Counseling and Disability Services

COUNSELING AND DISABILITY SERVICES

College counselors are available to assist students who are experiencing academic, personal, social, or emotional concerns. All information is handled in a confidential manner. Referrals to area professionals are made the student has an ongoing, long-term problem or can otherwise benefit from the resources of an outside agency.

Services include:

• Short-term personal counseling
• Crisis intervention
• Strategies to overcome academic difficulties
• Help with accommodations

Students with disabilities are encouraged to contact the Associate Dean for Student Services to discuss the need for accommodations, academic adjustments, and/or auxiliary aids and services.

Click Here for Self-Disclosure Diability Form

College Policy for Accommodating Students with Disabilities

In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, Briarwood College has developed the following policy.

1. Briarwood College will not discriminate or deny access to an otherwise qualified student with a disability.
2. A student with a learning disability is protected by the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 which states, ìno otherwise qualified handicapped individual shall, solely by reason of handicap, be subjected to discrimination."
   Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 states that a student with a learning disability is determined by the following criteria:
   
   1. If the person:
      1. Has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life functions;
      2. Has a history of impairment; or
      3. is regarded as having such an impairment;
   2. If the person with a disability meets the academic and technical standards requisite to admission or participation in the college's programs or activities, then that student will b e ensured equal educational opportunity.
3. The student with a learning disability must declare his or her disability in order to be eligible for accommodations. When the Associate Dean for Student Services has written documentation that the student is ìregarded as having an impairmentî from a recognized authority, a student will have declared his or her disability with the Student Services Office. The documentation will remain confidential unless the student provides the Associate Dean for Student Services with written authorization to release the information. The student with a learning disability will be responsible for communicating his or her special needs to the Associate Dean for Student Services who will deem the appropriateness of the accommodations requested. The College is not responsible for making accommodations for students who have not declared and documented their disability.
   The Associate Dean for Student Services is responsible for verifying that a student has a disability and is also a resource to the faculty. However, the student is responsible for communicating with his or her teachers about difficulties relating to his or her disabilities if they choose and if they want accommodations.
4. Determination of eligibility as a student with a learning disability should include but is not limited to: identification while in public school and/or a diagnosis by a private consultant, doctor, or psychologist. We strive to provide the student with specific accommodations linked to their learning strengths and weaknesses. Documentation may include a data-based connection between the student's learning strengths and weaknesses and their eligibility for specific types of accommodations. Since the relevance of diagnostic data varies according to its recency, any documentation and/or testing done prior to high school or more than three years old may not sufficiently document requested accommodations.
5. Once the disability is on record with the College, the College will provide reasonable accommodations to assist the otherwise qualified student with a learning disability to fulfill the academic requirements of the student's program. Academic adjustments must be made in the manner in which specific courses are conducted, and in testing, and may include the use of auxiliary equipment and modifications in academic requirements. Specific examples are changes in the length of time permitted for the completion of a degree; substitution of specific courses; administering an exam with additional time in a private room; use of a tape recorder for lectures; oral testing; use of a calculator; demonstration of knowledge through creative projects; note-taker; use of computers.
6. It is the responsibility of the College to provide the accommodations. It is the responsibility of the student to make a timely request for accommodation and to meet with the faculty member early in the semester to discuss his or her needs. The appropriateness of an accommodation request will be based on the Associate Dean of Student Services' knowledge of the student's disability, the impact that the disability has on the performance of the student, and the effect the accommodations may have on the student's learning.
7. Student or instructor requests for course substitution, time extensions for program completion, etc. should be made to the Associate Dean for Student Services. If the student has a grievance or wishes to appeal a decision regarding an academic matter, the student should follow the Grievance Procedure outlined in the Student Handbook.