Policy Statement
Emerson College is committed to providing students and employees (faculty and staff) with disabilities equal access to the College’s programs, services, and activities. The College provides reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act of 2008 (ADAAA), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Section 504) and all other applicable federal or state laws.
A person with a disability is defined as someone who has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more of that individual's major life activities. Major life activities may include (but are not limited to) caring for oneself, performing manual tasks, seeing, hearing, eating, sleeping, walking, standing, lifting, bending, speaking, breathing, learning, reading, concentrating, thinking, communicating and working. An individual with a disability may be entitled to reasonable academic, housing and/or employment accommodations meant to remove barriers to full access faced by that individual.
Students who need disability accommodations must request that accommodation through Student Accessibility Services (SAS). Faculty or Staff who need disability accommodations must request that accommodation through Human Resources (HR). Individuals who have not requested a disability accommodation and/or who have not registered with one of those offices cannot receive a reasonable accommodation for a disability. A disability accommodation request is not reasonable if it could fundamentally alter the nature of an academic course or if an employee cannot fulfill the essential functions of their position even with the accommodation. Accommodations also cannot present an undue financial and administrative burden or hardships on the College.
Discrimination against any Emerson community member (student, staff, faculty) who is disabled or who is perceived to have a disability is prohibited under Emerson’s Policy Against Discrimination, Harassment & Sexual Violence. Anyone with concerns regarding discrimination should contact the Office of Equal Opportunity oeo [at] emerson.edu ((oeo[at]emerson[dot]edu); 617-824-8999).
Accommodation Process for Students
Students with disabilities can request accommodations through Student Accessibility Services (SAS) (sas [at] emerson.edu (sas[at]emerson[dot]edu); 617-824-8592). There are different types of accommodations available depending on the needs of an individual, including those related to academics and housing. Students requesting disability accommodations will be required to share medical information relating to that disability with the College, which in some cases may include (but is not limited to) medical records and a release to speak with medical care providers. Emerson will protect and maintain the privacy and confidentiality of any medical information obtained in connection with the reasonable accommodation process. The decision to grant or deny a requested accommodation is made by SAS by engaging in the interactive process with the individual. More information on the process for requesting an accommodation can be found on the SAS website. If any Emerson employee (faculty or staff) outside of SAS receives a student accommodation request, they must refer that student to SAS.
Students with concerns about an accommodation request that was denied or an approved accommodation that was not properly implemented may be able to file a grievance with the Office of Equal Opportunity oeo [at] emerson.edu ((oeo[at]emerson[dot]edu); 617-824-8999). For more information, please refer to the Emerson Accommodation Grievance Process.
Accommodation Process for Faculty and Staff
Faculty and staff with disabilities can request accommodations through Human Resources (HR) (hr [at] emerson.edu (hr[at]emerson[dot]edu); 617-824-8580). Faculty or staff requesting disability accommodations will be required to share medical information relating to that disability with the College, which in some cases may include (but is not limited to) medical records and a release to speak with medical care providers. Emerson will protect and maintain the privacy and confidentiality of any medical information obtained in connection with the reasonable accommodation process. The decision to grant or deny a requested accommodation will be made by HR and the employee’s supervisor by engaging in the interactive process with the individual. For more information about the employee accommodation process, please visit HR Reasonable Accommodation website. A Dean, Department Chair, or any other supervisor who receives an employee request for an accommodation must refer that individual to HR.
Employees with concerns about an accommodation request that was denied or an approved accommodation that was not properly implemented may be able to file a grievance with the Office of Equal Opportunity (oeo [at] emerson.edu (oeo[at]emerson[dot]edu); 617-824-8999). For more information, please refer to the Emerson Accommodation Grievance Process.