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In compliance with Cambridge College policies and the Americans with Disabilities Amendments Act, the Office of Academic & Disability Support Services arranges access to facilities and academic programs for students with physical, psychological, or learning disabilities of permanent or temporary duration. Accommodations are determined on an individual basis and include, but are not limited to, note takers, sign language interpreters, accessible texts, classroom modifications, and parking. Any student who feels s/he may be eligible for accommodations that provide equal access to educational programs at Cambridge College should contact the Director of Academic and Disability Support Services at 617-873-0470 or disabilitysupport@cambridgecollege.edu for an appointment.
Students with disabilities are responsible for identifying themselves, and for providing documentation from qualified and licensed medical or testing personnel. Any expense incurred in obtaining such documentation is the student's responsibility. This documentation must present a specific diagnosis of the disability, explain its limiting effects, and make recommendations for accommodations. It is important to provide this documentation as early as possible so that timely and appropriate arrangements can be made. New students must contact us at least three weeks prior to the beginning of the term, since many services must be arranged far in advance.
Each term, faculty are notified of any students with disabilities in their courses and are told of the accommodations required. All students are expected to fulfill essential course requirements in order to receive a passing grade, with or without reasonable accommodations.
Accommodations can not be granted retroactively.
General Policy
Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Cambridge College consistently undertakes to provide, by every reasonable effort, assistance and appropriate accommodations to qualified students with disabilities. We are committed to ensuring that all students receive equal opportunity and equal access to educational programming and services here at the College. The College prohibits discrimination against any qualified student, employee, or applicant on the basis of physical or mental disability, or perceived disability.
Notification - Self-Disclosure
Students with disabilities at Cambridge College are encouraged to contact the Office of Academic Disability Support to request appropriate services.
All students seeking modification under the Americans with Disabilities Act must self-identify with the Office of Student Services and a written request must be submitted to this office, providing us the documentation as described below.
ADA Definition of Disabled
The ADA protection applies primarily, but not exclusively, to individuals with disabilities. Any one of the following conditions must be met in order for a person to be considered disabled:
- He or she has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more of his/her major life activities.
- He or she has a record of such an impairment.
- He or she is regarded as having such an impairment.
Documentation
It is the responsibility of students to submit documentation of physical, mental, or learning disabilities from qualified and licensed medical or testing personnel. This documentation should include suggested accommodations. Any expenses incurred in the obtaining of such professional verification are the individual's responsibility. The following documentation criteria should be used:
Physical, Sensory & Health-related Disabilities
- A qualified, licensed health care professional, currently or recently associated with a student must submit verification of the disabling condition.
- The diagnosis should reflect the present level of functioning of the major life activity affected by the disability.
Psychological & Attentional Disorders
- A qualified professional (e.g., psychiatrist for ADD/ADHD, psychologist or psychiatrist for other psychological disorders) must provide verification of diagnosis and severity of a disabling condition.
- Qualified professionals must provide a detailed description of the ways in which this impairment significantly limits a major life activity in an educational setting for a student.
Learning Disabilities
- Cambridge College requires that a professional, qualified in the diagnosis of learning disabilities (e.g., licensed psychologist, learning disabilities specialist, neuropsychologist), prepare the evaluation. It may be necessary to collaborate with other educational and reading specialists, in addition to speech and language clinicians, in order to provide a comprehensive assessment.
- Please submit the result of clinical interviews, along with descriptions of testing procedures, instruments used, and test and sub-test results reported in standard scores.
- Comprehensive evaluations are required and should include test results in the following areas, where applicable: intelligence, reading, mathematics, spelling, written language, language processing and cognitive processing skills. Testing should reflect an examination of areas of concern and weakness, as well as areas of strength.
- Evaluation results should include a clear diagnostic statement based on test results and personal history of the student.
- Evaluations should be no more than three years old. However, this requirement may be waived if deemed not medically necessary.
Each institution of higher learning is a unique environment, and the ADA is designed to allow for individual responses to the needs of students and the public. What may be a successful accommodation in one setting may not be appropriate or required in another. The ADA does not seek to change fundamental methods of ensuring a sound education and successful completion of an academic program. It is designed to ensure that students with disabilities have an equal opportunity to access academic programs and successfully complete their studies (ADA Compliance Guide, 1990).
Any decisions on accommodation are a collaborative undertaking between the students concerned and appropriate Cambridge College staff. The Office of Student Services coordinates support for students with disabilities and assists in registration, advisement, parking, referrals, adapted classroom activities, and other special needs. It is the responsibility of the student to identify him/herself as disabled and to request assistance from this office. Under special circumstances, Cambridge College will provide specialized tutors or individual assistants for students.
