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Johnson & Wales is dedicated to providing reasonable accommodations to give learning disabled, physically challenged, and students with chronic medical conditions the opportunity to succeed in their academic pursuits. While maintaining the highest academic integrity, the University strives to balance scholarship with support services that assist special needs students to function in the University's environment.

center for academic support
STAFF DIRECTORY
Meryl Berstein
Director, The Center for Academic Support
phone: (401) 598-4689 fax: (401) 598-4657

Business/Hospitalitv/Technology
Fax: (401) 598-4657
Hinda Levin-Kreiger (401) 598-1812
Mary Magers (401) 598-4619
Phyllis Parente (401) 598-2215
Meryl Precourt (401) 598-4753

Culinary
Fax: (401) 598-1743
Elizabeth Nee (401) 598-4754

The free services offered at the Center for Academic Support include:

tutorial assistance The University provides tutorial assistance through The Learning Centers. Students are urged to take the initiative in seeking out-of-class help during faculty office hours and through The Learning Centers.

In addition, peer and professional tutoring is available in math, accounting, writing skills, most major courses and study strategies. Tutors, directed by a learning skills professional, provide individual and/or group sessions as students' needs and resources dictate.

the learning center The Learning Center on the downtown campus offers students academic assistance in Business, Hospitality, Technology and Arts & Sciences courses. Writing laboratories for undergraduate and graduate students are available, including tutoring for all types of written projects, study skills remediation, and help in researching and designing papers. Tutoring in first year courses and most upper level courses is available. The Learning Center is open Monday - Thursday 9am-4pm in the Kinsley Building and Sunday - Wednesday 5-9pm in McNulty Residence Hall.

The Learning Center at the Harborside campus offers students individualized and small group tutoring in culinary and pastry laboratory and academic classes, as well as in English and study skills. The Learning Center is open Sunday 2-9pm, Monday - Wednesday 9am-10:00pm and Thursday 9am-4:30pm.

For more information: Downtown 401-598-1485, Harborside 401-598-1703

special needs/disabled students Students requesting services must provide the Center for Academic Support with the required special needs or disability documentation. The following guidelines are linked:
Documentation Guidelines for Learning Disabilities (65K PDF)
Verification of Disability Form (64K PDF)
Verification of Chronic Medical Condition Form (50K PDF)

Accommodations for students with disabilities who provide appropriate documentation include, but are not limited to, oral and/or extended time for tests, enlarged print, use of a tape recorder in class, note taking assistance, reduced course load, preferential scheduling, classroom relocation, medically excused absences and use of a Kurzweil 3000.

Because some programs of study at the University have technical standards and requirements, applicants and students with special needs or physical disabilities should contact the Director of the Center for Academic Support, at 401-598-4689 to discuss the availability of reasonable accommodations where appropriate. Copies of the technical standards applicable to various programs are available from this office. Students requesting services must provide the following documentation so the disability can be verified and to aid in educational planning: a neurological report by a psychiatrist, neurologist or other physician or a psycho-educational evaluation by a licensed clinician.

During the accommodation process, the student will be expected to:
- participate in the determination and implementation of reasonable accommodations and support services
- inform his/her Special Needs Advisor when accommodations are not working or need to be changed
- meet with his/her Special Needs Advisor at the beginning of every term to complete the Support Service Agreement so that accommodations can be put into place
- keep follow-up appointments or call to cancel and reschedule in a timely manner

The Special Needs Advisor will be expected to:
- maintain medical/psychological/educational documentation in a confidential manner
- determine if condition(s) are a disability in accordance with the law
- identify reasonable accommodations and support services and assist with their implementation
- request updated documentation (as needed) to determine if accommodations need to be modified
- refer student to campus/community services (i.e., Learning Center, Student Counseling Center, etc.) to resolve disability-related issues

New students will be expected to attend an orientation and workshop the day before classes begin (time and place will be published in orientation literature). At this workshop, a description of the services provided will be made as well as suggestions on how to effectively use the services on campus.

Students requesting housing accommodations or students who will need additional help in case of an emergency need to contact the Director of the Center for Academic Support (Meryl Berstein).

