should reflect the student's present level of disability and how the disability affects the student's needs in a University setting. The Program Coordinators of the SDRC have discretion to determine what type of professional documentation is necessary, and this may vary depending on the nature and extent of the disability and the accommodation, auxiliary aid and/or services requested.

In the event the SDRC feels it is appropriate to obtain a second professional opinion concerning the nature or severity of the disability, the University will bear the cost of obtaining that second opinion not covered by a third party payer.

The request for an accommodation will be evaluated promptly once the documentation has been received. Guidelines for documentation to be submitted by the student to the SDRC [can be found in Chapter II of this "Green Book." Additional copies can be] can be obtained at the Student Disability Resource Center located at 563 Salvatierra Walk.

V. Timely Requests

In order to facilitate requests for accommodations, auxiliary aids and/or services (including hiring qualified service providers), it is necessary for students to submit requests in writing to the SDRC. Request forms are available in the "Green Book" and online at http://www.stanford.edu/group/DRC/. Hard copies of the forms can also be obtained at the SDRC located at 563 Salvatierra Walk.

The following are examples of accommodations, auxiliary aids and/or services and the suggested period of time for requesting them. The list is not exhaustive and the time frames are recommended ones. Students may request accommodations, auxiliary aids and/or services at any time prior to the time that such an accommodation, auxiliary aid and/or service is needed; the availability of these may be affected, however, by a request made later than the suggested time frames.

  1. Auxiliary Aids and Services
    1. Note-takers — The request should be made within the first ten(10) business days of each quarter, or as soon as the student recognizes the need for notes;
    2. Typists/Scribes — The request should be made at least seven (7) business days in advance of date the service is needed.
    3. Reader Services/Books On Tape should be requested as early as possible. Students requesting reader services and books on tape must be members of Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic (RFBD) in order to be eligible for Reader Services. Recorded texts will be provided by RFBD free of charge. If particular texts are not available through RFBD, the SDRC will record texts. Live readers will be provided on the student's specific request when material cannot be recorded by the student's due date. Note: RFBD and the SDRC need approximately three (3) weeks to record texts not available on tape, so it is important for the student to identify the texts well in advance of the first day of instruction.

      It is the student's responsibility to obtain the syllabus from the professor in order to identify the required textbooks and reading assignments for the course. If the syllabus is not available three weeks prior to the first day of instruction, the student is encouraged to ask the professor at that time that is, three weeks prior to the first day of instruction to identify textbooks and reading assignments for the first three weeks of the quarter. Should the student encounter difficulty contacting the professor or obtaining syllabus or reading information at that time, the student should immediately contact the SDRC Program Coordinators are available for assistance.
    4. Interpreters and Real-Time Captioners — The request should be made at least seven (7) business days in advance of the date the service is needed;
    5. Alternate Media — the date service is needed The request should be made at least seven (7) business days in advance of.
  2. Examination and Paper Accommodations
    1. Students with a documented disability may request an accommodation in regard to an examination or paper. The request shall be in writing and made through a SDRC Program Coordinator. After reviewing the requested examination or paper accommodation and determining the appropriate accommodation, the Program Coordinator will write a letter addressed to the professor of the course in which the accommodation is needed. This letter is provided to the student making the request who bears the responsibility of providing the letter to the professor. It is best for students to contact the Program Coordinator before the beginning of the quarter or within the first two weeks of each quarter to request that such letters be written to professors. At a minimum, students should request letters at least seven (7) business days prior to the date of the examination or due date of the paper.
    2. When a professor wishes for a student to take an exam in a SDRC-provided room, the student should make a written request to the SDRC for an exam room at least seven (7) business days prior to the date of the exam.
    3. If a student requires the use of a computer, scribe, reader, or transcriptionist with which to take an exam, he/she should request such services in writing at least seven (7) business days prior to the date the service is needed.
  3. Request for Modification of Academic Requirements

