Frequently Asked Questions

Student Questions

• What defines a disability?

  According to the Americans with Disabilities Act, an individual with a disability is defined as a person who has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, a person who has a history or record of such an impairment, or a person who is perceived by others as having such an impairment.

• What is an accommodation?

  An accommodation is a legally mandated modification or a service designed to mitigate the functional limitations that are associated with a student’s disability. Accommodations ensure that students with disabilities have equal access to courses, programs, services, and activities. 

  Accommodations considered unreasonable are those that would fundamentally alter the nature of a program; would impose undue financial or administrative burden on the institution; and would pose an appreciable threat to personal or public safety. The decision of whether an accommodation may fundamentally alter an essential course/program objective must be made by a group of knowledgeable and trained individuals at the college within the program and disability services office. 

• What accommodations are available for students at Knox College?

  Academic accommodations may include,  extended time for testing, distraction-free testing space, use of a computer laptop in the classroom, notetaking, use of assistive technology in the classroom, communication access, alternative format for reading, etc.  Accommodations can also be endorsed for residential needs and those that may impact a student's campus job.

• What laws protect the rights of students with disabilities?

  Reasonable accommodations are provided within the framework of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Americans with Disability Act of 1990, as amended (ADA) and the ADA amendments of 2008.

• How do I apply for accommodations at Knox College?

  A first-time Accommodation Request Form needs to be completed. This can be accessed on the Disability Support Services (DSS) webpage under student forms.  Reasonable accommodations are determined through an interactive process between  DSS and the student. The student's accommodation request must be linked to the functional limitations described in the medical documentation. Disability documentation must be provided by a qualified healthcare professional that describes the disability/health condition and the functional impact on the student’s academic or residential experiences. DSS has specific documentation guidelines relevant to establishing a student's disability or temporary health condition.   

• Is the information I share with DSS confidential? Does it show on my transcript?

  The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) of 1974 (20 U.S.C. § 1232g; 34 CFR Part 99) is a federal law that protects the privacy of student education records. All information and documentation submitted to the DSS office is kept separate from an academic record and is considered private under FERPA. The fact that a student received accommodations does not show on any transcript from the college.

• What information do my instructors know about me and my accommodations?

  A notification for an academic accommodation will be sent to those instructors as released by the student in written form. This notification lists the accommodations that the student is approved for in the accommodation plan. This notification does not outline the nature of the student’s disability. It is the student's responsibility to discuss the use of their accommodations with their term instructors.

• Do I receive the same accommodations that I received in high school?

  IEPs and 504 plans end when a student graduates from high school. Colleges are not required to follow plans that were developed in high school. Accommodation plans are approved by the interactive process between the DSS staff and the student. The information from both high school and/or another college institution might be helpful for the DSS staff and the student as they create an accommodation plan at Knox. However, disability documentation that helps determine accommodations must be from a qualified, licensed clinician, non-familial, who follows established practices in the field, and most often are physicians, psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, or licensed therapists. 

• Once I set up my accommodations, how do I ensure that I receive them each term?

  Accommodations must be requested each term at Knox. This is done by completing the registration form each term with the DSS office.  No further paperwork should be needed if there is no change to the plan.  If the student is asking for different accommodations or a new accommodation, there may be additional paperwork or documentation and an interview with DSS staff may be required to process the new request.

• Do I have to apply with DSS to receive residential accommodations?

  Yes.  Residential accommodations may include a single room, emotional support animal, air conditioner, off-board meal plan, or off-campus housing. If the request from the student is based on a qualifying disability, the request must be processed in the DSS office for approval.

• How long will it take to get my accommodations put in place?

  The timing for accommodation implementation varies. This depends on the documentation that is provided to the DSS office for consideration for the request. The information must be available from a qualified healthcare provider and must include a diagnosis and the functional limitation to the student due to the diagnosis. No request can be processed without this information. Other forms are required to be completed by the student and a student interview with DSS staff must also take place. The timing of implementation is based on the acquisition of these items. 

• How do I register to take a test in the DSS office?

  Tests can be taken in the DSS office for any test accommodation for students. There is a form to be completed to request this accommodation. This form can be obtained electronically from the DSS office.

• What happens if my situation or diagnosis changes?

  If a student feels that they require other accommodations or they have a change or addition to their disability with new information, a student can request a change in the accommodation plan with the DSS office.  New disability information may require additional documentation to be submitted to the DSS office, and an interview with DSS staff may be required.  

  Residential accommodations are approved twice a year. Once before the fall term and again before the winter term. Requests and documentation can be in process before these due dates but must be completed and endorsed before these deadlines. These dates may vary from year to year.

• What if I don’t have a documented disability but do think I have challenges learning in the classroom? 

  If a student feels they might have an issue, they can meet with a DSS staff member who can assess and discuss the challenges they face in the classroom. Recommendations, options, and academic and campus resources will be shared to help the student determine their next steps.

Faculty Questions

• What is a reasonable accommodation?

  A reasonable accommodation is one that gives a student with a documented disability equal access to the educational experience. It involves an assessment of both the student’s disability documentation and the institution’s ability to provide the accommodation. The “reasonableness” of an accommodation rests on both the College’s and the student’s responsibilities to address the need. The Disability Services will inform faculty if a student should receive accommodations and describe what those accommodations should be.  [A sample accommodation letter is appended.]

  Provision of accommodations should not: (1) Fundamentally alter the nature or operation of the College’s programs, services, or activities; (2) Cause undue burden to the college and; (3) Pose a direct threat to the health or safety of others.

• What should I do if a student tells me that he/she needs accommodation?