Determining Accommodations
In accord with applicable laws, students are eligible for APPROPRIATE accommodations which are deemed REASONABLE by the College.
Individual accommodations are determined through a series of questions. The answer to each question must be YES, for the accommodation to be APPROPRIATE.
- Does the student have a disability as defined by Section 504 and the Americans with Disabilities Act? (See above.)
- Has the student provided appropriate documentation?
- Is the student otherwise qualified to participate in the program or course?
- With the requested accommodations, can the student perform the essential tasks of the course?
- Is the requested accommodation reasonable?
An accommodation is REASONABLE if it:
- Is based on documented individual needs
- AND allows the most integrated experience possible
- AND does not compromise the essential requirements of a course or program
- AND does not pose a threat to personal or public safety
- AND does not impose undue financial or administrative burden (see Undue Hardship below)
- AND is not of a personal nature.
Determination of reasonable accommodations is made on a case-by-case basis. Accommodations are not provided based simply on diagnosis, but are provided according to consideration of an individual's specific needs.
Accommodations may consist of the following: sign language interpreters, note takers, assistive technology, tutorial services, priority registration, course modification, parking accommodations and classroom modifications. At your initial intake meeting, we will discuss what accommodations are right for you for the courses you are taking. Students should meet with or contact the Director of Academic and Disability Support Services every term to up letters to faculty. Accommodations do not automatically transfer from term to term and may be course-specific.
Undue Hardship
Cambridge College applies the ADA definition of undue hardship as an action that results in significant difficulty for the College and/or requires significant expense. The following factors are considered in determining whether undue hardship exists:
- Accommodations that are judged to have a negative impact on the academic integrity of the academic program (e.g., those that would fundamentally alter the program of study) will not be honored.
- The financial resources of the College that are involved in providing the requested reasonable accommodation.
- The impact of the accommodation on the operational, geographic, physical, and administrative aspects of the College and its facilities.
- The number of students involved.
and Faculty Guide
Classroom Accessibility
If a classroom is inaccessible to a student with a mobility impairment, the location may be changed. The instructor will be notified of any classroom change as soon as possible.
Travel Time
Students with mobility impairments may find it difficult to be on time to class. Often the student must wait for the elevator, take a circuitous yet accessible route, wait for assistance opening doors and maneuver along crowded paths and corridors. If late arrival to class is a problem, the student and instructor should discuss it to find a solution.
Altered Form of Exams
The form of an exam may be altered if the testing procedure puts a student with a disability at a disadvantage based on a documented disability. For example, a student with a visual impairment may need a test converted to a Braille or audio format, read aloud by the instructor, produced in large print, or read by a computer with voice output. Students will usually tape, type, word process or recite aloud their answers. Students with certain types of learning disabilities may be required to take their exams in a quiet, distraction-free environment such as an empty classroom. The Office of Academic and Disability Support Services can assist faculty with creating altered forms of exams if needed. Accommodations such as readers or scribes may also be provided to students with disabilities.
If an oral exam is given and a student is deaf or hard of hearing and does not use his or her own voice, a sign language interpreter may voice what the student is signing. Similarly, if test instructions or the exam itself is delivered orally, an interpreter may be used.
Extended Time
Extended time is a reasonable and quite common accommodation for students whose medical or psychological documentation specifically calls for it. Cambridge College is required to ensure that the student is provided additional time to complete exams and coursework in order to provide equal opportunity to the student. If extended time is needed for exams, it is up to the student to schedule an alternate time to take the exam with the faculty member outside of class time.
Handouts in Alternate Format
If a student has a visual impairment, the instructor or Office of Academic and Disability Support Services must provide all class handouts in an alternate format. This will typically be either large print or on computer disk or flash drive. Handouts should be made available on the same day that they are distributed to the entire class.
Note Taking
Students may require the assistance of a note taker for a number of reasons including visual impairment, hearing impairment or mobility issues. If a student requires a note taker, the faculty instructor will be notified via email and asked to make an announcement in class asking for a student to fulfill this role. The note taker will be paid for his or her services. (Instructor, please get payment form from the Office of Academic and Disability Support Services). Introductions of the note taker and the student requiring the service should be made after class and in private.
Alternate Forms of Textbooks
Many visually impaired students will require their textbooks in alternate formats. This may include Braille, large print, audio or computer disk. Often these formats are available from publishing companies and manufacturers of large print texts. The Office of Academic and Disability Support Services can assist students with locating their textbooks in alternate formats.