    NOTE: THE FOLLOWING SEPARATE PROCEDURE APPLIES TO STUDENT REQUESTS FOR MODIFICATIONS OF ACADEMIC REQUIREMENTS:
    1. Eligibility: A student with a documented disability may request a modification of certain generally applicable academic requirements (for example, the number of units to be taken in an academic quarter, substitution for otherwise required courses, course retakes or completion of courses, certain aspects of academic standing, etc.).
    2. Procedure: The request shall be made to the SDRC in writing as early as possible (that is, at least ten (10) business days before the beginning of the academic quarter or as soon as the need arises) and should be accompanied by documentation of the disability which supports the request. The request shall also include the requesting student's name, address, e-mail address and phone number.
    3. Determination: The SDRC will verify that the documentation is current, from an appropriate professional, and that it supports the request. The Program Coordinator will then forward the student's request and the SDRC recommendation to the Registrar's Office or to the appropriate departmental, school or other administrator (hereafter collectively referred to as the "academic decision-maker") within seven (7) business days of having received the completed request (including the requested documentation) from the student. This time period may be extended by the SDRC if it finds good cause to do so. Depending on the nature of the request, the academic decision-maker will either issue a decision or convene an appropriate panel or body (such as the Subcommittee on Academic Standing) to review the matter and decide on it.Appropriate modifications of academic regulations are determined following an individualized assessment of each request. Among the factors relevant in determining appropriate modifications of academic requirements for students are:
      1. The nature of the student's disability and its nexus to the requested modification;
      2. Whether the requested modification of the academic requirement will provide the student an equal educational opportunity; and
      3. Whether the requested modification of the academic requirement would alter the essential requirements or standards, or would change the fundamental nature of an educational program.
    4. Notification: The academic decision-maker will notify the student in writing of the decision within ten (10) business days of having received the request and the SDRC recommendation. The academic decision-maker may extend the deadline if it finds good cause to do so. If the request is denied, the denial will state the reasons for the decision.
    5. Appeal: A student who disagrees with the decision on his or her request for modification of an academic requirement may appeal in writing to the Provost within ten (10) business days of the decision. The written appeal should be filed with the Compliance Officer in the Diversity & Access Office Building 310, Mail Code 2100, Fax (650) 723-1791. The appeal should include copies of both the original request and the decision made by the academic decision-maker, and should state the student's reasons for disagreeing with the decision, the substantive and/or procedural basis for the appeal, (as more fully described below), and must be made on grounds other than general dissatisfaction with the decision.

      The Compliance Officer will review the appeal for timeliness and compliance with the procedure including the requirement that the request for modification was submitted initially to the SDRC and received a recommendation by the SDRC and forward it to the Provost. The Provost (or his or her designee) will review the decision and inform the student of his or her determination within ten (10) business days of receiving the request. The deadline may be extended by the Provost if he or she finds good cause to do so. The decision of the Provost is final.