  Direct that student to the Disability Support Services Office.

• Do accommodations give students with disabilities an unfair advantage?

  They should not. They should be used to give the qualified student with a disability equal access to the educational experience.

• Do all students seeking accommodation need to work through Disability Services in order to get those accommodations?

  Yes.

• What do I do when a student tells me he/she used to get accommodations in high school, had an Individualized Educational Plan or 504 Plan, or “gets extra time” but has not been to Disability Services?

  Do not make the accommodation, but do direct the student to the Disability Services Office.

• Should I ask to see my students’ disability documentation?

  No. Disability documentation is personal/confidential and is to be treated like someone’s medical records. Please allow the staff in the Disability Services office to read and evaluate these materials.

• Should my course syllabi include a statement regarding accommodations for students with disabilities?

  Yes, and we are happy to give you one should you so desire.

• Who specifically has the responsibility to make reasonable accommodations for students with disabilities?

  Technically, you, the faculty, are responsible for granting students equal access to your classes and course materials. Even so, Disability Services does endeavor to help out when and wherever it can, as when we communicate with you, hire and train note-takers, digitize texts, and teach literacy, social, and other success skills. 

• If a student has the accommodation of using a laptop to take notes and/or to take tests and quizzes, am I required to permit this?

  Yes, but the faculty member has the right to impose conditions for that use, i.e., that the wireless connection is turned off. Normally, a student seeking to use a laptop in class needs it for the purposes of taking notes or communicating in a legible form what he/she knows. That does not mean that the laptop can be used for other, non-accommodation purposes.

• If I have made reasonable accommodations for a student, can that student still fail my course if he or she still cannot or does not complete it?

  Yes. Once an accommodation has been made, unless there is new and powerful information, no additional allowances should be made or expected. Our goal is to ensure access, but we cannot ensure success.  

• What if the pedagogy and assignments in my course seem inconsistent with the accommodations determined by Disability Services?  

  Knox courses involve a broad range of teaching and learning methods, different ways to use classroom time, and a wide variety of assignments. Your teaching methods and assignments may not be known by Disability Services staff. If you anticipate or see a problem, call Stephanie Grimes or Nancy Dillard to explain the situation and ask for guidance. 

• Do the accommodation needs of an applicant play a role in admission?

  Generally, the Admission Office cannot seek information regarding disability status. If it did, and if a student were not admitted to the College, then that student could claim that disability was an admission criterion and that the College was guilty of discriminating on the basis of disability. Most students applying to Knox do not disclose disability information until after they have been admitted.  

• Do advisors receive information regarding their advisees with documented disabilities and academic accommodations?

  Usually. Because disability documentation records are medical records, we have to treat them as such. This means that we cannot choose to share information without the expressed permission of the student. While some students are comfortable sharing their information, others are not and fear being “spotlighted” in some way. These latter students tend to control carefully what faculty and advisors can know about them and are additionally concerned that what we might tell one person will be told without consent to another. Wherever possible (i.e., with student permission), the Disability Services Office does communicate useful information to appropriate parties. Disability Services provides faculty members with accommodation letters, which outline the accommodations afforded to students in their courses; these letters are usually copied to the student advisors as a matter of routine.

• Do academic accommodations affect academic standards? 

  The academic program is many things: it involves meeting the requirements for a major or minor and satisfying other graduation requirements. But it also refers to the means by which we deliver or teach a course, including our expectations for how students learn in our classes. Ready examples would be expectations for attendance, learning certain course materials, or completing labs or other experiential components of a course. Academic accommodations ensure access or allow a student to show what he/she knows; they do not water down or otherwise lessen course expectations. Some accommodations may involve a request for a waiver/substitution for an existing requirement (including math or foreign language requirements). In such cases, a student petition must be made to the Curriculum Committee.

• Is working with students needing accommodations pedagogically or otherwise difficult or challenging?

  It can be, but generally, it is no more than work we would do in support of any other student with a challenge. When it is, there are no easy guidelines. Students needing accommodations run the full range of intellectual potential. Often, they have extraordinary coping and/or compensatory skills that have allowed them to succeed. No two persons with even the same disability are alike and our understanding of disability and its implications is constantly changing. In difficult cases, we need to work closely with the student and with one another to do the best job that we can.

• Is the provision of disability service-negotiated accommodations in any way optional?

  No. The obligation to provide accommodations has been integrated with our College’s mission through our anti-discrimination statement and is also federally mandated; thus, disability service-negotiated accommodations are not optional. Generally, DSS-generated accommodations are mundane and require very little of you. In more complicated cases, the DSS and faculty must work closely together to negotiate and establish reasonable academic accommodations.

• Is it fair to other students to grant academic adjustments to those students who have a disability?

  It is unfair not to grant adjustments. The accommodations “even the playing field”, and ensure that the student's knowledge is being tested, not the disability. For example, being given extra time to process the questions and then process the answer will give the student with an accommodation what they need so the instructor can assess what the student knows.  

• I want to make sure that a student with a disability has as much assistance as possible. Where do I draw the line on ensuring that the student takes advantage of the accommodations and help there is on campus?

  All students are responsible for their own academic achievement. Each student must be personally responsible for class attendance, assignments, and all other course materials. It is up to the individual student to seek outside help and to utilize the agreed-upon accommodations. This does not mean that you as the instructor cannot suggest to the student to seek help or reach out to the DSS office with concerns about a student’s progress in classes. 

• What do I do if I have questions or concerns about accommodation-related matters?

  Do not hesitate to call either Stephanie Grimes (ext. 7478) or Nancy Dillard (ext. 7297).