In the determination and issuance of disability services both the student and Cottey College have rights and responsibilities. These rights and responsibilities are different from those in elementary and secondary education. It is important that students become aware and familiar of the rights and responsibilities of both themselves and the College.

STUDENT RIGHTS & RESPONSIBILITIES

Rights

1. Equal access to courses, programs, services, jobs, activities, and facilities at Cottey College
2. Individually determined accommodations, academic adjustments, and/or auxiliary aids that are reasonable and appropriate according to the student’s disability
3. Confidentiality of all information regarding the student’s disability. Information will only be released to appropriate personnel on a need to know basis with express written consent from the student.
4. Information reasonably available and accessible.

Responsibilities

1. Meet Cottey College’s general admissions and specific program requirements essential to technical and academic standards.
2. Voluntarily identify themselves as needing disability services in a timely manner.
3. Provide proper documentation from an appropriate professional that outlines the nature of the disability, functional limitations, and suggestions/needs of specific accommodations.
4. Follow Cottey College’s procedures for securing reasonable and appropriate accommodations, academic adjustments, and/or auxiliary aids.

COTTEY’S RIGHTS & RESPONSIBILITIES

Rights

1. Maintain the College’s academic standards.
2. Request current documentation from students that is completed by an appropriate professional in order to verify the need for disability services.
3. With signed consent from the student, further discuss a student’s need for reasonable accommodations with the qualified professional source that completed the student’s documentation.
4. Select effective, reasonable, and appropriate accommodations in partnership with the student.
5. Deny a request for disability services if the documentation does not identify a specific disability or fails to verify the need for the requested services.
6. Refuse to provide any services that are unreasonable or inappropriate including services that may (1) cause a direct threat to the safety/health of others, (2) require a substantial change to an essential facet of a course or program, and (3) pose an undue financial or administrative burden on the College.

Responsibilities

1. Provide courses, programs, activities, services, jobs, and facilities in the most integrated settings possible.
2. Ensure all information regarding disability services’ policies and procedures are provided to all students and accessible.
3. Evaluate students on their abilities, not disabilities.
4. Provide reasonable and appropriate accommodations to students with disabilities upon the student’s voluntary disclosure.
5. Maintain appropriate confidentiality unless the student has given express written consent for outside communication.
6. Assist students with disabilities who voluntarily identify and meet Cottey’s criteria to receive reasonable and appropriate accommodations, as determined on an individual basis.
7. Inform students with disabilities of all policies and procedures pertaining to disability services at Cottey, including filing a formal grievance through external agencies.

If a student, faculty, or staff member ever has a concern with the rendering of disability services, they can complete a Disability Services Concern form and return it to Stephanie McGhee, Coordinator of Disability Services, via email (smcghee@cottey.edu) or mail (Cottey College, Kolderie Center, 1000 W Austin, Nevada, MO 64772)