Student Accessibility and Accommodations

Mariah Lossing, Director
Alyssa Klenotich, M.S., Assistant Director
Gabby Morse, Access Consultant
Lauren Siverson, Access Consultant

After your consultation, appropriate disability information and verification will be gathered from healthcare providers using these forms. Your past academic experiences, records of past accommodations and services used in high school or at another college/university will be considered, along with formal documentation, letters from healthcare, education or service providers.

• Verification of Medical Disability
• Release of Information Form

Once documented information has been received, you will work with staff to collaborate on appropriate accommodations and resources for each course. You will receive accommodation letters to distribute to faculty members, and it is your responsibility to deliver them if you want to use the recommended accommodations. We encourage you to talk with faculty members about the accommodations and their implementation.

You are welcome to consult with Student Accessibility and Accommodations staff at any time regarding accommodation issues, problem-solving or any other concerns.

Accommodation is both a practice and a value at St. Catherine University.

We embrace a culture of learning that drives our students, faculty, and staff to discover, acquire, and apply knowledge, and we welcome all without distinction in the spirit of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet.

Therefore, it has always been our goal to address barriers to full participation in the academic and co-curricular experience — both on campus and online — as we learn of them.

Any student who needs an accommodation may meet or participate in a call with St. Kate’s Student Accessibility and Accommodations staff to plan appropriate accommodations and identify campus and community resources that may be beneficial. The services and accommodations through Student Accessibility and Accommodations are individualized and guided by each student's history, experiences and disability documentation. Each individual student and each class may require different accommodations. The accommodations must be reasonable and cannot fundamentally alter the nature of the course, program, or activity.

Below are some typical accommodations — the list is not exhaustive as accommodations are individually determined.

• Alternate Format Reading Materials — Students whose disability impacts their reading may request course reading materials (textbooks, handouts, syllabus, lab manuals) in an accessible format. Examples of alternative formats are Braille, enlarged text, and text in audible format. We can also scan texts into electronic formats to be used with the Texthelp reading software, which is available to all St. Kate's students. You can download the software using your St. Kate's login credentials.
• Classroom Note-taking — If students' disabilities interfere with their ability to take effective notes for class, a notetaker may be requested. Another student in the class is selected and paid to provide a copy of lecture or lab notes for the student with a disability. The notes are intended to supplement the notes of the student, who must be in attendance and participating in the class for which the notes were taken.
• Alternative testing — Students may need a distraction-reduced testing environment or extended time for exams. We also offer taped or Brailled exams, use of adaptive equipment such as a computer, screen reader or text enlarger and alternative test dates.
• Interpreters, CART services and Assistive Listening Systems for Deaf/Hard of Hearing students
• Preferential seating
• Housing Accommodations
• Clinical or fieldwork Accommodations
• Assistive Technology—this includes Texthelp, Dragon Naturally Speaking, JAWS, ZoomText, Sonocent, Smart Pens, and Glean.

These services are available once you are registered with the Student Accessibility and Accommodations office. For additional assistance, please contact us.

Disability Accommodations for Residence Halls

It is our goal to ensure all students are provided the opportunity to participate fully in the residential experience at St. Catherine University. Students requesting disability accommodations for the residence hall will work withStudent Accessibility and Accommodations staff. Request forms and verification forms should be directed to the Student Accessibility and Accommodations office. Student Accessibility and Accommodations staff will then partner with Residence Life to find the best housing solutions for each student.

Process

1. Student Statement for disability accommodations for residence halls—This is for you to fill out and return it to Student Accessibility and Accommodations by March 1 for current students and June 1 for new students. We cannot guarantee preferred space outside of these deadlines. This is the first step in requesting residence hall accommodations.
2. Verification Form for disability accommodations for residence halls—This is for your medical provider to fill out. When a student’s disability and/or requested accommodation is not readily apparent, verification from a reliable third-party (e.g., physician, psychologist, or other medical professional) must be provided.
3. Consult with Student Accessibility and Accommodations to assess the need for additional information.
4. Student Accessibility and Accommodations and Residence Life will make accommodation plans in conjunction with the student.

Please send your forms to:

St. Catherine University, Student Accessibility and Accommodations
Mail Station #4152
2004 Randolph Ave
St. Paul, MN 55105

Fax: 651-305-4456

Disability Accommodations for Residence Halls—Emotional Support Animal

The ESA committee reviews cases 3 times a year - prior to each semester.

We ask that students requesting an ESA meet with Student Accessibility & Accommodations and submit the required paperwork by the following dates:

• Monday, January 9th at 9:00 a.m. for Spring 2023 semester
• Friday, May 19th at 9:00 a.m. for Summer 2023 semester
• Monday, July 10th at 9:00 a.m. for Fall 2023 semester

The following steps must be completed prior to bringing an emotional support animal on campus:

1. Read and fully understand the Emotional Support Animal Policies.

2. Provide the following four pieces of information to Student Accessibility and Accommodations
   • Student Statement for an emotional support animal—This is for you to fill out.
   • Verification Form for an emotional support animal—This is for your medical provider to fill out.*
     • *The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has been asked to investigate websites that purport to provide documentation from a healthcare provider in support of requests for an ESA. The websites in question offer for sale documentation that is not reliable for purposes of determining whether an individual has a disability or disability-related need for an ESA because the website operators and healthcare professionals who consult with them lack the personal knowledge that is necessary to make such determinations.
   • A copy of your animal’s recent medical record including up-to-date vaccinations and verification that your animal has been spayed or neutered
   • If your animal is a dog, we require licensure with the city of St. Paul. View the city's licensure procedure and fill out a City of St. Paul license form.
   • Please submit all of your emotional support animal request forms and paperwork to
     St. Catherine University, Student Accessibility and Accommodations
     Mail Station #4152
     2004 Randolph Ave
     St. Paul, MN 55105
     Fax #: 651.690.6718
3. Schedule an appointment with Student Accessibility and Accommodations.
4. After you've met with Student Accessibility and Accommodations and they've completed verification, the ESA Committee will plan to review your case at the next meeting. Each case is reviewed on an individualized case-by-case basis.
5. Schedule a meeting with Residence Life to discuss and complete the Residence Life Housing Agreement Addendum for a student with Emotional Support Animals. Please bring your Emotional Support Animal Roommate Agreement Form and email a picture of your animal to residencelife@stkate.edu.
6. Once you arrive on campus, the animal must have a visible ID tag on its collar.

