RCPD understands that requirements to programs may need to be modified to allow for equitable access to learning and degree completion. These types of accommodations are rare and require documentation. Determinations are made after collecting information from the student’s program to ensure a course substitution/modification accommodation won’t cause a fundamental alteration to the degree requirements. Any accommodation determination can be appealed via our Dispute Resolution Process.
Important notes:
For any of these processes, your disability info will not be shared with your college. You are never required to disclose disability details to your college/academic advisors.
We cannot make determinations on these requests in advance of a student being accepted to MSU, or before the entire RCPD registration and accommodation request processes are completed.
These processes take weeks or months. Please start as early as you can.
Language Substitution Notes
Language Substitution
Some MSU majors require learning a language; there is not a universal language requirement for all students. If your major has a language requirement, your disability prevents you from learning a language, and you want to request a substitution, review this important information, then follow this process:
- Complete registration with RCPD.
- Submit documentation that demonstrates how your disability impacts the acquisition of a new language.
- Submit a disability impact statement by sending an email to your assigned RCPD specialist. In addition to our guidelines online, include information about 1) your previous experience(s) with learning a language and 2) your specific concerns about language courses at MSU is advisable.
- Your RCPD specialist will review the submitted documentation. If it is sufficient to recommend a language substitution, you will be asked for your academic advisor’s information and your specialist will connect you with the proper contacts to move the substitution request forward.
A substitution may be a fundamental alteration to the program, even if disability need is present. The course might 1) be a prerequisite for future required courses, 2) provide essential learning objectives for the program that cannot be learned in another course, 3) provide learning experiences needed for licensure/accreditation, etc.
- Substitutions might include classes that facilitate…
- cultural understanding (learning about another culture)
- global perspectives (seeing the world through a different perspectives)
- intercultural competence (being able to communicate with people from other cultures/communities)
- metalinguistic competence (understanding how languages work)
- communicative competence (being able to use language effectively)
Course Substitution Notes
Course Substitution for Non-Language Courses
At times, disability can directly interfere with learning the content in a specific course. In this case, students can request a substitution is made for a different course. We cannot waive requirements completely. The student still must be able to meet the essential requirements of their degree program. Substitution requests that alter the essential requirements of a program will be denied. To make a request, review this important information, then follow this process:
- Complete registration with RCPD.
- Submit documentation that demonstrates how your disability impacts the acquisition of knowledge in the specific course.
- Make a course substitution accommodation request via email to your RCPD specialist.
- Include your academic advisor’s information. Your specialist will discuss existing (non-accommodation) options for your course and degree requirements.
- If there are no options at the advising level, your specialist will ask for additional information from you via a meeting or email. During this conversation, your specialist will either collect narrative from you or ask you to write a disability impact statement - whichever format will work best for you.
- Your specialist will then explore your college/program contacts to find best person to discuss this request with. This may be an associate/assistant dean of undergrad education, program director, advising lead, etc. Your specialist will send them a form to gather information. With this information, plus your disability information (which is confidential within RCPD), a determination will be made on your request.
- If your request is…
- Denied: you will receive an email and be invited to schedule another meeting with your specialist to discuss possible options.
- Approved: your specialist will email you with your Accommodation Letter Addendum and next steps.
- There must be disability-related need for course substitution. We must focus on access, not preference. We cannot make substitutions based on course difficulty.
- There must be a nexus between the disability impacts and the course requirements. Plus, we must find the impacts cannot be accommodated in another way.
- A substitution may be a fundamental alteration to the program, even if disability need is present. The course might 1) be a prerequisite for future required courses, 2) provide essential learning objectives for the program that cannot be learned in another course, 3) provide learning experiences needed for licensure/accreditation, etc.
- Many course substitutions will not be possible as they are an essential piece of the degree program.
Remote Learning Notes
Remote Learning
MSU is primarily an in-person institution. However, RCPD understands that, at times, disability may interfere with a student’s ability to attend classes in person. If this is the case, students can make a request to attend classes remotely. To make a request, review this important information, then follow this process:
- Complete registration with RCPD.
- Contact your academic advisor to discuss adjusting your schedule to take as much online coursework as possible. Ask these questions:
- Is there an online section of your course(s) you can switch to?
- Is there an alternate online course you can take instead of your current, in-person course?
- Can you move your current course(s) to another term while still maintaining degree progress?
- If changes are unable to be made on the advising side, have your advisor email your RCPD specialist to verify this.
- Contact your RCPD specialist to request remote learning as an accommodation.
- Send your disability impact statement to your specialist or schedule a meeting to discuss.
- In your request, include the names and email addresses of ALL your instructors for the scheduled courses you are requesting remote learning for.
- If there is sufficient documentation (the documentation you registered with plus your impact statement), your specialist will reach out to each one of your instructors to gather information about their course.
- Your RCPD specialist will then submit course info to the RCPD/MSU Fundamental Alterations Committee (FAC) for review.
- The FAC is comprised of RCPD specialists/staff and MSU faculty.
- Identifying information is kept confidential during the review process.
- The FAC meets monthly with materials due 1 week before each meeting.
- Your RCPD specialist will email you an accommodation determination after the FAC meeting.
- Students approved for remote learning are approved for one semester and on a class-by-class basis. This accommodation is not intended to be used for multiple semesters in a row, nor to convert an in-person program into an all-virtual experience.
- Approval is contingent upon determining feasibility for remote participation in the student’s course(s) in collaboration with course instructors and in line with curriculum design.
- Students must move into online sections first or make schedule adjustments before requesting remote participation in an in-person class.
- In-person classes will not be considered for remote participation if online sections exist, even if they are not offered the same semester as the request.
- Not all classes will be able to be approved for remote participation.
- Accommodations are not retroactive; students are expected to continue attending classes until the accommodation is approved.