Rights and Responsibilities

The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, amended in 2008, and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 mandate that students with appropriately documented disabilities receive equal access to programs and services in higher education.

Below is a brief overview of those rights and responsibilities, including conditions of use for certain accommodations.  

Student Rights

• A student with a disability at Davidson College has the right to request reasonable accommodations ensuring equal access to courses, course content, programs, services, and facilities available through the college by contacting the Academic Access and Disability Resources Office. 
• A student has the right to confidentiality with regards to their disability(ies) and restricted disclosure of information except when required or permitted by law.
• A student has the right if they believe they have been treated unfairly, to file a grievance with the ADA/504 Coordinator. 

Student Responsibilities

In addition to the students' rights outlined above, students who present with documented disabilities or believe they may have disabilities and desire accommodations have responsibilities, as follows.

• Although students are not required to disclose their disability status, if they are seeking accommodations relative to their disability, they are responsible for providing current and appropriate documentation to the Academic Access and Disability Resources Office.
• A student seeking accommodations is responsible for providing the Academic Access and Disability Resources Office with a request for accommodations each semester.
• The student is responsible for contacting their instructors about their accommodations and for making arrangements with their instructors ahead of time.
• The student is responsible for letting the Office of Academic Access and Disability Resources know if there is a dispute with an instructor about their accommodations or the implementation of them. 
• A student has the responsibility to meet qualifications and maintain essential standards for all courses, programs, services, jobs, activities, conduct, and facilities. The college seeks to accommodate students in a manner that is determined to be reasonable and does not compromise the integrity of the curriculum.

Conditions of Use for Authorized Recordings

Students approved for an accommodation related to audio or video recordings of class are subject to the following conditions of use:

• Authorized recordings will be used solely for the purpose of class notes for individual study. Students will not use the recordings or allow them to be used for any other purpose. 
• Students will not reproduce (other than transcription solely for the student's own use as class notes), distribute, or sell the recordings or information contained therein. 
• Students will not allow authorized recordings to be reproduced, sold, or distributed in any manner to any other person(s).
• Students will destroy all recordings at the end of the course. 

Conditions for Use of Alternate Formats

Students approved for digital course materials as an alternate format are subject to the following conditions of use:

• Students will acquire their own copy of these books through purchase, rental, or by some other method.
• Students will not copy or reproduce digital course materials nor allow anyone else to do so pursuant to the requirements of the Copyright Act of 1976 as amended (17 U.S.C. 101 et seq).
• Students will not share digital course materials with any other party. 
• Students will delete digital course materials once they no longer have the corresponding print materials.