Siena Heights University
Americans with Disabilities Policy
Siena Heights University welcomes students with disabilities who meet academic admission requirements, and
will work toward meeting their needs by providing reasonable and appropriate accommodations to those students
with documented disabilities. These disabilities may include but are not limited to impaired vision, hearing, or
mobility; learning disabilities; and Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
(ADHD).
Students with documented Learning Disabilities must contact the Office for Students with Disabilities to discuss
the Siena Heights University Policy.
An individual with a disability is a person who:
1.
Has a physical or mental impairment which substantially limits a major life activity such as
walking, seeing, hearing, speaking, breathing, learning, working, caring for oneself, or performing
manual tasks;
2.
Has a documented record of having an impairment; or
3.
Is regarded as having such impairment.
To ensure the provision of reasonable and appropriate accommodations within a timely manner, students who
request accommodations from the University must provide current (to three years) written documentation of their
disability. Students are strongly urged to provide documentation at the time of registration so that
accommodations can be in place at the start of the session. This documentation should be signed by a licensed
physician, psychologist, or other mental health professional with experience in diagnosing the disability for which
the student is requesting accommodations. A complete Individualized Education Plan (IEP) signed by the
student's school psychologist may also be considered documentation of a disability.
Professional documentation of learning disabilities, ADD, and ADHD should be processed in accordance with the
criteria outlined in the current Diagnostic and Statistical Manual published by the American Psychiatric
Association. The documentation provided by the student's physician, psychologist, or school psychologist should
include information regarding the onset, longevity and severity of symptoms, as well as the specifics describing
how it has interfered with educational achievement.
Students with disabilities that are eligible for assistance and/or services from a social service agency such as
Michigan Rehabilitation, and Michigan Commission for the Blind are encouraged to apply for those services.
To request accommodations, it is the student's responsibility to provide the Office for Students with Disabilities
with the following:
1.
Written documentation as outlined above;
2.
A completed "Accommodations Request Form" listing the specific accommodations requested
for each class;
3.
A signed “Information Release Form” authorizing the Office for Students with Disabilities to
discuss the student's accommodations and academic progress with their parents/guardians,
advisor, and instructors.
The following accommodations are available to Siena students with documented needs:
1.
Special testing conditions such as extended time for exams, distraction-free exam locations, oral
exams, a scribe or someone to write answers.
2.
Permission to tape record lectures and discussions.
3.
Permission to use a calculator on math tests.
4.
Permission to use a personal laptop computer for tests.
5.
Note takers.
6.
Readers.
7.
Peer tutoring.
8.
Study skills classes and workshops.
9.
Class substitution for degree completion, as long as the substitution does not substantially alter
the requirements of the student's degree program, as determined by the program coordinator.
Letters of Verification describing accommodations that are to be provided for each class, may be picked up by
the student from the Office of Students with Disabilities within two weeks after the Office for Students with
Undergraduate and Graduate Catalog 2016-2018
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