Accessibility Services

In alignment with our college mission of scholarship, participation, and service, McPherson College strives to create an inclusive learning environment that provides equal access to all students. Working in collaboration with students, faculty, and staff, Accessibility Services provides reasonable accommodation to students with a variety of needs. To request accommodation, please contact Jamie Pjesky at [email protected]  or (620) 242-0592.

ADA and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act

The Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 ensures that agencies that offer federal financial assistance do not subject individuals with physical and mental disabilities to exclusion, segregation, or unequal treatment. By complying with ADA and Section 504, the college meets basic nondiscrimination requirements, meaning it provides access or alternatives for access to facilities; makes reasonable modifications to policies, practices, and procedures as necessary; and communicates effectively with people with hearing, vision, or speech disabilities.

Step 1: Contact the Student Success Office

If you need accommodations, please contact the Jamie Pjesky at [email protected]  or (620) 242-0592 to schedule an appointment prior to the start of each semester. It is the responsibility of the student to make the request. If a student does not request services, services will not be provided. Although it is helpful for all students needing accommodation to meet with the Coordinator of Student Success as soon as possible, accommodations requests can be accepted at any time. Students should make accommodation requests to Jamie Pjesky at [email protected]  or (620) 242-0592 rather than making them directly to faculty members who are teaching their classes.

Step 2: Provide documentation

Several different forms of documentation can be used to establish accommodations, and the extent of documentation required may vary depending on the claimed disability and requested accommodations. Documentation is requested to help clarify the nature of disability and provide insight into the ways the learning environment may impact disability. This documentation is used to supplement information gathered in the initial student interview and in the assessment by our staff. Additional documentation may be requested as deemed necessary to adequately meet the needs of each student and maintain a standard of reasonable accommodation. In some cases (but not in others), recent evaluations or final IEP evaluations can aid our staff in ensuring that you receive the best possible accommodation.

Step 3: Establish Reasonable Accommodations

Once you have provided documentation, you will meet with the Coordinator of Student Success. During the meeting, reasonable and appropriate accommodations will be agreed to. Reasonable accommodations are decided on a case-by-case basis through an interactive process between the institution and student. While every effort is made to provide needed support, accommodations generally do not:

• substantially alter educational standards.

• fundamentally alter the nature of the program, course, service, activity, or policy/practice as written and applied;
• allow access to a program when a student is not otherwise qualified (with or without accommodations) to meet the academic and technical standards required for admission or participation in an education program, course, service and/or activity;
• cause undue financial or administrative hardship (college-wide);
• be of personal service in nature (personal aid);
• pose a direct threat to the health or safety of the student with a disability or others as a result of accommodation implementation.

Not all requests for accommodations will be granted. Temporary accommodations may be provided while the college works through the interactive process to assess whether ongoing accommodations are appropriate and, if so, which specific accommodations are needed. It is important to note that temporary accommodations do not indicate that ongoing accommodations will be granted or that any particular accommodations are suitable. Additionally, providing temporary accommodations does not create an obligation for the college to continue offering accommodations in the future.

Common accommodations

• Extended time on in classroom exams
• A quiet, distraction-reduced testing environment
• Course PowerPoints and notes
• Books in an alternate format when available
• Preferential seating
• Use of assistive technologies
• Use of service animal

Grievance Procedure

Grievances concerning accommodation and appeal (if accommodation has been denied) can be filed with Jamie Pjesky at [email protected]  or (620) 242-0592. If grievances cannot be mediated through these means, they can be filed with the VP of Academic Affairs.