Accessibility Resources

• The law states that some students with disabilities have a right to academic accommodations, changes to how things are normally done, that provide an equal opportunity to participate in and enjoy the benefits of an education.

• Students must self-identify to the Office of Accessibility Resources by submitting an online intake form requesting accommodations.
• Students must provide recent professional documentation of the disability from a doctor or other licensed professional.
• Accommodations do not automatically carry over to the next semester. Students must make a written request to renew accommodations each semester and submit it to Associate Director Katrina Meehan
• Students must meet academic and conduct standards.
• The laws do not require schools to lower academic standards.
• Accommodations do not mean giving students easier work or changing the rules to make it easier for them.

Students must continually meet relevant academic and conduct standards to receive the protection of the law.

Accommodations do not automatically carry over from semester to semester, nor are they retroactive; therefore, each semester, the student must submit a request to have accommodations activated for the upcoming semester by completing the form sent to students each semester. The accommodation letter serves as a tool to assist students in communicating with faculty about their accommodations. The letter verifies that the student is registered with the office and outlines the approved accommodations.

Please refer to the Division of Student Success Website for more complete information about accessibility resources. Questions about Accessibility Resources can be directed to Katrina Meehan, Associate Director for Accessibility Resources, at kmeehan@berry.edu or accessibility@berry.edu.

1. If informal discussion with appropriate College personnel does not resolve the complaint, the student will submit a written grievance to the Dean for Student Success within thirty (30) working days of the event(s) that triggered the grievance. The written grievance must include:
   1. A clear and unequivocal statement of the College rules(s), regulation(s), policy(ies) and/or actions(s) of which the student complains;
   2. The date of any action of which the student complains;
   3. The names of all the College employees involved; and
   4. A summary of the action(s) the student has taken to resolve the matter informally.
2. The Dean for Student Success, which term for the purposes of this procedure includes an individual designated in writing by the Dean for Student Success, will meet with the student within ten (10) working days of the receipt of the grievance.
3. If this meeting does not resolve the grievance, the Dean for Student Success will conduct an informal investigation of the subject of grievance with the objective of resolving the grievance. In those cases where the grievance involves a dispute regarding the conduct or requirements of a course or of an academic program, the Dean for Student Success will, in addition to consulting with the faculty member responsible for the affected course or academic program, meet with and seek faculty advice from the Associate Director for Accessibility Resources, two faculty representatives and one student. One of the faculty participants must be the representative from the school responsible for the course or academic program from which the grievance originated.
4. The Dean for Student Success will furnish the student with a written response to the grievance within thirty (30) working days of meeting with the student. The written response will be mailed to the student by certified mail, return receipt requested. If the grievance involves a dispute regarding the conduct or the requirements of a course, or of an academic program, a copy of the written response issued by the Dean for Student Success will be provided to the Associate Director for Accessibility Resources, to the dean and the department head in the school responsible for the affected course or academic program, and, when applicable, to the professor responsible for the course.

1. If the student is not satisfied with the written response of the Dean for Student Success, the student may present his/her grievance in written form to the Provost within ten (10) working days after receipt of the response of the Dean for Student Success. The grievance presented to the Provost will be limited to those matters raised in the student’s grievance to the Dean for Student Success pursuant to step one of this procedure.
2. The Provost, which term for the purposes of this procedure includes an individual designated in writing by the Provost, will meet with the student and any other person involved with the grievance within fifteen (15) working days after the receipt of the grievance schedule. When the subject of grievance is the responsibility of another Vice President, Academic Dean or senior administrator, the Provost will invite the participation of that administrator in the meeting.
3. After discussing the facts and issues involved in the grievance with those appearing at the grievance hearing, the Provost will issue to the complainant a written answer to the grievance within ten (10) working days from the completion of the hearing. The answer or decision by the Provost will be final.
4. If the grievance involves a dispute regarding the conduct or the requirements of a course, or of an academic program, a copy of the written decision issued by the Provost will be provided to the Associate Director for Accessibility Resources, to the dean and the department head in the school responsible for the affected course or academic program, and, when applicable, to the professor responsible for the course.