All students must be “otherwise qualified” to participate in any program of academic study with or without reasonable accommodations.  Students with disabilities are not excused from course prerequisites, GPA requirements, or degree requirements.  However, in some limited circumstances, when all other means of accommodation have been deemed inappropriate and/or exhausted, a course substitution may be appropriate.

          ODS makes considerations of course substitutions on a case-by-case basis and only after the student makes a specific request for this accommodation.  Course substitutions are made only when it is clear that the student's disability makes completion of the requirement impossible and that the course requested for substitution is not an essential component of the academic program and, thus, the substitution does not alter the integrity of the academic program. 

          Students must submit documentation and other evidence of a disability that affects the skills needed for the course requested for substitution to ODS.  ODS will determine whether the request is reasonable based on the student’s disability and supporting documentation on file at ODS.  If a student’s documentation is insufficient to establish a clear need for the requested course substitution, the course substitution will not be granted.  ODS will consider course adaptation or accommodation before recommending a course substitution.  The Dean of the student’s college gives final approval to any course substitution recommended by ODS.

          For example, a student requesting course substitutions for the foreign language requirement needs to provide a history of foreign language study and/or accommodation, a recent comprehensive psycho-educational test report, and a foreign language aptitude test, such as the Modern Language Aptitude Test (MLAT), with evidence indicating a significant language learning disability.  If the substitution request is denied, and a student subsequently provides additional relevant documentation, the course substitution request may be reconsidered.

          If ODS determines that the requested foreign language course substitution is reasonable, ODS will then send a letter of  consideration to the appropriate academic dean’s office.  The academic dean will determine whether the course requested for substitution is an essential component of the academic program of the student and give final approval.  If the foreign language course is determined not essential, the course substitution will be granted and the academic dean will work with the student to determine which course or courses may be used as substitutions.