SERVICES FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES
Francis Marion University is committed to making programs and activities available
to qualified students with disabilities. Francis Marion University makes efforts
to ensure that the university grounds, major buildings, and classes are accessible
to individuals with disabilities.
Services for students with disabilities include but may not be limited to:
- Permits for reserved parking;
- Reserved parking spaces in all major parking lots;
- Coordination of academic accommodations for students with documented physical,
educational, psychological, or other disabilities.
The Director of Counseling and Testing coordinates services for students with
disabilities, assists students with disabilities in determining reasonable accommodations
on the basis of disability, and acts as a liaison between students and faculty/administration
on concerns relating to appropriate accommodations for students with disabilities.
The Director of Counseling and Testing is also available to meet with prospective
students to discuss services available at Francis Marion University.
Reasonable accommodations are available for students with physical and learning
disabilities. Appropriate documentation of each disability is required in the
form of psychological evaluations and/or medical histories and should be provided
to the Office of Counseling and Testing at least two weeks prior to initial
registration of classes. The following services are provided to the groups of
students with disabilities listed below:
SERVICES AVAILABLE:
Learning Disabled/ADD/ADHD The University attempts to make reasonable
accommodations for students with learning disabilities, ADD, or ADHD to help
equalize their chance for success. The following are examples of accommodations
that may be granted to students with such disabilities:
- extended time for examinations
- use of tape recorder in classroom
- extended time for in-class or short-term writing assignments
- notetakers
- readers
- alternate forms of tests
- priority registration
It is the student's responsibility to inform the Director of Counseling and
Testing of any need for services in adequate time to allow for their arrangement.
The types of accommodations a student is eligible to receive, on the basis
of a learning disability, are determined on a case-by-case basis by the student
and the Director of Counseling and Testing. Accommodations are based on the
information contained in appropriate documentation (preferably, up-to-date psycho-educational
evaluation not more than three years old), which the student is responsible
for providing. A Consent for the Release of Confidential Information must be
signed by students to present or have sent to each professor at the outset of
a semester to inform professors of the accommodation(s) the students may require.
It is also necessary that the student and/or the Director of Counseling and
Testing discuss with each professor how the student will receive the accommodation(s)
for which they may qualify.
Although the University is committed to providing academic accommodations to
students with learning disabilities, there is no specific program for students
with learning disabilities at the University. Students with learning disabilities
may find, however, that the support services available to the general student
population are also useful to them. Tutorial services, the Writing Center, Mathematics
Lab, Peer Tutoring Laboratories, Career Development, Academic Advising and Retention,
and the Office of Counseling and Testing are some of the support services students
with learning disabilities students may find to be particularly helpful.
Visually Impaired Services available for visually impaired students
include:
- arrangements for taped books
- arrangements for oral examinations
- notetakers
- provision of readers for examinations
- priority registration
It is the student's responsibility to inform the Director of Counseling and
Testing of any need for services in adequate time to allow for their arrangement.
Visually impaired students may wish to contact the Director of Counseling and
Testing to arrange for a tour of the campus, including building locations, classroom
locations, and pathways.
Hearing Impaired Services available for the hearing impaired
include:
- interpreters
- notetakers
- priority registration
It is the student's responsibility to inform the Director of Counseling and
Testing of any need for services in adequate time to allow for their arrangement.
Physically Disabled Services available to students with physical
disabilities include:
- notetakers
- campus tours to determine the most accessible routes
- priority registration
- assistance in obtaining a reserved parking permit
- specially designed desks and chairs
The majority of the campus is accessible to the physically disabled. Accessible
routes are identified on the map in the Handbook for Students with Disabilities.
Due Process When a student with a disability strongly feels that
reasonable accommodations have not been made, that student should seek resolution
within the administrative channels for the area in which accommodation is in
question. The student should first contact the Director of Counseling and Testing
if he or she is unhappy with his or her accommodations. If a satisfactory outcome
is not attained, the student may request a meeting with the Vice President of
Administration, who is also the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Coordinator,
for recommendations towards a solution of the matter.
It is the policy of Francis Marion University to provide equal educational
and employment opportunity to all present and future employees and students
regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, or disability.
Francis Marion University is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer.
For Additional Information Students needing more information
should contact the Director of Counseling and Testing at the address below.
If there is a need for special assistance, it is the student's responsibility
to inform the Director of Counseling and Testing in sufficient time (at least
two weeks in advance of the start of classes) to allow for the arrangement of
services. Prospective students should feel free to contact the Director of Counseling
and Testing to discuss services available at the University. Additional information
is available in the Handbook for Students with Disabilities available from the
Director of Counseling and Testing, 121 Evander Street, Florence, SC 29506,
843-673-9707.
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