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Office of Diagnostic Testing and Disability ServicesEvans Hall Room 317 The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 as applied to Colleges and Universities: An Overview Who is considered to be “otherwise qualified” under the ADA and Section 504? Occasionally there is confusion on what constitutes a “qualified individual”. Someone is considered to be “otherwise qualified” if, with or without reasonable accommodation, they meet the same standards – academic, professional, technical, and behavioral standards – as do others. It means meeting established criteria (e.g. admissions, course expectations, graduation, and code of conduct). What are the obligations of students with disabilities? To establish eligibility, students are required to provide documentation of their disability prior to receiving accommodations. Additionally, colleges have the right to establish their documentation criteria. Insufficient documentation is the responsibility of the student. To assist in the identification and re-evaluation process, Prairie View A&M University has an on-campus Office of Diagnostic Testing located in Room 323 of Evans Hall that administers educational evaluations at no cost to the student. Moreover, at PVAMU documentation must be on letterhead, dated within an acceptable time (5 years) and signed by a professional, who is licensed in the field of the disability. What are the college’s obligation under section 504 and the ADA? The colleges must provide reasonable accommodations for the student’s known disability in order to provide an access opportunity to in the college’s programs, courses and activities. A college may not discriminate against any individual solely on the basis of disability. |