Accommodations

Accommodations do not guarantee academic success; the student is still responsible for:

• learning subject knowledge
• demonstrating mastery of content
• satisfying the essential requirements of courses
• showing progression toward major
• meeting the same demands required of all students

Student Disability Resources engages in an interactive process with each student and reviews requests for accommodations on an individualized, case-by-case basis. We may consider reasonable alternatives to accommodation requests, though significance is given to a student’s preference.

"Reasonable" Accommodations

An accommodation is considered "reasonable" if it does not require substantial change in the curriculum or alteration of any essential elements or functions of a course, program, service, or activity. Student Disability Resources may consider reasonable alternatives to accommodation requests, though significance is given to a student’s preference.

A reasonable accommodation provides a modification or adjustment that enables a qualified student with a disability to participate in courses, programs, facilities, activities, or services; such that that a qualified student with a disability has rights and privileges equal to students without disabilities.

Types of accommodations

• An academic accommodation minimizes or eliminates the impact of any disability that would unfairly restrict a student’s access to Penn State’s courses, programs, activities, or facilities. Examples include but are not limited to:
  • extension of time for tests
  • course substitution of nonessential requirements
  • priority registration
• An auxiliary aid might include but are not limited to:
  
  • adaptive equipment
  • assistive technology
  • FM systems
  • electronic textbooks or books in alternative formats
  • computers for testing
• A service may include but are not limited to:
  • a reader for tests,
  • note taker for a course
  • test proctors
  • sign language interpreters
  • real-time captioning
• A modification may include the removal of architectural barriers. Penn State’s University Access Committee leads efforts to remove architectural barriers.