Policy

January 11, 2016

Disability Accommodations

The university is committed to the full accessibility of our campus, programs and activities to individuals with disabilities. USC will make a good faith effort to provide reasonable accommodation for qualified visitors, prospective students, enrolled students, employment applicants, and employees with a disability unless the accommodation requested would cause an undue hardship as defined by the ADA. In compliance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, the university provides academic adjustments and auxiliary aids for students with disabilities.

USC’s Executive Director, ADA/504 Coordinator is charged with ensuring regulatory compliance and oversight of all matters related to access and accommodation for individuals with disabilities, in collaboration with schools, divisions, governmental agencies, and advocacy groups supporting students, faculty, staff and visitors. This charge includes, but is not limited to:

  • Oversight of disability-related support services and educational resources
  • Development of policies and procedures for services, access and accommodations
  • Coordination of educational programs and training on disability-related topics
  • Oversight of regulatory compliance activities
  • Guidance and evaluation of efforts to improve access
  • Ongoing consultation with organizations representing individuals with disabilities
  • Enforcement of appropriate accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities
  • Coordination with the Accessibility Advisory Committee, which exists to help identify the barriers experienced by students, faculty, staff and visitors with disabilities; to help prioritize barrier removal; to offer advice and guidance on other issues related to ADA; and to recommend cost and feasibility studies so as to arrive at the most cost-effective and efficient means of achieving barrier removal
  • Oversight of the university’s open-ended ADA transition plan, which identifies needed barrier removal projects and places them on an implementation timeline
  • Coordination with Facilities Management Services as to barrier removal projects

School/Division Responsibilities

Each school or division must designate a person who is responsible for authorizing expenditures that may be required to facilitate reasonable accommodations needed by employees, or academic aids and adjustments for students with disabilities.

The cost of providing the reasonable accommodation is generally the responsibility of the department providing the employment, program, service, or activity, except in the case of providing general academic aids and adjustments for students with a disability, which is done through the Office of Disability Services and Programs. (Facilities Management Services may also be consulted regarding larger structural changes and barrier removal projects, so as to best coordinate both the scope and timing of the work, and payment for such projects.)

Questions or concerns regarding obligations to accommodate students should be brought to the attention of the Office of Disability Services and Programs; for faculty or staff, the disability accommodations coordinator should be contacted (see contact information below). Any disputes will be adjudicated by the Executive Director, ADA/504 Coordinator, whose determination on any accommodation requirement is final (subject to any allowable appeal), except in cases where a faculty member believes an academic adjustment is changing the fundamental academic nature of a course. In such cases, the Provost’s determination is final.

Responsible Office

Executive Director, ADA/504 Coordinator

Christine Street, Executive Director, ADA/504 Coordinator

Disability Accommodations Coordinator

uschr@usc.edu
(213) 821-8100

Office of Disability Services and Programs

(213) 740-0776

Issued by

Michael Quick, Provost and Senior Vice President, Academic Affairs
Todd R. Dickey, Senior Vice President, Administration
University of Southern California