      The review by the Provost (or his or her designee) normally shall be limited to the following considerations:
      1. Were the proper facts and criteria brought to bear on the decision? Were improper or extraneous facts or criteria brought to bear that substantially affected the decision to the detriment of the student?
      2. Were there any procedural irregularities that substantially affected the outcome of the matter to the detriment of the student?
      3. Given proper facts, criteria, and procedure, was the decision one which a person in the position of the decision maker might reasonably have made?
    6. Applicability: This determination and appeal procedure set forth in this Section V (C) will supplant both the Student ADA / Section 504 Grievance Procedure and the Student Academic Grievance Procedure (set forth in the Stanford Bulletin) for requests for modification of academic requirements due to disability. Questions concerning the applicability of this procedure should be directed to the Compliance Officer in the Diversity & Access Office, Building 310, (650) 723-0755 (Voice), (650) 723-1216 (TTY).
    7. Financial Aid: The granting of certain requests such as a reduced course load may impact financial aid eligibility. Prior to making a request for a reduced course load, a student should consult with his or her financial aid advisor.
  4. Specific Matters Regarding Graduate Students
    1. Notification: After the graduate student has met with a Program Coordinator from the SDRC, the Program Coordinator will write a letter verifying that documentation of the disability has been received and reviewed by the SDRC and stating the appropriate accommodations, auxiliary aids and/or services that will be provided. It will be the responsibility of the graduate student to provide the letter to the appropriate staff/faculty member in his or her school or department, as set forth below.
      1. Graduate School of Business: SDRC letters should be brought to the attention of the Director of Student Services. The Director of Student Services will work with relevant faculty members and/or administrators to facilitate the accommodations, auxiliary aids and/or services.
      2. Law School: The Associate Dean for Student Affairs, will coordinate with the following administrators to provide accommodations, auxiliary aids and/or services: the Registrar for examination procedures; the Academic Coordinators (Academic Deans) for general procedures; and the Academic and Student Affairs Coordinator for note-taking services. Where necessary, the Associate Dean for Student Affairs will coordinate with faculty members, but the identity of the student should remain confidential if possible.
      3. Medical School: SDRC letters should be brought to the attention of the Associate Dean of Student Affairs, who will work with relevant faculty members and/or administrators to facilitate the accommodations, auxiliary aids and/or services.
      4. School of Earth Sciences: SDRC letters should be brought to the attention of Human Resources Officer for the School, who will work with relevant faculty members and/or administrators to facilitate the accommodations, auxiliary aids and/or services.
      5. School of Education: SDRC letters should be brought to the attention of the Director of Academic Services, who will work with relevant faculty members and/or administrators to facilitate the accommodations, auxiliary aids and/or services.
      6. School of Engineering: SDRC letters should be brought to the attention of the Senior Associate Dean, who will work with relevant faculty members and/or administrators to facilitate the accommodations, auxiliary aids and/or services.
      7. School of Humanities and Sciences: SDRC letters should be brought to the attention of the Assistant Dean for the School, who will work with relevant faculty members and/or administrators to facilitate the accommodations, auxiliary aids and/or services.
    2. Facilitation of Approved Accommodations, Auxiliary Aids and Services: Most auxiliary aids and services will be provided by the SDRC, such as adaptive computer equipment, interpreters, stenocaptioners, books on tape, brailled and enlarged materials and class notes. Professional school and graduate students should follow the guidelines in the SDRC Student Guide for requesting such auxiliary aids and services, as well as other accommodations.

VI. Determination and Notification

  1. Determination: Appropriate accommodations, auxiliary aids and/or services are determined following an individualized assessment of each request and discussion with one of the SDRC's Program Coordinators. Among the factors considered in determining appropriate accommodations, auxiliary aids and/or services for students are:
    1. The nature of the student's disability;
    2. Accommodations, auxiliary aids and/or services that have worked for that student in the past;
    3. Whether the requested accommodations, auxiliary aids and/or services will allow the student effectively to access and participate in the course or program;
    4. Whether the requested accommodation, auxiliary aids and/or services will alter the essential requirements of the course or program.

      The University is not required to alter or modify a course or program to the extent that it changes the fundamental nature of that course or program. Although most auxiliary aids and services are decided upon and provided by SDRC, accommodation decisions are often made in collaboration with program/school administrators and relevant faculty. Recommendations made by the Program Coordinators are not implemented until this collaboration has occurred.
  2. Notification: The Program Coordinator receiving the request for an accommodation, auxiliary aid and/or service shall provide the student who made the request with written notification of the determination of the request (along with the effective date of any accommodation, auxiliary aid and or service) within seven (7) business days of receiving the request. If a situation should arise whereby the Program Coordinator needs additional time to assess a request or in providing an accommodation, auxiliary aid and or service, he or she shall provide the student with written notification of the status of the request and the proposed date of determination.
  3. Applicability: This Section VI is applicable to requests for accommodations, auxiliary aids and/or services other than those that are the subject of Section V (C), above.

