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Student Accessibility & Accommodations provides accommodations for all aspects of a students academic experience. This includes academic, clinical/fieldwork, meal plans and housing.

• Housing accommodations: It is our goal to ensure all students are provided the opportunity to participate fully in the residential experience at St. °µÍø½ûÇø. Students requesting disability accommodations for the residence hall will work with Student Accessibility and Accommodations staff. Request forms and verification forms should be directed to the Student Accessibility and Accommodations office. Student Accessibility and Accommodations staff will then partner with Residence Life to find the best housing solutions for each student.
• Emotional Support Animals (ESA): ESA’s have a unique process at St. Kate’s. In order to be approved for an ESA you must complete both the student statement, and have a medical provider complete the medical verification form along with applicable vet records and licensures (dogs only). Then you must meet with an Access consultant from the SA&A office to participate in the interactive process. Finally, after it is deemed appropriate your information will be passed onto our ESA committee (campus partners, including a representative from the SA&A office) that will either approve or deny the request. Please note that the ESA committee only meets once a semester. In some cases, your ESA animal may be denied. This is typically due to animals posing public safety concerns (i.e. reptiles can post a public safety concern due to carrying salmonella), or due to size (i.e. Great Dane does not fit in the space available in the dorm room), in this case please know that your animal is denied, not you. This means that you are welcome to apply with a different animal that is conducive to the space and safe for the community.

Documents:

1. : This is for you to fill out and return it to Student Accessibility and Accommodations. We cannot guarantee preferred space outside of these deadlines. This is the first step in requesting residence hall accommodations.
2. : This is for your medical provider to fill out. When a student’s disability and/or requested accommodation is not readily apparent, verification from a reliable third-party (e.g., physician, psychologist, or other medical professional) must be provided.

• Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (1990): Students with disabilities have the right to reasonable accommodation in the academic setting. 
  • Reasonableness is determined by a multitude of factors, including but not limited to: meeting course learning objectives, administrative time, and ensuring access to applicable course materials. 
• Ableism: discrimination in favor of or minded people. This is not always outright apparent, and sometimes is shown by someone being pitied for their disability, or viewed as a hero for existing with a disability.
• Privacy, Grievance and Conduct Policy (same as website) with additional subtext
  • Your disability is private, the SA&A office is the only space on campus that you must disclose to in order to receive accommodations. This means that your accommodations will not disclose this information, nor are you required to disclose to faculty or staff outside of the SA&A office. 
  • If a student feels that their accommodations are not being upheld by their instructor(s) or are otherwise being compromised their first step is to get in touch with the SA&A office. Our staff take each situation seriously and on a case by case manner.  Our staff will ask to meet with you in order to gather further information and support the appropriate next steps. This may include, but is not limited to:
    • Supporting the further understanding of accommodations to either the faculty or student.
    • Supporting the faculty member in how to implement approved accommodations through email, phone, or consultation.
    • Referring students to other policies and procedures that the university has to offer, such as a formal grievance. 
• University-wide policies and procedures:
  • If a student has a concern regarding their disability accommodations, they are welcome to direct their concerns to the Director of Student Accessibility & Accommodations office.  If the concern is regarding the Director, then concerns should be brought to the Associate Provost of Student Affairs.  
    • For concerns that involve issues of bias or discrimination, students may use the University’s centralized reporting center. The purpose of this reporting center is to provide students with an efficient avenue to report concerns and incidents that may arise regarding: Title IX, acts of bias, discrimination or bullying, conduct violation, concern for others or oneself, and/or academic grievances. Students may access the center here.
• All students, including students with disabilities, are subject to the St. °µÍø½ûÇø Code of Conduct. The Code of Conduct is in and applies to all University environments

SA&A accommodation specific policies and procedures:

• Remote attendance policy: Please note that long term remote attendance is not an accommodation that the SA&A office can provide. We are happy to support communication and coordination needs, however cannot guarantee or implement long term remote access.

Introduction

Emily Medcalf collaborated with the Student Accessibility and Accommodations Office Summer of 2023 for her Doctor of Occupational Therapy Doctoral Capstone project. Occupational Therapy (OT) is a profession that focuses on enhancing participation in everyday living. Emily developed a pilot program for students at St. Kate’s incorporating elements of OT. As this pilot program was initially only intended for a small group of students, Emily wanted to provide a modified version of her program to reach more students who may benefit from the education and application of skills related to time management, study skills, and mindfulness. The series of videos will be most effective if watched in order and one every consecutive week for the purpose of goal setting. However, you may watch individual sessions as you please. We hope these sessions can provide support, and the hope is to provide similar programs to students in the near future.

• is a tool that allows students to listen to web based, or digital content. You may access the chrome extension or download the necessary software to your computer for PDF’s as wanted. Students can use this with their St. Kate's login information.
• Glean is a note taking software that allows students to audio record lectures. Student’s do need a formal accommodation approval from the SA&A office in order to gain access to the software. Please note that this is for individual and educational purposes only, the sharing of recordings is prohibited. Here are some resources to get started or explore Glean: 
  •  

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  • Free website that breaks down tasks into steps for you!
• • Free tool that connects to existing accessibility features to create a more seamless experience 
• Available accessibility features broken down by device:
  • Microsoft:
  • Apple:
  • Android:
  • Chromebook:

Other campus resources

• Tutoring & Learning Center
• Counseling
  • St. Kate's 24/7/365 Crisis Counseling line (in partnership with ProtoCall): dial 651-690-6805 and press 1 at the prompt
• Health and Wellness
  • Please note that we do have a psychiatric nurse available to support medication needs.
• Accessible tours are available for those with mobility differences or for those in need. Please contact SA&A to set up an appointment.

Get involved

• Disability Identity Group (student club): disabilityidgroup@stkate.edu
• Special Olympics Club (student club): specialolympicsclub@stkate.edu

University Charges

• SA&A leads an Accessibility Committee, which consists of staff and faculty across campus that are a member of one or more of the following subcommittee’s: Student, Faculty, UDL/technology, Physical spaces and policy development. The goal is to create a more accessible environment for all, and cultivate an inclusive culture on St. Kate’s campus.
  • Some items the committee has implemented: adding visibility to grievance forms, sending faculty information regarding accessible technology SA&A provides, creating programming for students etc.
• Physical accessibility is an important component to our campus. As a campus with many historical buildings the facilities team is constantly making changes to support a more accessible campus climate. In order to see those changes please visit the facilities webpage.