For questions or additional information contact the Student Accessibility and Accommodations office at 651.690.6563.

Current Students

If you are a current student and you already have approval for an emotional support animal your documentation will be valid for their entire length of your animal stay, unless or until your needs have changed. If you are seeking approval for a different animal, new verification will need to be completed. Current students whose requests have been approved will be contacted in March and early April to select specific accommodations before general room selection.

St. Catherine University offers Texthelp Products, including Read&Write and Equatio for text-to-speech needs. Any St. Catherine faculty, staff, or student can download these programs free of charge, by downloading the software and logging in using their Google account login/password. For students with accommodations, electronic versions of their textbooks are made available, so that students may use the software to listen to their reading assignments. Our process of obtaining textbooks for students registered with our office abides by copyright law.

Policies:

• Students are required to purchase the textbooks for their classes. This accommodation offers an additional accessible copy of the book free of charge.
• Students need to request their books in a timely manner. Obtaining textbook files can take up to 2 weeks.
• At times, publishers require a proof of purchase to obtain electronic copies of textbooks. The tech lab may reach out to students to request a proof of purchase.
• Only required textbooks for the classes in which the student is currently registered are provided by the Student Accessibility & Accommodations office.
• Students will have access to their electronic textbooks as long as they are registered students at St. Catherine University.

In order to provide appropriate accommodations, Student Accessibility and Accommodations will need information about how your disability impacts you as a learner. For example, does the disability affect your ability to read, write, communicate, participate in ‘discussions,’ attend meetings, utilize technology, etc.? You may want to provide us with additional information regarding assistive technology, auxiliary aids or services that have previously proven effective in the online/hybrid environment.

Follow the procedure outlined above in “How to Access Services.” Please don’t delay contacting our office if you have concerns about ‘appropriate’ documentation. Your past academic experiences, records of past accommodations and services used in high school or at another college/university will be considered along with formal documentation, letters from healthcare, education or service providers.

All disability-related information including documentation, correspondence, and accommodation records are considered confidential. Access to disability-related information within St. Catherine University is on a need-to-know basis and only for the purpose of assuring equal access or reasonable accommodations. Student Student Accessibility and Accommodations will not release disability records or other information to any outside entity. Students may request for information to be released to specific persons or agencies by signing a Release of Information form.

All students, including students with disabilities, are subject to the St. Catherine University Code of Conduct. The Code of Conduct is in University Policies and applies to all University environments.

If a student has a concern regarding their disability accommodations, they are welcome to direct their concerns to the Director of Student Accessibility & Accommodations office.  If the concern is regarding the Director, then concerns should be brought to the Associate Provost of Student Affairs.  

For concerns that involve issues of bias or discrimination, students may use the University’s centralized reporting center. The purpose of this reporting center is to provide students with an efficient avenue to report concerns and incidents that may arise regarding: Title IX, acts of bias, discrimination or bullying, conduct violation, concern for others or oneself, and/or academic grievances. Students may access the center here.

All professors are required to include this statement regarding disability accommodations in their syllabi.

St. Catherine University is committed to equal access for all and recognizes that disability is an aspect of diversity. The University’s goal is to create learning environments that are usable, equitable, inclusive and welcoming. If there are aspects of the instruction or design of this course that result in barriers to the learning environment and/or the accurate assessment of your achievement, please contact Student Accessibility & Accommodations as soon as possible.

If you are registered with Student Accessibility & Accommodations and have been granted an accommodation, please contact [INSERT NAME AND CONTACT INFORMATION FOR INSTRUCTOR OF RECORD] to review how the accommodation will be applied in this course.

Student Accessibility & Accommodations Main Office
(651) 690-6563 | Accessibility@skate.edu

Faculty members may refer a student to us if they suspect that a disability may be interfering with the student's abilities in class. In this case, an access consultant can meet with the student to determine if Student Accessibility and Accommodations can provide support. Interim accommodations may be an option for students with suspected disabilities. Faculty may call 651-690-6563, email us at Accessibility@stkate.edu, or enter a referral in Student Success for Student Accessibility & Accommodations.

Student Accessibility & Accommodations offers space for alternative testing.

An Alternative Test Cover Sheet should accompany each test. This is important so that we will administer the test the way you desire. It also includes directions on how you would like the test returned to you. If you have any questions or concerns, please call us at 651-690-6563.

Requirements:

• For students with disabilities, make sure they have contacted our office. You should receive a letter of accommodations at the beginning of each semester if the student is planning to access alternative testing.
• Make-up testing is an agreement to be worked out between the student and the instructor.
• Instructors need to deliver test material and instructions to Student Accessibility & Accommodations prior to the test date.
• If the test needs to be in an alternative format, the test should be delivered to Student Accessibility & Accommodations at least 4 days prior to the test date. This allows us time to convert the test to the alternative format.

Testing is by appointment only. Please remind students to call the center at 651-690-6563 to arrange a test time.

Faculty resource guide - AIM testing module