Sign Language Interpreter
Many deaf and hearing impaired students will use the assistance of a sign language interpreter to enable them to understand what is being said in the classroom. Depending on the length of the class, one to three interpreters may be used. There is a time lag between the spoken word and the interpretation. Faculty should therefore keep in mind that a deaf or hearing impaired student's contribution or questions might be slightly delayed. If at all possible, it is important for the instructor not to get too far ahead of the interpreter.
The interpreter and the deaf student will usually select a seat in the front of the classroom. The interpreter is aware that sign language may be a distraction to the class and the professor. The initial curiosity of the class will subside and the professor will become used to the interpreter's presence. Because it can be difficult for a deaf or hard of hearing student to follow an interpreter and take notes, the use of a note taker is often also needed (see above).
Captioning
If there is a deaf, hard of hearing or student with auditory processes difficulties in a class, the instructor may be asked to provide captioned versions of films, videos or other visual aids. If a captioned version of the audio-visual presentation is unavailable, an interpreter may be used. However, please keep in mind that the lights in the room should be kept at a level where the student can read the interpreter's manual communication.
Tape Recording
Students who have a disability related to taking in oral communications may have difficulty listening and taking notes at the same time. The problem often manifests itself by students having a hard time distinguishing essential information from non-essential information, and thus frantically attempt to write down everything the professor is saying. Then students may often fall behind in the lecture and miss important information and examples. Thus, a helpful solution can be to allow students to tape record lectures.
Tutors
WRITING--Free tutoring is offered in the Academic Support Center for all students. For students who are dyslexic or who have difficulties physically printing or writing (dysgraphia), the outcome is often written work that appears careless or sloppy. Essays and papers can often read disjointed with entire sentences, phrases or words missing. Vocabulary can also be less sophisticated than expected or even than what the student can communicate orally. The student can have difficulty monitoring his or her own work for spelling and grammar errors, word order and paragraph formation. Students with these kinds of difficulties can greatly benefit from working with a professional tutor in the Writing Lab. These professionally trained tutors can assist students with clarifying their ideas and work without lowering academic standards.
MATH--Students who have difficulties with mathematics reasoning and calculation (dyscalculia) may also benefit from free tutoring available in the Academic Support Center. Errors may include reversing numbers, miscopying and misaligning of columns of figures, making errors when changing operational signs, difficulties figuring out calculations and estimations mentally, and organizing a problem incorrectly. Students with disabilities in the area of mathematics can also have difficulties applying concepts from one problem to the next and then freeze during examinations. Students with mathematics difficulties can greatly benefit with the frequent work and directed student of a math tutor.
Students are protected from discrimination under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 in the United States. Embedded in these governmental mandates for nondiscrimination are rules regarding the confidential treatment of disability-related information. These rules protect students with disabilities from possible discrimination due to attitudinal barriers, negative connotations about specific disabilities, or general misconceptions about disability. The confidentiality rules at Cambridge College are as follows:
- Disability information is to be treated as medical information and held to the same strict rules of confidentiality as is any other medical information. This rule applies to both the comprehensive documentation that students are required to produce in order to establish the existence of a disability and the student's need for accommodation.
- The disability documentation that students provide to the College is kept in secure files with limited access.
- Disability documentation is shared on a very limited basis within Cambridge College and only when there is a compelling reason from faculty or staff regarding some specific aspect of this confidential information.
Please direct any concerns or appeals related to the provision of reasonable accommodations by Cambridge College to:
Director of Academic & Disability Support Services
Cambridge College
1000 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge MA 02138
Voice 617-873-0470 or 617-868-1000 x1470
E-mail: disabilitysupport@cambridgecollege.edu
Massachusetts
Massachusetts Office on Disability
One Ashburton Place, Room 1305, Boston, MA 02108
Voice/TTY 617-727-7440 or 800-322-2020
Fax 617-727-0965
Attorney General's Disability Rights Project
Office of the Attorney General's Civil Rights Division
One Ashburton Place, 19th Floor, Boston, MA, 02108
Voice 617-727-2200
TTY 617-727-4765
Office hours: 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. In order for the office to evaluate your claims properly, they request that they be submitted in writing to the above address.
Disability Law Center (DLC)
DLC is a private, non-profit organization responsible for providing protection and advocacy for the rights of Massachusetts residents with disabilities.
11 Beacon Street, Suite 925, Boston, MA, 02108
Voice 617-723-8455 or 800-872-9992
TTY 617-227-9464 or 800-381-0577
Fax 617-723-9125
Other States
Please ask your local Cambridge College regional center director to put you in touch with state advocacy agencies.
National
National Disability Rights Network (NDRN)
900 Second Street NE, Suite 211, Washington, DC 20002
Voice 202-408-9514
TTY 202-408-9521
Fax 202-408-9520
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