VII. Dispute Resolution Procedures

  1. Informal Dispute Resolution
    1. The Compliance Officer — If the student requesting an accommodation, auxiliary aid and/or service disagrees with the determination communicated by the SDRC Program Coordinator, the student shall, within seven (7) calendar days of the determination communicated by the SDRC, contact the Compliance Officer for assistance in resolving the matter informally. Rosa González is the designated ADA / Section 504 Compliance Officer in the Diversity & Access Office. If the Compliance Officer is not successful in quickly achieving a satisfactory resolution (that is, generally within seven (7) calendar days), the Compliance Officer will take the steps described in Subsection (2) below.
    2. Second Review Panel — The Compliance Officer shall convene an ad-hoc Second Review Panel consisting of the following (or their designees): the Compliance Officer reviewing the request, the Director of the SDRC, the Dean of Students, and (depending upon the issues) such other academic or administrative personnel as may be appropriate. This panel will review the request, investigate and attempt to resolve the issues -— within seven (7) calendar days of the request for or initiation of the second review. This panel shall review the following:
      1. The accommodation, auxiliary aid and/or service requested and documentation related to the request;
      2. The determination communicated by the SDRC Program Coordinator; and
      3. The request for a second review and the reasons given by the student for disputing the determination.
      The Second Review Panel may also consult with the relevant parties, other University employees, and other disability specialists.
    3. Notification — No formal report need be issued by the panel, but the panel will document the outcome of its review in a letter to the student.
  2. Formal ADA / Section 504 Grievance — If the student disagrees with the Second Review Panel's determination, he or she may file a formal grievance in accordance with Stanford University's ADA / Section 504 Grievance Procedure, which Grievance Procedure is found at Chapter IV of the "Green Book" and may also be obtained at the SDRC or by contacting the ADA / Section 504 Compliance Officer at 723-0755 (Voice), 723-1216 (TTY). The grievance shall be filed in accordance with the requirements of the Grievance Procedure with the Compliance Officer at the Diversity & Access Office, Building 310, Mail Code 2100, Fax (650) 723-1791.
  3. Applicability: This Section VII is applicable to requests for accommodations other than those that are subject to Section V (C) above.

VIII. Other Specific Accommodations

  1. Housing Accommodations — Students who are otherwise eligible for housing and who have a documented disability may apply for an exemption to the housing draw. Students must submit the exemption request to the SDRC, by the date specified for requesting an exemption as announced by the Housing Assignment Services for review by SDRC Program Coordinators. The Program Coordinators will discuss the matter with the student and make recommendations to Housing Assignment Services. The final decision regarding the student's request is made by Housing Assignment Services.
  2. Disabled Parking Permits & Transportation Services — Contact the SDRC for information.
  3. Non-Academic Events&Facility Access — Contact the ADA / Section 504 Compliance Officer at (650) 723-0755 (Voice), (650) 723-1216 (TTY).
  4. Disputes — If a student makes a request under paragraphs "A, B, or C" above and disagrees with the decision, the student shall follow the procedures set forth in Section VII above.

IX. Confidentiality and Records

  1. Confidentiality — University employees have an obligation to maintain confidentiality regarding a student's disability. To that end, SDRC Program Coordinators will provide information to University staff and faculty only when necessary in evaluating and/or facilitating accommodations, auxiliary aids and/or services. Except where permitted by applicable law, disability information will not be shared with non-Stanford employees without the student's express written permission.
  2. Records — Students' files, containing disability documentation and a record of accommodations requested will be kept at the Student Disability Resource Center. Because certain communications, auxiliary aids and/or services may be facilitated by individual graduate schools and departments, the appropriate faculty and/or staff from those schools and departments may also need to maintain some records.

X. Policy Review and Evaluation

This policy takes effect on September 23, 1996. After it has been in place for two years, the Provost will initiate a review process to evaluate it and make recommendations for any improvements.