Americans with Disabilities Accommodations Act Policy

East Stroudsburg University, in accordance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (the “ADA”), and the State System of Higher Education, makes every effort to ensure that reasonable accommodations are made to meet the needs of otherwise qualified individuals with disabilities.

The University does not discriminate against otherwise qualified students or applicants with disabilities in admission, student programs, activities and services.

The University will provide reasonable accommodations to otherwise qualified employees and applicants for University positions who are protected by the ADA by making changes in the work environment or by changing certain practices and procedures, as long as these changes do not pose an undue hardship on the University or alter the essential functions of the job.

Employees, regardless of whether they are receiving an accommodation, must maintain institutional standards of performance, attendance, and conduct.

Reasonable accommodations are provided for qualified students with documented disabilities in an effort to enhance the learning process and enable individuals to reach their maximum potential.

These provisions are necessary to ensure that otherwise qualified students with disabilities are given the opportunity to fulfill academic requirements and that they are not excluded from programs because of absence of auxiliary aids.

The student, however, is expected to meet the standards of each class as determined by the instructor.

Services of a personal nature are the responsibility of the employee or student.

For questions or comments concerning disability discrimination or harassment, please refer to the University’s Discrimination and Harassment Policy.

Confidentiality

All Medical information related to an individuals request for accommodation is confidential and will be maintained in a secured location separate and apart from an employee's personnel file, applicant's job application or a student's academic file.

Retaliation Prohibited

No retaliatory action is to be taken against any person who requests an accommodation under this policy. Any person found to have engaged in retaliatory action may be subject to discipline by the University.

Anyone who believes they have experienced retaliation should promptly contact the Office of Diversity & Equal Opportunity.

Appeal Statement

Not Specified in Current Policy

Definitions

Definitions under this policy are intended at all times to be construed in accordance with applicable laws.

A disabled individual is defined as an individual who meets one of the following criteria:

1. Has a physical or mental impairment that limits one or more major life activities (examples are walking, speaking, seeing, hearing, and performing manual tasks);
2. Has a record of such impairment; or
3. Is regarded as having such an impairment.

A qualified individual with a disability is someone with a disability who meets the necessary skill, work experience, education, training, licensing or certification, or other job-related requirements of a position, with or without an accommodation.

In the case of a student, the student must be able to meet the technical and academic qualifications for entry into the school, program or activity, with or without an accommodation.

Other Relevant Information

Procedures to Request an Accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act

Procedures to Request a Sign Language Interpreter/Captioning