1.0 Reason for Policy

1.1 The University of Manitoba strives to ensure an accessible learning and working environment and is thereby committed to providing reasonable accommodation of the needs of persons with documented disabilities.

1.2 The purpose of this policy is to support an accessible learning environment where students with disabilities, who are admitted to the University of Manitoba, can gain access to all programs for which they are academically qualified.

2.0 Policy Statement

2.1 General

The University shall endeavour to foster, create, and maintain an accessible campus and provide other supports and services to students with disabilities.

2.1.1 The University of Manitoba will use reasonable efforts to ensure that students with disabilities are considered for admission to programs for which they are academically qualified; and have full and safe access to the educational process and learning environment (including but not limited to classes, laboratories, and workshops), the university campus, and university facilities and services.

2.1.2. The University will use reasonable efforts to offer reasonable accommodations in the delivery of academic programs and services to students with disabilities.

2.2 The Disability Services (DS) office is the centralized service for the University of Manitoba community. DS provides a focus for activity and expertise regarding disability-related accommodations within the University, and for liaison with outside organizations regarding accessibility issues, and programs and services for students with disabilities at the University of Manitoba. In providing accommodations, the DS office will:

2.2.1 request and evaluate appropriate medical documentation from students requesting assistance from DS and assign appropriate services to meet the needs of each student by adapting services, courses, and programs as feasible;

2.2.2. ensure that the University's criteria for academic excellence will not be compromised; and

2.2.3 inform the University community about the services available to students with disabilities through the DS office, and seek to ensure that such services are delivered in ways that promote equity, recognizing that performance is not inferior merely because it is different.

2.3 The University is responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of disability related information under The Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (Manitoba) and The Personal Health Information Act (Manitoba), including limiting the distribution of that information to only those parties that require the information to determine appropriate accommodation.

2.4 The University expects that students, instructors and support staff will share the responsibility for the delivery of reasonable accommodations.

2.5. The University will foster a supportive University community by working to inform and educate community members about issues related to disabilities.

2.6. Students requesting accommodations are responsible to initiate contact with the DS office and make the nature of their disability and/or their needs known in a timely fashion. Where possible, students are requested to declare their needs to DS staff before or at the time they register for, or are admitted into, a program.

3.0 Accountability

3.1 The University Secretary is responsible for notifying the Vice President (Academic) and Provost that a formal review of this Policy is required.

3.2 The Vice President (Academic) and Provost is responsible for the communication, administration and interpretation of this policy.

4.0 Secondary Documents

4.1 The President or Vice President (Academic) and Provost may approve Procedures which are secondary to and comply with this Policy.

5.0 Review

5.1 Formal Policy reviews will be conducted every ten (10) years. The next scheduled review date for this Policy is January 27, 2019.

5.2 In the interim, this Policy may be revised or rescinded if:

a) the Board of Governors deems it necessary; or
b) the Policy is revised or rescinded.

5.3 If this Policy is revised or rescinded, all Secondary Documents will be reviewed as soon as reasonably possible in order to ensure that they:

(a) comply with the revised Policy; or
(b) are in turn rescinded.

6.0 Effect on Previous Statements

6.1 This policy supercedes the following:

a) all previous Board of Governors' policies, and resolutions on the subject contained herein;
b) all previous administration policies and resolutions on the subject matter contained herein; and
c) Policy 1211: Accessibility Policy for Students with Disabilities.(January 26, 1995)

7.0 Cross References

Procedures: Accessibility for Students with Disabilities