Student Accessibility Services

A student can begin the process by completing and submitting a Request for Accommodations Form. Incoming students must submit their request and accompanying documentation by May 1st for housing accommodations and July 1st for academic accommodations for the fall semester. Students entering MassArt in the spring semester should submit their requests by December 1st and January 10th, respectively. Current students requesting housing accommodations should follow the timeline set forth in the information regarding the housing lottery process.

Documentation Guidelines

To identify the type of information and documentation necessary to the process for determining reasonable and appropriate accommodations, please refer to the following guidelines:

• Students must submit any prior assessment and/or evaluative report conducted by educational evaluators, medical professionals, mental health providers, etc. to establish the existence of a disability.
   
• Documentation must be current and relevant to the requested accommodation. Adult measures are preferred.
   
• An Individual Education Program (IEP) or 504 Plan may not provide sufficient information determine accommodations, but should be submitted if other information is not available.
   
• Professionals conducting assessments, rendering diagnoses, and making recommendations for appropriate accommodations must be qualified to do so. Information from these sources must be made on professional letterhead, dated, and signed.
   
• Prescriptions for medication is not appropriate documentation.
   
• Diagnostic providers should include information regarding the existing condition(s), presenting concerns, history of prior accommodations, current treatments, recommendation for accommodations in the post-secondary environment.
   
• Student Accessibility Services may request additional documentation if information provided is insufficient.
   
• Documentation should be scanned and emailed to student.accessibility@massart.edu either using a scanner or see these instructions for scanning documents with your phone outlined in these guidelines.

Timeline

Some classroom accommodations need additional time to be prepared including, but not limited to, assistive technology, physically accessible classrooms, interpreters, note takers and texts in alternative format. Students are encouraged to make these requests at the end of the prior semester to ensure staff are able to provide the requested accommodation at the beginning of the new semester. Current students requesting housing accommodations should refer to the deadlines in the housing contract.

ACCOMMODATIONS IN HOUSING AND RESIDENCE LIFE

Policy

Student Accessibility Services works closely with the Office of Housing and Residence Life to provide housing accommodations to qualified students with disabilities. As in the classroom, reasonable accommodations within housing (including, but not limited to, accessible rooms, specific buildings or floors, single rooms, access to kitchens, service and emotional support animals) depend upon the nature and degree of severity of the documented disability. While the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 requires that priority be given to the specific methods requested by the student, it does not imply that a particular accommodation must be granted if it is deemed not reasonable and other suitable modifications are available. Please be advised that single rooms as an accommodation are reserved for individuals who document substantial needs and for whom living with a roommate is not a viable option.

Procedure

Students requesting housing accommodations should note the request on the Housing Application Form and comply with all housing deadlines. Students must also provide appropriate documentation from a medical or mental health provider to Student Accessibility Services by May 1 for students entering in the fall and December 1 for students entering in the spring semester. The provided documentation must establish the need for an accommodation and relates the current impact of the condition to the requested accommodation. Guidelines for documentation listed above.

Staff from Housing and Residence Life and Student Accessibility Services will review requests and meet with students to discuss the needs and options for accommodation; however, all requests, even with appropriate documentation, are not guaranteed. Students will be informed of the decision within 2 weeks of the meeting. Students requesting Services or Emotional Support Animals must follow the policies and procedures outlined in these guidelines.

All students residing on campus are required to purchase a meal plan. Students with allergies and dietary restrictions are encouraged to work with Student Accessibility Services and Sodexo to ensure that Sodexo’s staff are aware of the student’s needs and will prepare food accordingly. Students are encouraged to review our meal service provider's dietary needs guide to learn more about accessing meals in the dining halls.

If a student has questions or concerns with Student Accessibility Services’ decision about accommodations, the student should immediately contact Elizabeth Smith-Freedman, Associate Dean, to discuss the matter. If, after this consultation, the student believes that they have been denied a reasonable accommodation, appropriate auxiliary aids and/or academic adjustments, the student may contact the College’s EO Officer and ADA/Section 504 Coordinator who will advise and/or assist the student through informal or formal appeal steps as described in MassArt’s Equal Opportunity, Diversity and Affirmative Action (EO) Plan. In the event of conflict with a member of Student Accessibility Services, the student will be provided with an alternative staff contact within Student Accessibility Services or, if necessary, a contact designated by the Associate Dean of the Academic Resource Center.

Decisions regarding appeals submitted will be rendered within seven (7) business days. If, after receiving their appeal decision the student still believes that they have been denied a reasonable accommodation, appropriate auxiliary aids and/or academic adjustments, the student may file a complaint pursuant to the MassArt’s Equal Opportunity, Diversity and Affirmative Action (EO) Plan.

At any time during these processes, the student may contact the College’s EO Officer and ADA/Section 504 Coordinator for information regarding MassArt’s policy on reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities including grievance procedures.

Formal Appeal

The purpose of the formal appeal is not to provide a second review of the case, but rather to assure that disability related processes have been accurately and fairly followed by the university professionals with the expertise and judgment to make accommodation decisions in accordance with the Americans with Disability Act (ADA), and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act; and who have been entrusted with this responsibility. Grounds for appeal include:

• Procedural error: A procedural error(s) occurred during the original accommodation review process that may have impacted the outcome of the review.
   
• New information: Specification of new information, not available at the time of the initial review that, if introduced, may have altered the outcome of the review. A detailed account of the new information must be clearly described and be accompanied by supporting documentation from a certifying professional such as a treating physician, current therapist, or similar person. Information is not considered new that existed at the time of the original accommodation request but was voluntarily withheld during the initial review.
   
• Evidence of discrimination or bias on the part of the person making the decision, or an inability to consider the accommodation request objectively and completely.