Students with Disabilities
Accommodations For Students With Documented Disabilities
Church Divinity School of the Pacific strives for consistent and equitable student access to educational opportunities. In particular, it addresses a student’s ability to fulfill degree and certificate course and program requirements. The policy covers GTU library use, student advising, classroom activities and requirements, program exams, and capstone projects. Accommodations are not intended to give students with disabilities an unfair advantage, but to remove barriers that prevent students from learning and from demonstrating what they have learned in the context of their formal degree program.
The Associate Dean of Formation & Recruitment serves as the Disabilities Resource Officer (DRO).
Student Request: The student is responsible for fully participating in the process and exercising due diligence to ensure that the provision of accommodations is successfully accomplished. The student who wishes to request accommodations with their academic work submits the request form available on the CDSP Brightspace Student Commons page. The student needs to include official written documentation with the form from a professional who has the credentials and expertise to diagnosis the student’s condition (form available on Brightspace). The student is responsible for incurring any cost associated with the documentation.
The Timing of a Student Request: When feasible, the student should request accommodations prior to the beginning of the quarter, well in advance of when the accommodation is needed. After the beginning of the quarter, requests with new diagnoses and documentation should be brought to the attention of the DRO as soon as possible. The student needs to factor in the amount of time required to secure written documentation from an appropriate professional. It can take time for the review process and verification and recommended accommodations.
Students eligible for academic accommodations will normally have their request reviewed and, if appropriate, approved as soon as possible after submitting the request.
Decision: The DRO will finalize accommodation options in the context of institutional resources and culture and to assure consistency and equity. An accommodation is not “reasonable” if it will necessitate modifications of the essential nature of a program or activity or would place undue financial or administrative burdens on the institution.
The DRO conveys the official decision and, if appropriate, recommended accommodations to the student by email, who then uses written confirmation to work with appropriate staff and faculty on the implementation of accommodations. The DRO also sends a communication to the faculty on the list of enrolled courses the student provides. This list needs to be provided each quarter accommodations are needed.
Implementation: Accommodations will apply to all educational events described in the DRO’s email for up to four years. Students should present the DRO’s email to faculty and staff to arrange accommodations as needed.
Appeal: The student and/or faculty involved with the student may not agree with the DRO’s decision for accommodations. If a faculty member disagrees with and/or refuses to provide the recommended accommodations, the DRO and institutional contact should work with the faculty member to resolve her/his concerns. The DRO can consult with the Dean of Academic Affairs and select faculty as deemed necessary by the Dean of Academic Affairs. If a resolution is impossible, the student can seek remedy from the faculty member’s school’s academic grievance policy.
