Disability Accommodation

Introduction

It is an individual’s responsibility to inform the University of the need for academic accommodation for a qualifying disability. Requests for accommodations should be supported by appropriate documentation and sent for review at the Learning Needs and Evaluation Center (LNEC). Requests for reasonable variation in degree requirements to accommodate a disability should also be submitted to the LNEC, in writing, and will be subject to review by the student’s dean. If the student’s disability precludes attainment of licensure or certification in the desired degree program that information will need to be noted in replying to the request. All accommodation requests should be submitted in a timely manner. Clinical staff at the LNEC will review documentation to determine eligibility and assist the student in implementing appropriate accommodations in the classroom. Students receiving such accommodations are encouraged to inform their instructors of that fact at the beginning of each semester. LNEC personnel are available to counsel students in preparing their requests and to assist in obtaining other necessary support services. Deaf and hard of hearing students may dial (434) 243-5189 for telephone accessibility. Any questions should be referred to the student’s dean’s office or the Director of the LNEC (434) 243-5181 / (434) 243-5188 (FAX) or (434) 243-5189 (TTY). The LNEC is located at the Elson Student Health Center, 400 Brandon Avenue, P.O. Box 800760, Charlottesville, VA 22908.

Should you have (or have been previously diagnosed as having) any learning, physical, or emotional impairment which may require accommodation at the University of Virginia, please notify Brad Holland, Americans with Disabilities Act Coordinator and the Section 504* Coordinator of Services for Students with Disabilities, Washington Hall, East Range, P.O. Box 400219, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22903; telephone (434) 924-7819. Such circumstances may include, but are not limited to, impaired vision, hearing, mobility, or a specific learning disability such as dyslexia, dysgraphia, or expressive dysphasia. Response to this notice will allow the University of Virginia to prepare for your arrival and to aid in meeting your educational needs. Any information submitted will be treated confidentially and will be shared only with those who need to know. In order to receive accommodations or exemption from policies stated here and in the Undergraduate Record, students with any diagnosed impairments must have notified the University in a timely manner.

[*Section 504, REHABILITATION ACT OF 1973, Code of Federal Regulations: Title 34, Part 104 (34 CFR 104), Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Handicap in Programs and Activities Receiving or Benefitting from Federal Financial Assistance.]

Foreign Language Disability

Disability Accommodation

Upon the recommendation of the Learning Needs and Evaluation Center, the College of Arts and Sciences provides appropriate accommodations for students with diagnosed disabilities. Students diagnosed with a specific foreign language learning disability are referred to the policy outlined below.

Foreign Language Learning Disability

In order to meet the needs of students with specific learning disabilities that impede the learning of a foreign language, the College faculty passed the following legislation at its February 1984 meeting:

Students who are diagnosed by approved services, either before or after their admission to the University, as having specific learning disabilities may petition the Dean of the College to receive such accommodation within the structure of required courses in foreign language as in the view of the department concerned is feasible and appropriate. If an accommodation proves unworkable, the Dean of the College, on the department’s recommendation, may authorize the substitution of other courses dealing (in English) with the culture or literature of a non-English speaking people or with the history or description of language. For every semester of required foreign language not taken the student will be required to pass an authorized substitute course.

Therefore a student experiencing exceptional difficulty in a foreign language class should:

1. Consult immediately with the appropriate language course coordinator. The name of the coordinator may be obtained online or from the foreign language department.
2. Undergo Testing
   1. Consult the Learning Needs and Evaluation Center, located in the Elson Student Health Center (804-243-5180), and present either a prior diagnosis or discuss testing to be undertaken. The Center will determine if previous diagnoses were made according to acceptable standards and within three years of admission to the University or anytime thereafter. In the absence of an acceptable prior diagnosis, the LNEC staff will counsel the student regarding undergoing neuropsychological testing for purposes of establishing a diagnosis. The LNEC will refer the student to approved testing agencies both within the University and the community. The student bears the cost of such testing.
   2. If a student has received a diagnosis of a learning disability deemed acceptable by the University’s Learning Needs and Evaluation Center and can document unsuccessful efforts to learn a foreign language at an accredited educational institution, a student may confer with his/her College Association Dean regarding modification of the foreign language requirement. A petition from the student will be reviewed by the College’s Disability Accommodations Committee.
3. Request Accommodation
   1. If testing confirms a learning disability that adversely affects the learning of a foreign language, the Learning Needs and Evaluation Center will suggest possible accommodations in the foreign language classroom (e.g., extended time in class tests, de-emphasized oral or aural components, extra tutorial assistance). The student then takes the accommodation request to both instructor and the language coordinator. The instructor and the coordinator will inform the student of the accommodations the student will receive in the class. The coordinator will notify the student’s Association Dean in writing what these accommodations are to be. Ideally accommodations should be in place prior to the student’s enrolling in the course.
4. Enroll in a course with accommodations: The coordinator reviews the student’s progress after six weeks.
   1. If the student is able to succeed, the student continues to take courses with accommodations until the foreign language sequence is completed.
   2. If the department finds that accommodations prove unworkable despite the student’s maximum effort, the coordinator may recommend in writing to the student’s Association Dean that the foreign language requirement be modified.
5. Modification: Upon receipt of the coordinator’s recommendation and a diagnosis from the Learning Needs and Evaluation Center, the student’s Dean may authorize the modification of the requirement and so notify the student in writing. The student’s transcript will have the notation "Foreign Language requirement modified." Grades earned in foreign language classes will continue to appear on the transcript. However, for the semester in which the requirement is modified, a failing grade will be converted to NC (no credit). Also, if a student is diagnosed with a foreign language learning disability, a failing grade received in the semester when the student was referred to the Learning Needs and Evaluation Center for testing, or the student with a prior diagnosis identified him/herself to the Learning Needs and Evaluation Center, will be converted to NC.
6. Substitute Courses: Upon modification, the student will be required to take the appropriate number of substitute courses to fulfill the foreign language requirement. As specified in the faculty legislation, these courses are to deal (in English) with the culture or literature of a non-English speaking people, or with the history or description of language. The substitute courses should form a cohesive cluster focused on one language area, either continuing the work begun in the language class or choosing a new area. The substitute courses should be drawn primarily from foreign literature in English translation courses (course mnemonic ending with "TR": e.g., CHTR, FRTR, GETR, ITTR, JPTR, PETR, RUTR, etc.); Classics (CLAS); those classes from the Anthropology, History, Religion, or other departments that deal exclusively with a specific non-English speaking country or culture; or Linguistics (LNGS, with the exception of Black English, since the faculty legislation calls for a non-English speaking culture or literature.) The student is to seek his/her Dean’s prior approval for each substitute course. Substitute courses may not be applied toward the first major or towards other area requirements except the Second Writing Requirement. They must be taken for a grade.

[Approved December 10, 1997]