Disability Accommodations

1. Applicants for admission to Mount Holyoke who may require special services are encouraged to contact the Dean of Students office immediately upon acceptance to ensure timely provision of services.
   
   
2. All incoming students are invited to complete a confidential Disability Registration form on ISIS.  In addtion, their clinician must submit a Clinician Disability Certification Form  along with any supporting documentation.  On the basis of these forms, the Associate Dean of Students will contact relevant service providers to work with the student to determine appropriate services and "reasonable" accommodations. The service provider will determine what is a "reasonable" accommodation in relationship to Mount Holyoke policies and the Americans with Disabilities Act. Requests for accommodations must be timely and made in writing through the use of the forms listed above.  It is the student's responsibility to contact the Office of Disability Services or Office of Learning Skills to schedule an appointment with the Associate Dean of Students or Associate Dean for Learning Skills to discuss their request for accommodations.
   
   
3. Students with documented learning disabilities and attention deficit disorder will receive support through the Associate Dean for Learning Skills.  Supporting documentation, for example psychoeducational evaluations including test scores and recommendations must be dated within the past three years.
   
   
4. The Associate Dean of Students coordinates services for physically disabled students, including students who have mobility, visual, or hearing impairments. She works in collaboration with the Dean of First-Year Studies and other Academic Deans to accommodate academic needs for physically disabled students, and students with learning disabilities.
   The Associate Dean of Students collaborates with the Office of Residential Life to arrange reasonable accommodations and assistance for disabled students living in the residence halls. Assistant Directors of Residential Life and Hall Presidents, professional staff in each residence hall, are notified in advance of students who are physically disabled and who have requested services. Once at the College, physically disabled students are encouraged to work with the Office of the Associate Dean of Students, the Office of Residential Life, and related offices to ensure appropriate support services.
   
   
5. The Associate Dean of Students works in collaboration with the Director of Counseling Services and the Academic Deans to arrange reasonable accommodations for students with psychiatric disabilities.
   
   
6. The Associate Dean of Students works in collaboration with the Director of the Alcohol and Drug Awareness Project and academic deans to arrange reasonable accommodations for students in recovery from a substance abuse disorder.
   
   
7. Students who do not return completed disability information and disability certification forms and who at some point require special assistance should contact the Dean of Students Office as soon as the need for service becomes apparent. Reasonable accommodations can then be made accordingly. It must be understood that arrangement for equipment, classroom and housing assignments, and other accommodations usually requires advance notice.
   
   
8. After the first year, students are expected to play a more substantial role in specifying their needs and following through on arrangements for accommodations.
   
   
9. A review board consisting of the Associate Dean of Student, an Academic Dean, and a faculty member shall make decisions regarding reasonable accommodations when necessary. Appeals to this board require completion of the disability information, the disability certification form, and a written statement from the student elaborating her request. Requests must first be denied for the board to hear an appeal. Therefore, requests to the service provider need to be timely. If the request is denied by the review board, the student may make one last appeal to the Dean of the College.
   
   
10. Confidentiality regarding AIDS, as well as other health concerns, is protected by state and federal law. Information in an individual's health center medical records will not be shared without that individual's written consent.