The Office of Accessibilities & Accommodations
Tutoring and more
Every student at Trinity deserves to succeed — and we want to make sure they have all the tools they need to succeed and leave ready to build a life that makes a difference. That’s why we’ve put important support services in place, available to all students.
Accommodations Plans
When a verified physical, psychological, attentional, or learning disability impacts a student’s academic progress, accommodations may be available to assist the student in meeting academic goals.
Professor Laura Dávalos, director of The Office of Learning Services, will discuss an accommodation plan during a confidential interview with the student. Appropriate accommodations then will be forwarded in writing to the student’s professors every semester.
Students with diagnostic paperwork should bring a copy to the interview.
Students who believe they may have a learning problem that has not been identified can make an appointment to discuss their academic history in order to determine what may be hindering academic progress. Confidential advising is always available.
Disability Documentation
When determining what accommodations are appropriate for students, it’s important to understand how their disabilities will likely impact their academic progress at Trinity Christian College. Helpful information includes records of past accommodations and services from high school and/or another college, formal psychological or medical evaluations, letters from past health or service providers, and thoughtful answers to the following questions:
- What tools or strategies facilitate your learning?
- What potential barriers can you anticipate?
- How does your disability interact with communication, classroom and laboratory learning, reading and writing, housing, technology, dining and the physical environment?
Selecting a college is often a particularly challenging task for students with disabilities. Information is provided throughout this web site that will hopefully assist you in determining if Trinity Christian College is a good fit for you. If you have questions about specific disabilities and/or related accommodations, policies or procedures, you are encouraged to contact the director of this office, Professor Laura C. Dávalos at laura.davalos@trnty.edu or 708.239.4765.
You are also encouraged to make an appointment if you are on campus visiting, even if you are still in the exploration stage. Trinity Christian College has unique aspects and it is important that you understand how your disability may provide you particular challenges or strengths within the curriculum and at the College. It’s also important for you to become aware of the resources and services that the College has to offer in addition to Disability Services.
For those of you who have decided that Trinity Christian College is the place for you, there is still much to be done to ease your transition.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Trinity Christian College is fully committed to complying with the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and Americans with Disabilities Amendment Act of 2008 (ADA and ADAAA) as well as Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, ensuring that all qualified students with disabilities have access to Trinity’s programs, activities, and services and are provided reasonable accommodations, auxiliary aids and services to ensure access. This process is overseen by the Office of Learning Services.
Trinity students who believe they have been denied access to reasonable accommodations that are required by law or that the approved accommodations have not been implemented appropriately may invoke the Disability Services grievance procedure below. If students believe they have been discriminated against on the basis of a disability they should refer to Trinity’s Nondiscrimination Policy.
The grievance procedure is not intended to supersede other college policies and procedures, which may exist for addressing alleged violations of ADA and/or Section 504, and other issues of concern for which separate college policies and procedures exist, such as academic grievance.
Disability Services Grievance Procedure
If a student who has followed the appropriate process for requesting accommodations believes a reasonable accommodation was wrongfully denied or not implemented appropriately, the student should provide relevant information in writing and send the grievance to VPStudentLife@trnty.edu to be reviewed by the Vice President for Student Life within 30 business days of the decision or incident.
The student’s formal grievance should clearly state:
- The name and email address of the person filing the grievance
- The reason and rationale for the grievance
- The specific facts and/or policies supporting the student’s position
- The resolution desired by the student
The Vice President for Student Life will review the grievance and related materials, will investigate the complaint thoroughly, and will render a decision, normally within 30 days. The decision making process may involve meeting with the student and/or the staff involved with the initial accommodations request, though in certain cases a meeting may not be practical or necessary. The student will be informed of the outcome in writing.
If the student disagrees with the decision made by the Vice President for Student Life, the student can send a written appeal and related materials to the Provost within ten (10) business days of receiving the decision rendered by the Vice President for Student Life. The materials sent should include a copy of the original formal grievance along with a statement of appeal. The decision of the Provost will be final.
Students with disabilities have rights and responsibilities as they attend college, and colleges have responsibilities towards these students. The U.S. Department of Education offers helpful information about these rights and responsibilities here.
Trinity learning services
We want to be sure all Trinity students are set up to succeed. The Office of Learning Services offers peer tutoring, academic coaching, disability and probationary services, and more.
