Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary offers support services for all students who qualify under the ADAAA/Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. The Dean of Students, whose office is located in the Hamilton Campus, is the Disability Services Coordinator.
If you are a Boston Campus student and have questions regarding disability accommodations, please contact the Student Support Coordinator of the Boston Campus at 617-427-7293 ext. 1655.
The seminary is in compliance with the provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The following policy statement describes the procedures the seminary will follow in accommodating persons with disabilities.
Gordon-Conwell has adopted the best practice policies recommended by the Association on Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD). Acceptable sources of documentation for substantiating a student’s disability and request for particular accommodations can take a variety of forms:
The student is a vital source of information regarding how he or she may be “limited by impairment.” A student’s narrative of his or her experience of disability, barriers, and effective and ineffective accommodations is an important tool which, when structured by interview or questionnaire and interpreted, may be sufficient for establishing disability and a need for accommodation. Gordon-Conwell captures this information in the Request for Accommodations Form (RAF).
The impressions and conclusions formed by higher education disability professionals during interviews and conversations with students or in evaluating the effectiveness of previously implemented or provisional accommodations are important forms of documentation. Experienced disability professionals should feel comfortable using their observations of students’ language, performance, and strategies as an appropriate tool in validating student narrative and self-report. Gordon-Conwell captures this information through an in-person interview.
Documentation from external sources may include educational or medical records, reports and assessments created by health care providers, school psychologists, or teachers, or the educational system. This information is inclusive of documents that reflect education and accommodation history, such as Individual Education Program (IEP), Summary of Performance (SOP), and teacher observations. External documentation will vary in its relevance and value depending on the original context, credentials of the evaluator, the level of detail provided, and the comprehensiveness of the narrative. However, all forms of documentation are meaningful and should be mined for pertinent information.