The Disability Resource Center provides the following academic accommodations.

Assisted Registration

The Disability Resource Center (DRC) will work with the Registrar’s Office to assist with registration when a student qualifies for this accommodation (e.g., to ensure physical access, appropriate course load, interpreter services, etc.). The student will first need to meet with their ADA Coordinator in a timely manner to review the courses the student wishes to enroll in. Assisted registration will not allow students to enroll in courses in which they might not otherwise be eligible to enroll.

Classroom Access

Middlebury is responsible for ensuring that programs and activities are accessible to students with disabilities. Accommodations may include, relocation of classes.

Relocation of classes occurs when the classroom is inaccessible and prohibits class attendance for the student. Examples of barriers to classroom access include the following:

  • Buildings without ramps or elevators.
  • Buildings that are temporarily inaccessible due to construction.
  • Classes held in locations too distant for the student to reach in the time available.
  • Locations that present safety concerns„ such as those resulting in isolation, darkness, etc.
  • Locations with inadequate acoustics, lighting or other barriers of the physical environment that would deny substantial access to the student.

When class locations present barriers, the DRC will work with the class scheduling officer and the faculty involved, to facilitate reasonable accommodations which may include rescheduling the class in another location. Relocation or rescheduling would not be a reasonable accommodation only if such changes would fundamentally alter essential elements of a class or program.

Course Load

Students with disabilities may, upon request, seek approval from the Administration Committee to enroll in an academic program consisting of fewer than three courses per semester. Eligible students will be considered to have full-time status and will be eligible for all Middlebury benefits available to other full-time students; it should be noted however that under Federal Financial Aid regulations, they may not be able to participate in certain financial aid programs that are only available to “full time” students, as defined by the U.S. Department of Education.

Course Withdrawal

Upon recommendation from the DRC, students with disabilities may request course withdrawals after the deadline when extenuating circumstances involving the student’s disability necessitate a withdrawal. Poor grades alone are not a reason to request a course withdrawal. Requests for course withdrawals will be considered by the Administration Committee under procedures parallel to those for medical withdrawals. Students should solicit a letter of support from their ADA Coordinator to provide to the Administration Committee.

Exceptions to Academic Policies 

With adequate documentation, the DRC can approve the following accommodations when based on a documented disability/exceptional medical circumstances:

  • Course drops after the deadline
  • Approval for reduced course load (two or fewer)
  • Late invocation of Pass/D/Fail
  • Special student status for chronic illness 

Please Note: ADA accommodations are not granted retroactively, so it is not possible to obtain any of these accommodations for semesters that have ended.

To make a request for one or more of the exceptions above, please submit the following:

  • Relevant documentation to the Registrar’s Office (late drop card, etc.)
  • Accommodation Request Form (ARF)
  • Supporting documentation including:
    • Confirmation of relevant diagnoses
    • Relevant information on how you were diagnosed and/or your history with the diagnosis
    • Information on how the condition impacts you academically or residentially
    • Support for your accommodation requests

This information should be drafted by an objective professional qualified to make a diagnosis in the area of your condition. It should be typed or word processed in English and printed on the office letterhead of the health care professional.

Please do not send handwritten notes or documents written on prescription pads. Any materials can be attached to an ARF, emailed as a PDF attachment, or faxed to 802-443-2440.

Instructional Adaptations

In establishing appropriate and effective accommodations, the DRC works with faculty to ensure that accommodations do not compromise academic standards or affect essential elements of courses, or program requirements. Faculty may be asked to make adaptations in their course materials, lecture or lab presentation, and examination format or location, if such accommodations would not compromise academic standards or affect essential elements of the course or program requirements.

Provisional Services

At the discretion  of the DRC, a student may be denied or granted provisional services pending submission of documentation and official certification of disability status. Such services will not be provided for more than one semester. The nature of provisional services will be determined at the discretion of the ADA Coordinators. Provisional services do not grant a student the status or rights of a student with a certified disability, and it must be understood by students that a short-term grant of provisional services does not guarantee the continuation of such services or affect the DRC’s decision as to whether requested provisional services are reasonable accommodations. The DRC’s ultimate decision is reached only after a review of required documentation.

Time Extensions

Exams

All students who have been approved for the accommodation of extended time on exams shall be afforded the chance to use twice the amount of time allotted for the original exam. Students are not required to stay the entire amount of time if they should finish before the double time has expired.

Extended time does not relate to how long a faculty member has designed an exam to take; rather, it relates to how much time students who are not entitled to extra time are given to complete it. For example, if a faculty member designs an exam to take an hour, but students are allowed 90 minutes to complete it, a student with extended time shall be afforded 180 minutes (three hours) to complete it.

Assignments

The DRC will support requests for extensions on assignments on a case-by-case basis. The DRC will only support requests made by students if it is necessary and appropriate and listed as an approved accommodation. All requests shall be made in advance of the due date of the assignment that an extension is needed. Students are advised that the ADA is unable to waive penalties given by faculty for late assignments.

Completion of Course Requirements

Upon recommendation by the DRC, the Office of the Dean of the College may authorize time extensions for completing course requirements when progress is adversely affected by a disability. Faculty, departments, and academic affairs/studies committees must take the recommendation into consideration.

Accessible Testing Spaces

Students can reserve a seat in our centralized testing location to ensure they can complete their exams and quizzes in spaces that meet extended-time and/or distraction-reduced access needs. At the beginning of each semester, students with testing accommodations will be sent an email with a link to a form they can use to reserve testing spaces. Students will receive an email confirmation letting them know which space (desks/rooms are numbered) they have been assigned for the time period they requested. Students are responsible for coordinating with faculty to pick up and return their exams.

SensusAccess File Conversion

Follow four easy steps for SensusAccess File Conversion to have your document converted into an alternative, accessible format. The result is delivered in your email inbox. You may upload one or more files, enter a URL to a file or simply type in the text you wish to have converted. The form expands as you make your selections.

Disability Resource Center
Service Building
Middlebury, VT 05753