Applicable Laws and Policies
North Park is committed to providing and maintaining a welcoming environment, and will not tolerate discrimination, harassment, retaliation, or any form of intimidation by any person in any form directed against students, faculty, or staff of the institution. To assure that its commitment is met, North Park has adopted a Policy Against Discrimination, Harassment, Sexual Violence, Relationship Violence, and Retaliation. The policy prohibits discrimination or harassment of any member of the University community because of his or her race, color, national origin, sex, age, disability, veteran’s status, or other protected status, as those terms are defined by applicable local, state, and federal law. Learn more about our Equal Opportunity policy.
Disability Law
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), and the ADA Amendments Act of 2008 prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities.
According to these laws, no otherwise qualified individual with a disability shall, solely by reason of his/her disability, be excluded from the participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity of a public entity.
“Qualified” with respect to post secondary educational services means “a person who meets the academic and technical standards requisite to admission or participation in the education program or activity, with or without reasonable modifications to rules, policies, or practices; the removal of architectural, communication, or transportation barriers; or the provision of auxiliary aids and services.”
More information is available at ADA.gov.
Grievance Policy
In the event of a disagreement between a North Park student and faculty member or other University employee over an issue of accommodations, the student should first meet with that individual to seek resolution. If that meeting does not reach a successful resolution of the issue, the student should make an appeal to the department chairperson. If necessary, the appeal will be forwarded to the director of the faculty and, if unresolved, to the dean, who is the final arbiter of the grievance. In cases of appeal, the faculty member’s divisional peers may be asked by the dean to decide as to the merit of the appeal and the assignment of the grade. The student has the right to be represented by counsel.
Contact the disability access specialist with any questions about this policy.
Confidentiality
Disability Services will maintain the confidentiality of all student records as required or permitted by law. All disability-related information including documentation, accommodation letters, correspondence, and consultations are considered confidential and will be managed in accordance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). No one has immediate access to student files except staff from Disability Services.
Disability Services is permitted to release information to any University official who has a legitimate educational interest in order to fulfill a professional responsibility. Information related to coordinating accommodations may be shared with faculty or staff on a “need to know basis.” The need to know must be based on compelling and legitimate educational reasons for the information disclosure. Disability Services takes the utmost care in safe-guarding disability status and information.
Accommodation letters are written by the Disability Access Specialist and are sent to instructors by the students. Accommodation letters include a list of approved accommodations and do not contain disability-specific information. Students are not required to disclose the nature of their disabilities or share details of their disabilities with instructors, only the need for accommodations. If a situation should arise in which a student felt pressured to share details of their disabilities, the student should consult with the Disability Access Specialist.