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Berea College

Welcome to Berea College’s Disability &amp; Accessibility Services. DAS provides services to the Berea College community to ensure that students with disabilities have equal access to all aspects of college life. We hope the information you find on this website is helpful to you. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us by phone, email, or in person. We look forward to working with you.

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Disability &amp; Accessibility Services (DAS) works toward making programs, services, and activities accessible for all students. Every student should be able to take part in all facets of the Berea experience. Collaboration with the college’s diverse community is crucial. The office follows the <a href="https://next.berea.edu/our-inclusive-mission">mission of Berea College</a> to create an environment that “frees persons to be active learners, workers, and servers as members of the academic community and as citizens of the world.” Disability &amp; Accessibility Services recognizes disability as a valued aspect of diversity, embraces access as a matter of social justice, and supports welcoming and inclusive environments for all.
 
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Mission

Accommodations are changes or adjustments that help students with disabilities access and participate equally in Berea&#8217;s classes, services, activities, and facilities. These are designed to provide equal opportunities, but they don’t change the essential parts of a course or program.
Examples of accommodations:
<ul>
<li>Extra time on tests</li>
<li>Audio recording lectures</li>
<li>Accessible classroom locations</li>
<li>Use of assistive technology</li>
</ul>
Key Information:
<ul>
<li>Accommodations must not fundamentally change the course or cause an undue burden.</li>
<li>If you or your instructor have concerns about how accommodations will work, DAS will work with you to figure it out.</li>
<li>If a professor feels an accommodation might alter a course in a significant way, they must work with DAS to explore options.</li>
</ul>

Accommodations 101

In order to receive services, a student will submit an application to register with DAS and must have a disability as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act: &#8220;a person who has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, a person who has a history or record of such an impairment, or a person who is perceived by others as having such an impairment.&#8221;  Major life activities are functions that are necessary for an individual to care for themselves daily. Some examples include the ability to move from one position to another, the ability to bathe and maintain hygiene, the ability to control bowels and bladder, the ability to obtain and take medication, and the operation of major bodily functions like circulation, respiration, and individual organs.
An interactive process is then used to determine if/what accommodations are reasonable for an individual student on a case-by-case basis. DAS will review the Student Application and supporting documentation before meeting with the student to tailor accommodations to the individual and their disability-related barriers. DAS encourages students who do not have documentation to meet with a DAS Specialist. All requests are considered on a case-by-case basis and situations occur where provisional accommodations may be provided. DAS, in collaboration with appropriate departments, will also assist with accommodations for <a href="https://next.berea.edu/labor-program-office">Labor</a>, <a href="https://next.berea.edu/life-at-berea/student-life" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Student Life</a>, <a href="https://next.berea.edu/life-at-berea/housing-dining" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Dining Services</a> (meal plan), <a href="https://next.berea.edu/life-at-berea/student-life/department-of-public-safety">Public Safety</a> (e.g., parking, cars on campus), and others as needed. The staff at Disability &amp; Accessibility Services is looking forward to working with you to create an equitable campus experience for you!
<ol>
<li>Submit an online <a href="https://rainier.accessiblelearning.com/s-Berea/ApplicationStudent.aspx" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">New Student Application</a></li>
<li>Provide supporting documentation as outlined in <a href="https://legacy.berea.edu/das/wp-content/uploads/sites/61/2023/08/Documentation-Guidelines.pdf" data-internal-link="true">Documentation Guidelines</a> via official letterhead or send this link to your provider: <a href="https://na2.docusign.net/Member/PowerFormSigning.aspx?PowerFormId=1c28f4cb-72f6-4f7c-ac51-563342ffc3c7&amp;env=na2&amp;acct=03542c71-d3ea-44d2-96f3-d418f38a9ef4&amp;v=2">DAS Provider Documentation Form</a> (DocuSign).</li>
<li>Schedule to meet with DAS Senior Specialist, <a href="http://www.calendly.com/hollyhatfield" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Holly Hatfield</a> to establish eligibility and begin interactive process to determine accommodations.</li>
<li>Use your student profile in <a href="https://rainier.accessiblelearning.com/Berea">AIM</a> to select accommodations in each course for the current term. This will trigger automated emails to your instructors that will alert them of your requested accommodations.</li>
<li>Meet with instructors to discuss academic accommodations. If something isn&#8217;t working, or your needs change, you can revisit DAS to adjust your accommodation plan.</li>
</ol>
<h4>Key Information to Keep in Mind</h4>
<ul>
<li>Accommodations are designed to provide equal access, not to lower academic standards.</li>
<li>DAS and faculty work together to ensure accommodations are reasonable and don’t fundamentally alter the course content or structure. An accommodation request may be denied if it fundamentally alters a course.</li>
<li>Your accommodations are tailored to your individual needs and may vary from class to class.</li>
</ul>

How to Apply

Berea College is guided by the <a href="https://www.ada.gov/law-and-regs/">Americans with Disabilities Act</a> and its amendments and <a href="https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/docs/hq5269.html">Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973</a>. As such, accommodations are determined based on the specific limitations of a disability. The purpose of documentation may be to substantiate a disability and its severity, to demonstrate the impact of the disability in a higher education living and learning environment, and to help us understand what accommodations would be most appropriate.
When considering accommodation requests, Berea College follows the documentation guidance of AHEAD (Association on Higher Education and Disability). However, it is important to note that other colleges and universities may require additional documentation of the disability. Testing agencies, which administer standardized tests such as the GRE or PRAXIS, often have stricter documentation guidelines as well.
Documentation should be completed by an appropriate credentialed professional who has relevant training and experience diagnosing and treating the reported condition and is unrelated to the student. The documentation should be provided on official letterhead or via the <a href="https://na2.docusign.net/Member/PowerFormSigning.aspx?PowerFormId=1c28f4cb-72f6-4f7c-ac51-563342ffc3c7&amp;env=na2&amp;acct=03542c71-d3ea-44d2-96f3-d418f38a9ef4&amp;v=2">DAS Provider Documentation Form</a> which is to be completed by your provider through DocuSign. When needed, documentation can be supplemented with medical reports, psychoeducational testing, IEPs, 504 Plans, or other relevant documents. Diagnoses of Learning Disabilities should be accompanied by copies of the psychoeducational assessment. Preferably, documentation should address the following:
• A diagnosis of the current disability 
• The date of the diagnosis 
• The severity and functional limitations of the disability and a description of the current impact as it relates to meeting the various demands of higher education (academically, socially, emotionally, physically, medically) 
• Expected progression or stability 
• Notation of any medical equipment that is required 
• Notation of medications, if any, and potential impact on learning and/or side effects 
• Possible recommendations, based on functional limitations for postsecondary education, to ameliorate the limitations
Documentation will be kept private. Limited information, when needed for legitimate educational interest, is released and/or discussed on a need-to-know basis and is subject to FERPA guidelines. Outside the <a href="https://studentprivacy.ed.gov/">FERPA guidelines</a>, no information will be released and/or discussed without consent from the individual.

Documentation Guidelines

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Alise is a senior Child and Family Studies major.  After graduating, Alise plans to pursue a career as a counselor or family therapist. She enjoys working at DAS because of the office environment and likes to provide help for students with disabilities. Fun facts: her favorite color is pastel yellow, SpongeBob is her comfort show, sign is a Taurus Sun and loves to tell everyone about it.

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