Students with Special Needs
Policies & Procedures
Central Penn College values individuals who desire to overcome
disabling conditions to achieve their academic goals. The College
does not discriminate against students with disabilities, and
stands ready to assist when accommodations can
reasonably
be provided.
Not every social, physical, mental, emotional and academic
limitation is a disability. Each of us has different skills and
limitations to which we must adapt to thrive as adult members of
our communities. When, however, a limitation substantially impairs
one or more of a student's major life activities, the College
stands ready to assist, to the extent that it reasonably can do
so.
As part of the educational process, students with disabilities are
expected to develop good self-advocacy skills and to have full
knowledge of the impact of their disabilities. If a student
requires assistance, his or her disability should be identified to
a campus professional designated in this policy. Appropriate
documentation should be provided, and any needed accommodations
should be requested within a reasonable time frame. The designated
campus professional at the College is as follows: Ed Liesch.
Incoming students are encouraged to submit documentation as soon as
they make their decisions to attend the College and certainly no
later than sixty (60) days prior to the date of anticipated
matriculation.
Faculty and staff will endeavor to provide reasonable
accommodations that are requested in a timely manner, are
appropriately documented, and do not compromise the integrity of a
course or degree program. The College will endeavor to protect a
student from discrimination and to educate faculty about the needs
of individuals with disabilities. Although faculty members are
ultimately responsible for providing reasonable access to their
classroom and other educational opportunities, it is the student's
responsibility to follow established procedures for requesting
accommodations he or she believes are necessary.
A disabled student is expected to be proactive in requesting
accommodations. The process includes the following steps:
- The student should identify the disabling condition and its symptoms.
- The student must provide a recent, appropriate evaluation, from a licensed medical professional familiar with the disability, to the designated campus professional and make a follow-up appointment to discuss accommodations.
- The disability identified in the evaluation must fall within the guidelines of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Under the Act, a person with a disability is one who has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits a major life activity.
- If the symptoms of a student's disability are ones that could result in more than one possible diagnosis, the evaluation should include the specific diagnosis, and a discussion of why other diagnoses have been rejected.
- The student should specify what accommodations, if any, he or she is requesting to mitigate the disabling condition.
If a student has requested any accommodations to mitigate a
disabling condition, the evaluation should discuss the
appropriateness of the request(s), and how it/they will assist in
mitigating the limitations created by the disability.
When the accommodation involves a faculty member, the student must
meet with him or her as well.
Any concerns, disputes, or questions regarding accommodations
should be directed to both the professional who holds the
documentation or to the Chief Academic Officer. Informal and
formal grievance procedures are available if
necessary.
After appropriate assessment of a student's documentation, and
consideration of the student's current functional disability and
any requested accommodations, campus professionals will make
recommendations regarding support services and/or accommodations.
The College is unable to provide accommodations requiring extensive
personal services such as attendants, drivers, interpreters or
speech therapists. All requests will be reviewed on a case-by-case
basis.
For further information, contact Ed Liesch at (717)
728-2273.