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The policies and procedures of the University of North Georgia are designed to insure full compliance with all pertinent federal and state legislation, specifically to include Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, and all subsequent amendments. They are designed to assure full consideration of both the right of the individual with a disability to be free of discriminatory action, and the right of the university to set and to maintain standards. Additionally, they form a mechanism for dispute resolution for those instances in which the usual channels have not resulted in a decision that is acceptable to both the individual and the administration of the university.

Rights and Responsibilities of the University

Rights of the University

• The university has the right to identify and to establish the abilities, skills, and knowledge that are fundamental to academic programs and courses.
• The university has the right to evaluate each student's performance against these technical standards.
• In providing an academic adjustment, the university is not required to lower or effect substantial modifications to essential requirements.
• The university is not required to make accommodations to policies that would “fundamentally alter” the nature of a service, program, or activity, or would result in undue financial or administrative burdens.
• The university is not required to provide personal attendants, individually prescribed devices, readers for personal use or study, or other devices or services of a personal nature, such as tutoring.
• The university has the right to request and to receive documentation that supports requests for accommodations (see Board of Regents Criteria for Supporting Documentation, Appendix A).
  • The university does not conduct these evaluations.
• The university has the right to deny a request if the documentation reveals that no accommodations are necessary or if the individual fails to provide adequate documentation.
• The university has the right to select among equally effective accommodations for individuals with a disability, while ensuring effective communication for students who are deaf or hard of hearing and blind or have low vision.

Responsibilities of the University

The University of North Georgia recognizes that its basic responsibility is to identify and to maintain the academic and technical standards fundamental to providing quality academic programs while ensuring the rights of individuals with disabilities.

• It is the responsibility of the university to insure that recruitment information and activities are available in accessible formats and facilities, both within and outside the confines of the institution.
• It is the responsibility of the university to admit applicants based solely on their qualifications. The university is prohibited from inquiring about disabilities prior to official acceptance to the university.
• It is the responsibility of the university to make reasonable accommodations to its policies, practices, and procedures so that people with disabilities can have access to all the goods, services, and other opportunities it provides.
• It is the responsibility of the university to insure accessibility in all University of North Georgia programs and activities, to include but not limited to, academic offerings, housing, transportation, student organizations and counseling.
• It is the responsibility of the university to adjust, substitute, or waive any academic requirements within the policies of the Board of Regents that unfairly discriminate against a student with a disability and that are not essential to the integrity of the student's academic program.
• It is the responsibility of the university to inform its applicants and students about accommodations and the procedures for requesting such accommodations. This information is found in a variety of sources, such as course syllabi, university admissions acceptance letter and the student handbook.

Rights and Responsibilities of Students with Disabilities

Rights of Students with Disabilities

• An individual with a disability has a right to an equal opportunity to participate in and to benefit from programs and activities offered by the University of North Georgia.
• A student with a disability has the right to confidentiality of all information and has the right to choose to whom information about his or her disability is disclosed.
• A student with a disability has the right to information regarding the availability of auxiliary aids and reasonable accommodations, and procedures for requesting them.
• A student with a disability has the right to be informed of procedures for initiating an appeal of a decision by the institution regarding auxiliary aids and services.
• A student with a disability has the right to be informed of procedures for initiating further appeal of an institutional decision through external channels--e.g., filing a complaint with the Office of Civil Rights or filing a case through the court systems.

Responsibilities of Students with Disabilities

Students with disabilities have the same responsibility as other students to:

• Meet and maintain the university's academic standards.
• Abide by university rules and regulations, the Student Code of Conduct and the Student Accessibility Services policies and procedures. These are not mitigated by medical condition or disability.

A student with a disability has the responsibility to follow published procedures for accessing auxiliary aids and services, to include:

• Self-disclosing his or her disability and communicate with the Accessibility Services representative about the functional limitations resulting from the disability.
• Providing documentation of his or her disability by the appropriate healthcare professional that meets the Board of Regents criteria (Appendix A). The documentation must logically support the requested accommodations.
• Contacting the Student Accessibility Services representative immediately when changes occur, when they experience problems, or when their accommodations are interrupted for any reason.

Students with disabilities are expected to take personal responsibility for their education at the university, such as:

• Obtaining assistance from other student services, such as academic advising, the library and the counseling center.
• Communicating regularly with instructors and following each syllabus.
• Personally delivering accommodation letters to course instructors, and renewing accommodations each semester.
• Staying informed about issues relevant to their education and their accommodations and services by checking their university assigned e-mail accounts for important information.