Office of Disability Services
Course Substitutions/Waivers
Policy
Students with disabilities are expected to complete all academic requirements necessary for graduation from Appalachian State University. In addition to courses required for a major, all students must meet specific requirements under the University's Core Curriculum.
Students entitled to protection under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Section 504, may make written requests for course substitutions and/or waivers if the student's disability substantially limits the successful completion of a "required" course.
Procedure
1. The student making a request for a course substitution or waiver must be (i.) registered with the ODS and entitled to the protections of the ADA and/or Section 504 of the 1973 Rehabilitation Act and (ii.) impacted in a significant way as to the student’s ability (or lack thereof) to satisfy the academic requirement at issue.
A. The Director for the ODS is the person designated to receive documentation of a disability and to make a preliminary eligibility determination.
B. A committee composed of the Director of ODS, Compliance Officer, Department Chair, College Dean, Course Professor, and any other professional deemed appropriate to the committee, will make and document a determination that:
1. The student does not have a “disability” as legally defined and is thus not eligible for modifications to the academic program; or,
2. The student has a disability that is “not substantially limiting” as it relates to the student’s ability to learn the course content in question, and the student is thus not eligible for modifications to the academic program; or,
3. The student has a disability that substantially limits the student’s ability to learn the course content, and the student is thus eligible for modifications to her or his academic program.
C. If the committee makes determination #3, the procedure will continue. If the committee makes determination #1 or #2, a course substitution or waiver will be denied.
2. Once a determination has been made that the student has a disability that will substantially limit her or his ability to learn in a particular course, the committee will:
A. Determine the purpose of the course requirement at issue within the degree requirements for the student’s major. Specifically, the committee will:
1. Determine what skills and/or knowledge students are expected to gain through completion of the requirement;
2. Determine whether the course is a non-waivable prerequisite for licensing in the field for which the student seeks her or his degree;
3. Consider whether there are courses within the relevant department(s) or disciplines with requirements and goals that might approximate or be substituted for those of the course at issue.
a. If the committee identifies one or more potential substitute courses, the committee should determine, for each such potential substitute course, whether the student’s disability is “not substantially limiting” as it relates to the student’s ability to learn the course content in question.
b. Any potential substitute course in which the student’s disability is substantially limiting as it relates to the student’s ability to learn the course content will not constitute a viable substitute for the original course.
B. After the relevant considerations and alternatives have been examined, the committee must make a judgment about whether another available course could be substituted without fundamentally altering the program of study, including—if applicable—prerequisites for licensure.
C. If, after engaging in the deliberative process, the committee concludes that there is no reasonable substitute for the required course, and that the elimination of the requirement would result in a fundamental alteration of the program of study, neither the ADA nor Section 504 requires that the University make a substitution or waive the course.
D. If the committee decides that a reasonable substitute does exist, the opportunity to take the substitute class shall be extended to the student.
E. If the student agrees to accept and enroll in an offered substitute class, the matter shall be closed.
F. If the student declines to enroll in an offered substitute class, the student shall be asked to identify one or more alternative solutions that have not been previously considered by the committee and that do not fundamentally alter the program of study, including—if applicable—prerequisites for licensure.
G. If the student fails to identify an alternative solution that does not fundamentally alter the program of study, the matter shall be closed. The Director for the ODS shall provide written notice of such closure to the student.
H. If the student identifies an alternative solution that was not previously considered by the committee and the committee agrees the alternative solution does not fundamentally alter the program of study, the negotiations to resolve the matter are at an end and the matter shall be closed. The Director for the ODS shall provide written notice of such closure to the student.
I. If the committee determines that the student’s alternative solution fundamentally alters the program of study, the negotiations to resolve the matter are at an end and the matter shall be closed. The Director for the ODS shall provide written notice of such closure to the student.
J. The student shall be advised that she or he may appeal an adverse decision by the committee to the Provost, whose decision shall be final. Any such appeal shall be in writing and must be submitted to the Provost within twenty (20) calendar days from the date the student receives notice of the adverse decision.
K. The deliberative process shall be well documented. All parties involved will be properly notified, in writing, of the resulting decision(s).
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