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Accommodations

The Academic Support and Accessibility Services Office (ASAS) helps students with documented disabilities or medical/mental health conditions in need of accommodations. We explore your unique needs and work with you directly as we determine which accommodations will be most beneficial to you. Thus, there is no one-size-fits-all approach to our work with you. In order to qualify, student’s must have a disability and/or medical/mental health condition that hinders equal access to their Monmouth College education and experience.

Accommodations are determined on a case-by-case basis but may include some of the following:

  • Extended time on exams and/or assignments
  • Alternate location for exams
  • Note-Taking Assistance (including peer note takers, access to professor notes and/or PowerPoints, recorded lectures etc.
  • Use of a calculator
  • Moving classrooms to accessible locations
  • Access to audiobooks

It is important to know:

  1. College is different from high school and the first step is self-advocacy.
    1. It is a student’s choice to self-identify as a student with a disability and/or medical/mental health condition and also to use accommodations once received. The student must first engage with the ASAS and following that remain actively involved and engaged with the office and their faculty each semester. Students are encouraged to connect with our Associate Director regularly as they learn to self-advocate. See our ASAS Student Accommodations Handbook for more student responsibilities.
  2. Accommodations are not retroactive. Once the need is communicated to the ASAS by the student, we will work with you and communicate that need to the appropriate faculty (and rarely staff) as soon as possible. 
  3. An academic accommodation is not considered reasonable if it:
    1. Poses a direct threat to the health and safety of others;
    2. substantially alters an essential element of a course, curriculum or program;
    3. substantially alters a manner in which a service is provided; or
    4. causes an undue financial or administrative hardship to the college.
  4. Accommodations provided at Monmouth College are only for Monmouth College, and do not extend to standardized testing sites, graduate or professional schools or work environments.
  5. Deadlines: Although we do accept documentation at any time during the year, to ensure time to implement the requested accommodations prior to the term, please see below:
    • Incoming new and transfer students: All documentation for incoming new and transfer students starting in fall semester should be received by July 7 and by December 1 for students starting in spring semester.
    • Returning students: All housing documentation for returning students requesting an accommodation for the following year must be submitted by March 1 prior to the room selection process for the following year.
    • Missed deadlines: The accommodation requests of students who miss the deadline or submit incomplete information may not be able to be met during the requested semester. If need for a housing accommodation arises when an individual is already residing in housing, they should reach out to ASAS and submit the accommodation request form asap. The ASAS will be in contact with next appropriate steps. Once all documentation is received, the ASAS will promptly review the request, though cannot guarantee that it will be able to meet the accommodation needs during the semester in which the request was made. 

However, we encourage you to meet with the Associate Director at any time.

Once all required documentation is received the ASAS will work diligently on your request, but please allow up to 30 days for completion.

  1. Temporary injuries or impairments: If you have experienced an injury or illness which will require temporary accommodations or adjustments to your learning environments please first contact our office and complete our “Accommodations Request Form” asap. Most of the time, faculty will be flexible in providing necessary adjustments. Additionally, there are times when the Associate Dean of Students may be involved as well.
  1. Confidentiality: Information regarding a student’s disability is private. Diagnosis or medical information is not shared with faculty, staff, parents or other students without the student’s written consent. The ASAS staff, consistent with FERPA, may share accommodations with faculty and staff when there is a need for them to know (i.e. ahead of each new academic semester a student’s faculty for that term will be notified of the student’s accommodation needs only).