• Accommodations for Students
• Accommodations for Employees
• Accessibility for Buildings and Facilities
• Contacts

Curry College recognizes that people with disabilities can need assistance in order to enable them to engage in life equitably. The College aims to provide services to persons with disabilities which will result in the attainment of a quality experience while participating in all institutional events, and to ensure the services are delivered in a manner which incurs the least restriction of their human rights and dignities. To this end responsibilities for disability services have been designated in three areas.

Accommodations for Students

Objective:
Curry College is committed to (a) ensuring the provision of services necessary to enable students with disabilities to achieve their maximum potential as members of the College Community, (b) facilitating the integration of students with disabilities within our community and (c) promoting a positive image of persons with disabilities. All students with disabilities are invited to declare their disabilities to be eligible for reasonable accommodation.

Request Procedure:
Students should submit requests for accommodations to the Student Disabilities Officer. The Student Disabilities Officer will assist student with this process. The Reasonable Accommodation Form will be provided for this purpose. All students are advised to inform the College of their disabilities and special needs in a timely fashion in order for the College to respond appropriately.  The College advises new students to contact the Disability Services Coordinator in advance of matriculation, if they need to request accommodations or if they have any questions about this process.

Students who seek accommodation(s) will usually be required to provide documentary evidence of the disability and the functional limitations this involves. Medical practitioners, psychologists and / or other relevant professional may provide this evidence. The Disability Verification Form will be provided for this purpose.

When the request is complete, the Student Disabilities Officer, together with the College officials involved in providing the accommodation will meet to discuss our ability to provide the requested services. Every effort will be made to provide reasonable accommodation. However, law does not require an accommodation, which creates an undue hardship for the College.

The Student Disabilities Officer will notify students of all decisions made regarding their request for accommodation.

Students with diagnosed learning disabilities can also apply to participate in the Program for Advancement of Learning (PAL). PAL is the College's fee-based program designed to provide comprehensive, on-going assistance and support. Students in PAL meet regularly with a learning specialist to develop both their understanding of the learning process and academic strategies. Admission to PAL requires submission of diagnostic testing materials. For more information, contact the PAL Coordinator at ext. 2247.

Grievance Procedure:
Prior to initiating the formal complaint procedure set down below, it is recommended that the student make every attempt to resolve the issue in an informal manner.  The Student Disabilities Officer is available to assist.

Student Responsibilities
1.  The student should discuss his/her problems with the instructor of the course or appropriate department representative (i.e. housing, library, etc.) directly, unless extenuating circumstances prohibits doing so.

2.  If a conversation with the course instructor, department director, etc. does not settle the situation, the student should seek the assistance of the Student Disabilities Officer.

3.  If the problem still remains unresolved or if the problem involves a decision made by the Student 'Disabilities Officer, the student should file a formal grievance.

Formal Grievance Procedure
1.  The grievance must be filed in, in writing, with the Chairperson of the ADA subcommittee within 30 days of the alleged act of discrimination.  The statement must contain the grievant name, address, date and a description of the alleged act. 

2.  Time limits within this procedure may be extended by mutual agreement of the grievant and the President of the College or his/her designee, with the exception of the 30-day limit for filing of the initial grievance.

3.  Upon receipt of the complaint, the chairperson of the ADA committee will review the complaint for timeliness and appropriateness for this grievance procedure, and will provide the grievant with written notice acknowledging its receipt.

4.  The ADA committee will promptly initiate an investigation.

5.  Upon completion of the investigation, the Chairperson of the ADA subcommittee will submit to the student, and to the party against whom the grievance is directed, a final report containing a summary of the investigation and the outcome of the resolution. Every effort will be made to respond in a timely manner and all decisions will be submitted no later than 45 days of the initial filing.

The grievant or any party against whom the grievance or the proposed disposition is directed may appeal.  The appeal should be directed to the Dean of Students Affairs.  The Decision of the Dean of Student Affairs is final.

Accommodations for Employees

Objective:
Curry is committed to providing reasonable work place accommodations for employee/applicants with disabilities as provided under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Every full or part-time employee/applicant is invited to declare his/her disability to be eligible for reasonable accommodation. Student employees are included. The Human Resources Office will assist employees/applicants with this process. A detailed summary of the Accommodation Policy and related forms are available in the Human Resources Office.

Procedure:
The employee or applicant should notify human resources or their supervisor of his/her disability and the need for accommodation. Human Resources will provide Reasonable Accommodation Form and the Employee Disability Verification Form to be completed by the employee and their health care provider respectively. When these are returned to Human Resources, the Director, the employee's manager, and the appropriate Senior Staff member will meet to discuss the request and our ability to make the accommodation. A written response will be sent to the employee.

While Curry College will make every effort to accommodate legitimate and valid requests, an accommodation that creates an undue hardship for the College is not required by law.

In compliance with applicable laws and regulations, all documents pertaining to a disability request are placed in a confidential file and may be opened only by the employee or an appropriate HR representative on a documented and approved "as needed" basis.

Accessibility for Buildings and Facilities

The Director of Buildings and Grounds works with the Director of Human Resources and the Student Disabilities Officer to remove barriers for persons with disabilities.

The ADA Subcommittee, part of the Health and Safety Committee, meets monthly to review disability issues on campus. It is composed of volunteer members from across the institution (including staff, faculty and students). If you would like to bring ideas or concerns to this group, or would like to participate as a member, please contact the Director of Buildings and Grounds, the Director of Human Resources, or the Student Disabilities Officer, all of whom are members.

Contact

Director of Buildings and Grounds
(617)333-2228 

Human Resources Office
(617)333-2263
 
Student Disabilities Office
(617)333-2120 (V/TTY)