Campus Community Policies

2.2.4 Reasonable Accommodations for Disabled Persons

The University of San Diego is committed to the fair and equal treatment of individuals with disabilities. To that end, the university will make reasonable accommodations for disabled persons in a manner consistent with federal and state laws.

Students With Disabilities

The University of San Diego provides reasonable and appropriate accommodations and services for qualified enrolled students with disabilities in a manner consistent with applicable law. All enrolled students who believe they have a current need for accommodations due to a disability must request accommodations and provide qualifying documentation to the university’s Office of Disability Services before any accommodation can be implemented.

An accommodation is intended to reduce or to eliminate any disadvantages that may exist because of an individual’s disability. However, the university is not required to change the fundamental nature or essential curricular components of its programs to accommodate students with disabilities. The university is not required to waive specific courses or academic requirements considered essential to a particular degree or program, or to alter course content, assignments, tests or other items when the alteration would interfere with the essential nature or required elements of a course.

To be eligible to receive an accommodation for a disability, a student first must self-identify the disability to the Office of Disability Services. The student also must present appropriate verification of the disability from a qualified physician, psychiatrist, psychologist, learning disability specialist, or other licensed health care professional. The documentation must be recent, indicate the student’s current level of functioning, and demonstrate that the student is substantially limited in one or more major life activities. The type of documentation that must be submitted may depend on the nature of the disability.

Once a determination is made that a student is eligible to receive an accommodation for a disability, the Office of Disability Services will interact with the student to determine reasonable and appropriate accommodations. Reasonable and appropriate accommodations will be determined on a case-by-case basis. A faculty member or university official may be consulted as appropriate to determine reasonable and appropriate accommodations for the student in a particular class or with respect to a particular university service or program.

A faculty member should not provide a disability accommodation to a student without receiving written notification from the Office of Disability Services of an accommodation to be provided to the student.

For more information about eligibility requirements, required documentation, accommodations, and other applicable procedures, please contact the university’s Office of Disability Services.

Employees With Disabilities

The university will make reasonable accommodations for the known physical or mental disability of a qualified applicant or employee so that the individual can perform the essential functions of the position, unless the accommodation would produce an undue hardship to the university. A reasonable accommodation will be determined as appropriate under the circumstances.

The university will engage in a timely, good faith, interactive process with the employee or applicant to determine effective reasonable accommodations, if any, in response to a request for reasonable accommodations by an employee or applicant with a known physical or mental disability or known medical condition, in accordance with applicable law. An individual’s preference for a particular accommodation will be given consideration. However, the university reserves the ability to select among equally effective accommodations and may choose the accommodation that is less expensive or easier to provide. The Human Resources Department, the supervisor and others who have a legitimate business reason to be involved may participate in determining effective reasonable accommodations.

An employee should notify his or her supervisor or the Human Resources Department of the need for reasonable accommodation. An applicant should notify the Human Resources Department of the need for a reasonable accommodation. A supervisor who receives a request for a reasonable accommodation should promptly notify the Human Resources Department and involve the Human Resources Department in discussions regarding reasonable accommodations for an employee or applicant. The employee or applicant is responsible for submitting appropriate medical documentation identifying his or her job limitations to the Human Resources Department. All medical documentation will be maintained in separate and confidential files. Only those with a business reason to know of the documentation will have access to those files.

The Human Resources Department will ensure that the employee or applicant is informed of decisions made regarding reasonable accommodations or, if appropriate under the circumstances, of a decision that reasonable accommodation cannot be made because it will present an undue hardship to the university.

(November 13, 2006)