Institutional Responsibilities
Monmouth University has the responsibility to insure programmatic access to all qualified students and to provide reasonable accommodations for all qualified students with disabilities. The institution will foster an environment that is sensitive to diverse needs and will encourage students to develop self-advocacy skills. The University has the responsibility to provide information in the form of workshops, lectures, and in-service workshops to the campus population regarding disabilities. Finally, the institution has the responsibility to develop policies and procedures regarding access for persons with disabilities, to develop grievance procedures, and to clearly communicate those policies and procedures to all members of the campus community. The Director of Affirmative Action, Human Relations, and Compliance is the University’s 504 Coordinator and the Grievance Officer.
Faculty and Staff Responsibilities
The faculty and staff at Monmouth University have the responsibility to provide reasonable academic adjustments to students with disabilities that are registered with the disability services offices. If an accommodation is requested, but verification is not provided, the student should be referred to the appropriate disability services office. It is the responsibility of the faculty to cooperate with the disability services providers who authorize accommodations and support services for students with disabilities, in a fair and timely manner.
Faculty can not legally refuse to provide required accommodations, to question whether the disability exists when accommodations have been authorized by the University, or to request to examine the students’ documentation. If a faculty member has questions about the appropriateness of a required accommodation, he or she should consult with a disability service provider from the appropriate office.
The following excerpt from Heyward, Lawton, and Associates (Disability Accommodations Digest, Sample Issue, Summer 1995) explains faculty responsibility:
Faculty members must accept that being employed by institutions that have compliance responsibilities under federal statutes and regulations means that their employment is condition upon their assisting those institutions in satisfying their compliance obligation. There is a shared responsibility because the provision of academic adjustments to students requires the participation of those who are employed to teach. Further, it is extremely important for faculty members to understand that there have been several judicial decisions in which persons who have improperly denied services, benefits, and opportunities to individuals with disabilities have been held to be personally liable for those discriminatory acts.
Faculty members could enhance awareness of disability issues via meetings coordinated by the disability service providers, lectures, and in-service workshops. Additionally, faculty members are encouraged to obtain specific information regarding disabilities from the disability services offices.
The disability services offices support the faculty’s commitment to maintaining academic standards at Monmouth University.
Student Responsibilities
It is the responsibility of the student to identify himself/herself to the appropriate disability services office and to provide professional documentation of the disability.
The student will consult with the appropriate disability service provider to determine specific accommodations that will be required while he/she is a student at Monmouth University. The students are encouraged to disclose their disability to faculty and to authorize the release of relevant disability-related information to them.
If the student elects to disclose, he/she will be informed of his/her responsibility to meet with his/her instructors at the beginning of each semester to discuss arrangements for accommodations in each course. At this meeting, the student will give to the faculty member a letter of self-disclosure, which has been signed by a disability service provider, verifying the disability.
Students with disabilities must maintain the same responsibility for their education as students without disabilities. This includes maintaining the same academic levels, maintaining appropriate behavior, and giving notification of any special needs.