The College of the Marshall Islands shall ensure that qualified individuals with disabilities have full and equitable access to the same educational experiences as those without disabilities. It will achieve this by providing reasonable accommodations for students with disabilities, encouraging the use of principles of universal design, and ensuring individuals with disabilities are not discriminated against in admission to the college or other college processes.
Procedures
Information about applying for accommodations should be included in the letter of acceptance given to students admitted to CMI as well as on the college website.
The Request for Accommodations Form may be submitted at any time to the front desk personnel in Student Services, to a Center Coordinator or Campus Director, or by email to the Associate Dean for Equity and Engagement but should ideally be submitted six weeks before the start of the semester for which accommodations are initially requested.
Students or applicants who need assistance with the Request for Accommodations Form may request it via the Student Services front desk or the Student Advocates.
Once the form is received, it will be added to the student record and the Associate Dean for Equity and Engagement will be notified.
The Associate Dean for Equity and Engagement, Associate Dean for Learning Support, and Associate Dean for Instructional Quality and Innovation will meet at least one month prior to each semester to review Request for Accommodations Forms that have been received.
At this meeting, the associate deans will review the requested accommodation and develop a recommendation for which accommodations the college can provide. They should also determine which of the associate deans will serve as the primary point of contact for the student. This should typically be the associate dean whose area of responsibility most closely matches the areas in which accommodations are required. The primary point of contact can assist the student in discussing their accommodations with faculty and will coordinate any accommodations involving other departments or personnel.
If the accommodations require additional college resources, the associate dean serving as the primary point of contact should discuss these needs with their supervisor, who may also call on other departments or personnel as needed. Accommodations that require additional college resources must be approved by a dean.
If the student has not provided documentation, any accommodations must also be approved by the Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs.
Once the Approved Accommodations Form has all needed approvals, it should be uploaded to the student record and emailed to the student. The student should provide the form to their instructors each semester and discuss their requested accommodations.
Once accommodations have been approved, students do not need to reapply unless they would like to request additional accommodations, the documentation initially provided has indicated an expected end date for the impairment that has passed, or they have been required to apply for readmission. However, the students should notify their primary point of contact that they intend to register for each semester that follows.
All personnel should consider ways to implement universal design in processes, practices, and spaces. Personnel with responsibility for professional development should include training in universal design, especially for faculty and others in student-facing roles.
