Disability Services

Dear Class of 2012,

Welcome to Babson! On behalf of the Office of Disability Services, we would like to take this opportunity to introduce the support services available to students with documented disabilities. 

As the Manager of Disability Services, we work directly with students with learning differences, attention deficit disorder (ADHD), mobility and sensory impairments, and psychiatric and medical conditions. Together, we determine the most appropriate services based on individual needs. These services may include, but are not limited to, academic accommodations such as extended time testing, permission to tape record classes, a distraction reduced environment, the use of a laptop for essay exams, and access to assistive technology.

Please note that the process for accessing services is very different from the process you may have experienced in high school, primarily because the federal law that protects your rights has changed. In high school, the IDEA protected your rights and now at the college level, the American with Disabilities Act mandates universities to have a process in place for securing reasonable accommodations for all eligible students. To learn more about transitioning from high school to college, visit this web site http://www.ed.gov/ocr/transition.html  and contact me at the number listed below. In order to access disability services at Babson College, eligible students are responsible for the following:

• Students identify themselves to the Manager of Disability Services and provide written documentation of their disability that is current and submitted by a qualified practitioner.
• Documentation must be a comprehensive assessment and include functional limitations in the academic environment as a result of the disability and specific recommendations for accommodations. Each diagnosis has different guidelines which can be accessed by visiting our Disability Services web site. Click on disability Services and Procedures for Accessing Disability Services.
• If a student’s documentation is not current, we can work together to reach a successful resolution and explore available options for a reevaluation.
• Once the documentation is accepted and it meets institutional guidelines, we will review the rights and responsibilities and discuss accommodation procedures.
• Babson College has a responsibility to maintain confidentiality of the evaluation and may not release any part of the documentation without the student’s informed and written consent. A diagnostic report remains in a private file with the Manager of Disability Services, and is at no point included in the individual’s educational record.

We strongly encourage students to contact us as early as possible in their career at Babson because of the time sensitivity of the process. For this reason, we will work diligently to review the process with students during the summer and we will also have open office hours scheduled during orientation. If you feel like we may be of some assistance to you, please contact us prior to your arrival on campus at 781-239-4075 or via e-mail at academicservices@babson.edu.

Office of Academic Services