STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES

Students With DISABILITIES

At Dolce Academy we want to ensure all students are given the opportunity to be successful in the beauty, spa, and wellness industry, and we strive to make our programs accessible to all individuals, in compliance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, and all applicable state laws. Leonarda Rinaldi is the designated official at Dolce Academy who acts as a resource and advocate for students with disabilities, verifies and files documentation, certifies eligibility for services, and establishes reasonable accommodations. Any student who has need for accommodations should contact Leonarda Rinaldi. Disclosure of a disability is not required. If a student would like an accommodation for a disability, however, it is the responsibility of the student to request an accommodation, as provided below.

ELIGIBILITY

To be eligible for a disability-related accommodation, students must have a disability—a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more of the major life activities such as walking, seeing, hearing, speaking, learning, breathing, working, taking care of oneself, or performing manual tasks.

REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION

A reasonable accommodation is a modification or adjustment to a course or program which enables a qualified student with a disability to have an equal opportunity. An equal opportunity means an opportunity to attain the same level of performance or to enjoy equal benefits and privileges as are available to a similarly situated student without a disability. To determine reasonable accommodations, Dolce Academy will evaluate essential standards for courses, programs, services, activities, and facilities.

Reasonable accommodations are determined by examining:

the barriers resulting from the interaction between the documented disability and the institute’s environment and requirements;
the possible accommodations that might remove barriers;
whether or not the student has access to the course, program, service, activity, or facility without accommodations; and
whether or not essential elements of the course, program, service, activity or facility are compromised by the accommodations.

Examples of reasonable accommodations include:

books on tape
study materials provided early
extra study time or extra time for completing exams
class schedules in advance
note takers
adapted classroom equipment
modification of academic requirements that do not fundamentally alter the nature of the class or program.

WHEN TO REQUEST AN ACCOMMODATION

Dolce Academy believes that accommodations will be most effective if they are available to students throughout their education. Students with disabilities should request reasonable accommodations 60 days before they begin classes or as soon as their disability becomes known.

DOCUMENTATION

Eligibility for accommodations is dependent on the nature of the disability and its impact on learning. Therefore, as part of their request for an accommodation, students generally must provide disability related documents from an appropriate licensed professional(s) to verify that a student has a disability and to determine the need for reasonable accommodations. Documentation serves two purposes. It establishes the existence of a disability (a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits a major life activity) that affords protection under the law, and it demonstrates a need for accommodations to ensure equal access to courses, programs, services, activities, and facilities.

Documentation from a licensed professional must include the following information:

A clear statement of the diagnosed disability
A description of the functional limitations resulting from the disability
A list of the accommodations recommended
A statement of why the disability qualifies the applicant for the accommodations requested.

The document should be current (ordinarily within the last three years), must appear on official letterhead of the licensed professional, and must be signed by a qualified professional not related to the student. All costs associated with obtaining documentation is borne by the student. If the initial documentation is incomplete or inadequate, Dolce Academy has the discretion to require additional documentation.

DETERMINATION OF ELIGIBILITY

Based on the information provided, Dolce Academy will determine whether the student is eligible for an accommodation under the applicable laws and institute policies.

ACCOMMODATION PROCESS

If Dolce Academy determines that an accommodation is required and appropriate, it will supply individualized letters to instructors certifying that the student has a disability and listing the appropriate accommodations. The letter will invite instructors to contact the Leonarda Rinaldi if there are concerns or questions about the accommodations. Instructors will be expected to assist with the provision of accommodations when reasonable and necessary. They are not expected to compromise essential elements of the course or evaluation standards.

GRIEVANCES

Students with disabilities will be responsible for contacting Leonarda Rinaldi if reasonable accommodations are not implemented in an effective or timely way or if they believe they have been discriminated against on the basis of disability. Instructors who wish for reconsideration of an accommodation should also contact Leonarda Rinaldi, and should do so no later than one week after the accommodation is scheduled to be implemented.

If an agreement cannot be reached informally, an individual may file a written complaint with the Director, who will conduct a thorough investigation that allows interested persons an opportunity to submit evidence relevant to the complaint.

The Director will review the gathered evidence, meet with all parties in the dispute with their permission, and decide upon an appropriate plan of action. A written determination as to the validity of the complaint and a description of the resolution, if any, will be issued by the Director to the complainant and other concerned parties no later than 10 business days after the filing of the grievance. If you have further questions, please contact Leonarda Rinaldi.

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