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POLICY AND PROCEDURES FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES AT THE BOSTON CONSERVATORY
Introduction
It is the policy and practice of The Boston Conservatory to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, other federal mandates, and state and local requirements regarding individuals with disabilities. Under these laws, no qualified individual with a disability shall be denied access to, or participation in, the services, programs and activities at The Boston Conservatory. Students with disabilities are protected under these laws and may request reasonable accommodations for their disabilities. Reasonable accommodations are determined on an individual basis and made available to the extent that it meets the student's needs and does not compromise the academic integrity of the Conservatory program.
The Boston Conservatory offers advocacy and support services that help eliminate the competitive disadvantages created by a disability. To receive services, a student must voluntarily request to register his or her disability-related needs by contacting the
Wellness Coordinator
and also by providing recent diagnostic documentation of the disability (see below). This enables The Boston Conservatory to design services that meet the student's individual needs.
Physical Disabilities
A student with a physical disability is to provide current and comprehensive documentation verifying a disabling condition from a licensed health care professional who is qualified in the diagnosis of the disability. The diagnosis must: a) specify the medical diagnosis and include medical reports, relevant medical history and any other helpful medical records or data; b) describe in detail the functional limitation(s) created by the diagnosis; and c) describe the recommended accommodation(s).
The student is to present the verified documentation to the
Wellness Coordinator
prior to obtaining accommodations and services. The cost of obtaining the professional verification is the student's responsibility.
Verification Criteria for Students with Physical Disabilities
To verify the physical disability and its severity and to ensure the provision of reasonable and appropriate services, The Boston Conservatory requires a student to provide current and comprehensive documentation of the physical disability, its impact on the student's education, and recommended accommodations. To standardize the gathering of the information, we ask that the Student's Evaluator answer the following questions:
- Diagnosis.
- Date of diagnosis.
- Date of last clinical contact with student.
- Approximate duration of disorder.
- Severity of disorder.
- Procedures used to establish diagnosis.
- If student has previously been identified as disabled, describe the accommodations or services provided.
- Describe the student's functional limitations in an educational setting.
- Describe particular procedures used to assess these limitations.
- Provide specific recommendations for accommodations (based on your assessment, the student's clinical and academic history, and diagnosis).
- Provide any additional helpful information.
For further questions regarding the verification and documentation of physical disabilities, please contact the Wellness Coordinator, located in the Student Center in the lower level of 24 The Fenway. The phone number is (617) 912-9260 and the email address is wellness@bostonconservatory.edu.
Psychiatric/Psychological Disabilities
A student with a psychiatric/psychological disability is to provide current and comprehensive documentation verifying a disabling condition from a licensed health care professional who is qualified in the diagnosis of the disability. The diagnosis must: a) specify the medical diagnosis and include medical reports, relevant medical history and any other helpful medical records or data: b) describe in detail the functional limitation(s) created by the diagnosis; and c) describe the recommended accommodation(s).
The student is to present the verified documentation to the Vice President for Student Affairs/Dean of Students prior to obtaining accommodations and services. The cost of obtaining the professional verification is the student's responsibility.
Verification Criteria for Students with Psychiatric/Psychological Disabilities
To verify the psychiatric/psychological disability and its severity and to ensure the provision of reasonable and appropriate services, The Boston Conservatory requires current and comprehensive documentation of the disability, its impact on the student's education, and recommended accommodations. To standardize the gathering of information, we ask that the Student's Evaluator answer the following questions:
- DSM or ICD diagnosis (text and code).
- Date of diagnosis.
- Date of last clinical contact with student.
- Approximate duration and prognosis of disorder.
- Describe the student's functional limitations in an educational setting.
- Provide specific recommendations for accommodations (based on your assessment, the student's clinical and academic history, and diagnosis).
- Is student on medication? If so, provide medication history.
- Provide any additional helpful information.
- Student Evaluator information including: name and professional title, area of specialty, address, phone and fax numbers
For further questions regarding the verification and documentation of psychiatric/psychological disabilities, please contact the Wellness Coordinator, located in the Student Center in the lower level of 24 The Fenway. The phone number is (617) 912-9260 and the email address is wellness@bostonconservatory.edu.
Learning and Attentional Disabilities
Students are responsible for providing current documentation from a qualified professional trained in the diagnosis of learning or attentional disabilities that: a) supports the learning or attentional disability diagnosis; b) describes the functional limitations resulting from the learning or attentional disability; and c) makes recommendations for special accommodations. This information should be typed on professional letterhead and should include the licensing information of the learning disabilities specialist who made the diagnosis. The cost of obtaining the professional verification is the student's responsibility.
The diagnosis of a learning or attentional disability should be based on multiple forms of evidence (i.e., standardized test results, informal assessment results, observational data, historical data). Evidence should be precise, objective, valid and acceptable within the field. Conflicting data should be acknowledged and objectively weighed. Alternative explanations for lower than expected performance (e.g., motivation, lack of prior learning opportunities, low aptitude, or other disabilities) should be considered (and ruled out) when making the diagnosis of a learning or attentional disability.
Verification Criteria for Learning or Attentional Disabilities
To verify the learning or attentional disability and its severity and to ensure the provision of reasonable and appropriate services, The Boston Conservatory requires a student to provide current and comprehensive documentation of the disability, its impact on the student's education, and recommendations for accommodations. To standardize the gathering of information, we ask that the Student Evaluator answer the following questions:
- DSM or ICD diagnosis (text and code).
- Date of diagnosis.
- Date of last clinical contact with student.
- Approximate duration of disorder.
- Severity of disorder.
- Describe procedures used to establish diagnosis.
- Describe symptoms or test finds which support the diagnosis.
- If this student has previously been identified as disabled, describe the services provided.
- Describe the student's functional limitations in an educational setting and procedures used to assess limitations.
- Describe any discrepancies between aptitude and achievement.
- Describe procedures used to assess current level of aptitude and academic achievement.
- Provide specific recommendations for accommodations (based on assessment, student's clinical and academic history, and diagnosis).
- Is this student currently on medication? If so, provide medication history.
- Provide any additional helpful information.
- Student Evaluator information including: name and professional title, area of specialty, address, phone and fax numbers.
For further questions regarding the verification and documentation of learning or attentional disabilities, please contact the Wellness Coordinator, located in the Student Center in the lower level of 24 The Fenway. The phone number is (617) 912-9260 and the email address is wellness@bostonconservatory.edu.
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