Disability Services
Maryville University is committed to providing equal educational access for all of its students by ensuring that students with disabilities receive reasonable accommodations that support effective participation in all aspects of the educational experience.
The University strives to remove barriers for individuals with disabilities in accordance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act (ADAAA) of 2008. Under these laws, a person has a disability if he/she:
- has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more of the major life activities (such as walking, standing, seeing, speaking, hearing, sitting, breathing, reading, learning, performing manual tasks, caring for oneself);
- has a record or history of such impairment; or
- is regarded as having such impairment.
The degree to which a disability imposes a functional limitation on the student’s ability to perform a major life activity is a significant determining factor in establishing the need for accommodations.
Reasonable accommodations for students with disabilities are supported and arranged through the Division of Student Success, which provides multiple resources including:
- Classroom Accommodations
- Academic Support Resources
- Assistive Technology
- Workshops and Training Opportunities
Students bear the responsibility for disclosure of a disability and the request for reasonable accommodations. Students with documented disabilities are encouraged to contact the Director of Disability Services and Success at the earliest opportunity and must do so in order for the University to officially consider the need for reasonable accommodations.
The process for determining accommodations is interactive and individualized. The following components will be used to identify reasonable accommodations:
- A one-on-one meeting with the student to discuss his/her academic, professional, and personal experiences relating to his/her disability
- Documentation, as needed, from a licensed diagnosing professional (e.g., psychologist, physician, psychiatrist, etc.)
- Observations made during interactions with the student
Documentation submitted in support of accommodations must:
- Be typed on official letterhead and include the signature of a qualified professional
- State the most recent date of evaluation
- Include a specific diagnosis consistent with the student’s self-report
- Provide recommendations regarding academic accommodations
Some students benefit from using one or more of the following academic accommodations:
- Time-and-a-half for written, in-class exams
- Test environment with limited distractions for written exams
- Class notes
- Recorded lectures
- Computer access for essay exams
- Scribe for exams
- Reader for exams
- Electronic versions of textbooks
- Usage of assistive technology (e.g., Dragon Naturally Speaking, ZoomText, Read & Write Gold, JAWS)
Each individual receiving a reasonable accommodation is encouraged to maintain close contact with the Director of Disability Services and Success as well as his/her instructors. Additionally, the individual is encouraged to provide feedback as to the effectiveness of accommodations provided.
If you are interested in receiving accommodations for a documented disability, please make an appointment with Student Accessibility Support and Success, by calling 314-529-2884, or emailing disabilitysupport@ibura.net, or stopping by the first floor of the University Library. All inquiries about the availability of disability-related accommodations and services are confidential.
Maryville University’s disability services policy