USI 701–12: Laboratory Accommodations for Students with Disabilities

To assist faculty and staff in providing reasonable accommodations to qualified students with disabilities

The Rehabilitation Act of 1973, 29 United States Code § 701–796

Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), 42 United States Code § 12101 et seq.

Disability Resource Center

ASU provides federally mandated laboratory accommodations, including laboratory aides and specialized adaptive equipment, for qualified students with disabilities. To qualify, students must provide required documentation to the Disability Resource Center (DRC) that clearly supports the need for laboratory accommodations.

ASU provides federally mandated laboratory accommodations, including laboratory aides and specialized adaptive equipment, for qualified students with disabilities. To qualify, students must provide required documentation to the Disability Resource Center (DRC) that clearly supports the need for laboratory accommodations.

Continuing ASU students must enroll within three days of their priority enrollment appointment to ensure accommodations from the first day of class. Students requesting these accommodations must also notify their instructors and the DRC about their accommodation needs within 10 days following their priority enrollment appointment. If a student fails to follow this policy, DRC will make every effort to accommodate as close to the first day of class as possible.

New ASU students enroll for classes at an ASU orientation session. Therefore, new ASU students should attend an orientation session as early as possible upon admission to the university. To facilitate the availability of accommodations as close as possible to the first day of class, new ASU students should notify their instructor and the DRC immediately about their accommodation needs and no later than 10 days after enrollment in classes. The departments supporting the laboratory and/or offering the course or activity are obligated to provide accommodations in a timely manner.

Qualified laboratory aides may provide assistance in completing in-class laboratory assignments as directed by the student, but they are not a source of information for the student. The laboratory aide is an employee of the DRC and, therefore, subject to recruitment, policies, procedures, and evaluations determined by the DRC. Therefore, it will take a minimum of two weeks from the time the DRC is notified of the request to evaluate the need for, recruit, interview, hire, and train a laboratory aide.

The DRC suggests that faculty announce, on the first day of class each semester, their willingness to make any necessary accommodations for students with disabilities, and their availability to discuss any student requests during posted office hours.

See the DRC Web site for detailed information and procedures for accessing services and accommodations available for qualified students at specific ASU campuses and sites.

Qualified Laboratory Aide

A person who has adequate knowledge and physical ability to follow and implement the student’s directives for the required lab.

For further information, see:

1. USI 701–02, “Eligibility for Accommodations—Required Disability Documentation”
2. USI 701–03, “Priority Enrollment for Students with Disabilities”

   and

3. USI 701–11, “Adaptive Equipment Checkout for Eligible Students with Disabilities.”