Students with disabilities
Westwood College is dedicated to providing opportunities for all qualified students to participate fully in the academic environment. Westwood College recognizes and supports the role that Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990, and similar state laws have in achieving that success. Westwood College is committed to making reasonable accommodations for students with qualifying disabilities and making its campus and facilities accessible as required by applicable law. Westwood College cannot make accommodations that fundamentally alter the nature of Westwood’s programs, cause undue burdens on Westwood, or create a direct threat to the health or safety of students or others.
Student responsibility
It is the responsibility of the student to request an accommodation and to follow the processes set forth in the Westwood College policy titled, “Provision of Accommodations to Students with Disabilities.” This document, as well as all accommodation-related forms, may be obtained from the Campus Disabilities Coordinator (CDC) in the Student Services Department or accessed at www.westwood.edu/ADA. A student who does not request an accommodation will not be given one. Likewise, a student with a disability who chooses not to have any accommodations is under no obligation to seek or obtain one.
Procedure
Students with disabilities who require accommodations, aids, or services should submit to the CDC a Request for Accommodation form. It is recommended this form be submitted at least six weeks prior to the start of the term. Students who request accommodations must include documentation from their health care provider or diagnostic professional regarding the nature and extent of their disability in the request. Students must then submit their signed and completed Request for Accommodation to the CDC, who forwards it to the College Accommodation Committee for its review and consideration. Students granted accommodations will receive a Letter of Accommodation from the College Accommodation Committee setting forth the specific accommodation(s) granted. Whether to grant an accommodation and the type of accommodation granted by the committee are decisions made at the discretion of the college pursuant to governing law. Westwood College will make all reasonable efforts to respond to a Request for Accommodation and arrange for any granted requests before the term commences. However, Westwood cannot guarantee that all requests will be resolved by the first day of class. A student who submits a Request for Accommodation with insufficient time for the College Accommodation Committee to consider and resolve the request before the term commences, may opt either to attend classes without the requested accommodation or to delay attending classes until the request is decided.
Appeals
A student may appeal to the College Accommodation Appellate Officer any final written decision of the College Accommodation Committee. All appeals should be in writing utilizing the Accommodation Appeal form attached as Appendix C to the “Provision of Accommodations to Students with Disabilities” policy and also available at www.westwood.edu/ADA. The student should submit the completed appeal form to the CDC within five business days after the student receives the College Accommodation Committee’s written decision. The CDC forwards the appeal form to the College Accommodation Appellate Officer. The College Accommodation Appellate Officer will render a decision as soon as possible but generally no later than three business days from receipt of all information from the student-appellant and the College Accommodation Committee and the completion of hearing any testimony or oral presentations. The College Accommodation Appellate Officer shall notify the student-appellant, in writing of the decision. The Appellate Officer’s decision on submitted appeals is final.
Discrimination
Westwood College prohibits unlawful discrimination or harassment on the basis of disability. A student who believes that he/she has been harassed or discriminated against on the basis of disability in violation of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 or the Americans with Disabilities Act may file a written complaint to his/her Campus President. Within twenty (20) business days after receipt of the complaint, the student will receive written notification of the outcome of the Campus President’s investigation into his/her complaint to include corrective actions taken, if appropriate based on the outcomes, to prevent further harassment.
A student may appeal to the Disability Discrimination Appellate Officer any final, written decision of the Campus President regarding his/her claim. A student has ten (10) days from receipt of the written decision from the Campus President to appeal. Upon request, and where the student can show good cause, the Disability Discrimination Appellate Officer has the discretion to permit the student to submit his or her appeal after the ten (10) days. If requested by the Disability Discrimination Appellate Officer, the Campus President will forward any requested documentation or information in writing to the Disability Discrimination Appellate Officer. Student-appellants, however, are encouraged to submit a thorough and complete statement in their appeal of the basis for the challenge and should attach any relevant documentation.
In his or her discretion, the Disability Discrimination Appellate Officer may rely solely on the student’s appeal and the written record. However, the Disability Discrimination Appellate Officer may conduct a hearing or request oral presentations if he or she deems warranted by the circumstances. If the Disability Discrimination Appellate Officer conducts a hearing or requests oral presentations, such hearing or presentation will be carried out usually within ten (10) working days of receiving all appeal materials from the student and any additional information from the Campus President. However, this period of time may be extended due to the unavailability of the Disability Discrimination Appellate Officer, witnesses, the student-appellant, and the like.
The Disability Discrimination Appellate Officer will render a decision regarding the outcome of the appeal and notify the student-appellant and the Campus President in writing as soon as possible but generally no later than twenty (20) business days from receipt of all information from the student-appellant and the completion of any hearing, testimony, or oral presentations. This decision will include corrective actions taken, if necessary based on the outcome, to prevent further harassment. Decisions of the Disability Discrimination Appellate Officer are final. To submit an appeal, students should contact MySafeCampus at 1-888-331-3036 or via the internet portal at www.mysafecampus.com. Both of these methods are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. In using either method to submit an appeal, the student should indicate “Discrimination” as the category selection.
The College will not tolerate unlawful retaliation against any student who in good faith raises an issue regarding violations of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. If you believe you have been retaliated against in violation of this policy, you are encouraged to immediately report the retaliation in writing to the Campus President.