Policies and Procedures
individualized testing policy
Students with disabilities may receive test accommodations determined on an individual basis. Students are responsible for informing instructors each time they plan on utilizing these accommodations (as verified by the Special Needs Advisor) by:
- going to the Learning Center as soon as a test is announced to fill out an “Individual Test Request Form”. At this time, the student will schedule the test to be taken in the Learning Center.
- giving the top copy of this form to the instructor at least one week prior to the test. The student will keep the other copy for his/her own records.
- going to the Learning Center, instead of class, at the time of the test.

notetaking assistance procedure
Students whose documentation warrants notetaking assistance must:
* sign the accommodation agreement at the beginning of each term
* meet with the instructor to determine how notes will be obtained. Several options exist:
1. Instructor may locate a suitable peer notetaker. It is the student’s responsibility to make arrangements with the instructor or peer to obtain notes. Carbonless note paper is available through the Special Needs Advisor at no charge.
2. Instructor may provide student with a copy of his/her notes. These notes are for the student’s private study only and must be returned to the instructor at the end of the term/class.
3. Instructor may advise student to use the copy of his/her notes in the Learning Center. Students are not allowed to photocopy notes or remove them from the Center.

service animal procedure
The Special Needs Advisor will determine the appropriateness of a service animal based on whether a student has a disability and the role of the service animal. To request the presence of a service animal, the student must meet with a Special Needs Advisor.

alternate format procedure
Students who require alternate access to printed material may receive textbooks in alternate format (as determined by the Special Needs Advisor). Students are responsible for:
- forwarding all relevant textbook information to his/her Special Needs Advisor as soon as it is available
- purchasing all books
- contacting Recordings for the Blind & Dyslexic (RFB&D) to determine if books are available (800-221-4692 or www.ribd.org). Books can be ordered through the Special Needs Advisor.
- When requesting electronic text (etext), the Special Needs Advisor must contact the publisher to determine its availability.

If the book is not available from the publisher, the Special Needs Advisor will obtain permission from the publisher to scan the book (alternatively, the student will use one of the University’s Kurzweil 3000 software to “read” the book).

grievance procedure
The following procedures must be followed by any student with a complaint or grievance:
1. The written request for review is to be submitted to the University Compliance Officer, One Cookson Place, Sixth Floor, Providence, RI 02903 or call (401) 598-1423.
2. The University Compliance Officer will attempt to facilitate a mutually acceptable accommodation agrcement.
3. If no acceptable agreement can be reached, the request for reconsideration will be forwarded to a committee consisting of the student’s academic dean, the director of the Center for Academic Support, and the director of Payroll and Personnel Services, or any of these individual’s appointees.

classroom relocation policy
Students with limited mobility and/or physical challenges are assisted by having their classrooms moved to an accessible location. Students needing such an accommodation should participate in the priority scheduling process so that accessible classrooms can be arranged.

Student Responsibilities
1. Provide documentation to verify his/her disability and validate his/her request for relocation of classrooms with the special needs office.
2. Participate in priority scheduling
3. Review the class schedule to determine which classes need to be relocated with his/her special needs advisor.
4. Immediately inform the special needs advisor of any changes in class schedule or problems with classroom accessibility.

Special Needs Advisor Responsibilities:
1. The Special Needs Advisor will present student's need for relocation of classroom to Student Academic Services.
2. The respective department will relocate the class to an accessible location.

study skills workshops Each term a series of four workshops to help students study and succeed at JWU is offered five different times in three different locations. Workshops are open to students in all majors. Workshop topics include Time Management, Note taking Strategies, Overcoming Math Anxiety, Reading for Good Grades, Memory and Test taking Tips, Essay & Research Paper Writing, Becoming an Active Listener, Creating Visual Study Tools, Stress Management, etc. Contact the Center for Academic Support at (401) 598-1485 for an up-to-date workshop schedule.

housing accommodations When a student informs Residential Life or the Center for Academic Support that they are in need of a particular on-campus housing accommodation, both offices will work in tandem to evaluate the request to ensure that reasonable accommodations are provided. The student must submit the required special needs or disability documentation to the Center for Academic Support before a request can be considered.

workshop schedule (54K PDF)

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