Carthage College is committed to ensuring that otherwise qualified students with disabilities have access to full participation in its courses, programs, services, and activities.

The College is guided by Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, as amended. Students with disabilities are entitled to reasonable accommodations according to their needs and documentation of their disabilities.

What is Learning Accessibility Services?

Learning Accessibility Services (LAS) is a department that works with any student who has a documented disability and their instructors to create a plan for appropriate accommodations and support resources. All services are free of charge. If you would like to discuss accommodations and how the process works at Carthage, please contact us so we can set up a time to meet in person or virtually.

Procedure for Requesting/Receiving Accommodations at Carthage 

1. Students must register with Learning Accessibility Services (LAS) and provide current documentation of a disability from an appropriate professional. This should occur as soon as possible after enrolling at Carthage College.

2. Students meet with LAS to discuss requested accommodations and those are included on their Instructor Accommodations Form. Their Instructor Accommodations Form is emailed to them and they are responsible for sharing the form with their instructors prior to the start of the semester.

3. Instructors are responsible for implementing assigned accommodations and seeking guidance from LAS if they have questions. Students should inform their instructors a few days prior to test dates if they plan to use the Testing Center. If there is a problem with an accommodation, the student should discuss the problem with the instructor and/or LAS so that a resolution can be achieved.

4. If a student is unable to resolve a problem related to accommodations with the support of LAS, the student and LAS should consult with the department head and, if necessary, the division head. If these steps do not lead to resolution of the problem, LAS and the student will bring the matter to the Office of the Provost.

Contact

Warren Wolchuk
Director of Learning Accessibility Services
Hedberg Library
262-551-5802
wwolchuk@carthage.edu

ADA Compliance: Laws and Regulations

The American with Disabilities Act of 1990, as amended, upholds and extends the standards for compliance set forth in Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 to employment practices and communications, and policies, procedures, and practices that impact the treatment of students with disabilities. It prohibits discrimination for qualified individuals on the basis of disability.

Under federal law, a person with a disability is any person who:

  • Has a physical or mental impairment
  • Has a record of such an impairment
  • Is regarded as having such an impairment

To meet the definition of a disability, a person’s impairment must substantially limit one or more major life activities such as self-care, walking, seeing, hearing, speaking, breathing or learning.

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability against people in programs or activities receiving or benefiting from federal financial assistance. Accordingly, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 states: “No otherwise qualified disabled individual in the United States shall solely by reason of his or her disability, be excluded from the participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.”

Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 is a rule that updates accessibility requirements for information and communication technology in the federal sector.

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines cover recommendations for making web content more accessible to a wide range of people with disabilities and more usable in general. The Office of Communications at Carthage College is committed to providing a website that is accessible to the widest possible audience. The College has adopted the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.0) as the reference framework for online content development and delivery. If you have concerns about website accessibility please contact the Office of Marketing and Communications at communications@carthage.edu.