College is tough; it doesn’t matter who you are. However, students with disabilities face special challenges. The world doesn’t always take into account your accessibility issues, and that sometimes means you wind up dealing with an unequal playing field.
The law is supposed to address these inequalities. The Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 both prohibit discrimination and harassment against persons with disabilities. They also guarantee you an equal right to an education. If that means you need special resources, Brown is responsible for providing those resources.
For a long list of reasons, the system doesn’t always work as it should. Faculty and students don’t always understand what you’re going through. There are professors out there who may actually put barriers in your way. The university itself can sometimes be reluctant to spend money on materials and services.
If we could eliminate all these problems, we would. What we can do instead is help you to deal with them. You shouldn’t have to confront irresponsible instructors. You shouldn’t have to respond to harassment from classmates. You shouldn’t have to demand your rights. Let us do these things for you.
The LLF National Law Firm’s Education Law Team is dedicated to protecting student rights. We know the law, and we know how Brown University’s system operates. Whether you’re struggling to get a fair shake in the classroom or you’ve been unfairly accused of a disciplinary offense, we’re in your corner. You can count on us to use every resource at our disposal to get you the best possible resolution to your case.
First, though, you have to contact us. To find out more about what we can do for you, call 888-535-3686,or take a few minutes right now and fill out one of our online forms.
Navigating Brown’s Disability Services
Student Accessibility Services (SAS) has primary responsibility for satisfying Brown’s obligations to students with disabilities. This office offers a number of valuable resources, including an SAS library, support groups, accessible transportation and parking, and mobility training. In general, SAS can be your most valuable ally on campus.
SAS’s most important job, though, is coordinating the university’s accommodation services. SAS should make sure you have proper housing accommodations and access to classroom resources. It is your responsibility, though, to self-identify by going through the SAS registration process.
- Fill out the registration, or “intake,” form.
- Upload documentation verifying your disability.
- Meet with an SAS staff member to discuss potential accommodations.
- Supply accommodation letters to course instructors at the beginning of each semester.
The LLF National Law Firm is familiar with this process and can help guide you through it. We can work with you to fill out paperwork and make sure your documentation is in order before you submit it. Should SAS refuse to accept your proof of diagnosis, we can work to resolve the situation. We can also check over your accommodation plan and make sure it meets all of your academic and personal needs.
Of course, any time there’s a dispute over accommodations, you can expect us to step in and protect your rights. Most of the time, SAS and Brown are on your side and ready to do whatever they can to make sure you’re treated fairly at the university. When you’re at odds with them, though, you need someone in your corner. The LLF National Law Firm is always on your side and looking out for your interests.
You’re not in high school anymore. You don’t have a designated aide, and there are no IEPs. Sometimes you have to speak up and demand your rights. You should never be shy about doing that, though. And you don’t have to do it alone. The LLF National Law Firm will help in any way we can.
Invisible Disability Issues
Speaking up for yourself can be especially important if you have a so-called “invisible” disability. If you don’t self-identify, no one may even realize that you’re on the autistic spectrum or dealing with ADHD.
In fact, even if you have self-identified, gone through the SAS registration process, and presented an accommodation letter to your instructors, you can still face accessibility issues. Unfortunately, faculty can lose track of their responsibilities when they’re not confronted with them on a regular basis. If one of your professors forgets to send your exam to the testing center or neglects to give you extra time to complete an assignment, we can help remind them—gently or otherwise–just what they owe you as a student with a disability.
You may run across instructors who refuse to accept learning disability diagnoses, who refuse to implement your accommodations because they’re convinced you’re getting “special treatment.” SAS can handle most of these situations, but the LLF National Law Firm attorney can intervene, as well, when you need them. We can also make sure SAS is responsive to your complaints.
We also recognize there are students out there with disabilities who haven’t yet been diagnosed. If you think you might have an invisible disability, we can help you get tested. We’ll make sure that you have proper documentation of your condition and work with SAS to get accommodations assigned quickly. It could be that a proper diagnosis is all you need to raise your GPA.
In fact, you can also ask Brown to drop low grades from your transcript. You are entitled to appropriate accommodations even when you don’t know you have a disability. While the school won’t simply replace a low grade with a higher one, it will allow you to retake courses where you should have had accommodations, and replacement credit can make a big difference to your GPA.
Formal Grievance Processes
The LLF National Law Firm is always willing to step in and help resolve accessibility issues diplomatically, when that’s an option. Sometimes, though, a situation calls for more than negotiation. Sometimes you need to file a formal complaint. We can help with those as well.
There are several ways to lodge a complaint with the university, depending on the specific nature of your complaint.
- You can appeal informally to the SAS Director any time you disagree with an accommodations decision.
- If this appeal fails, you have the right to appeal the issue to the university’s ADA/ Section 504 Coordinator. This official also handles any allegations of discrimination or harassment directed against the university or a university employee.
- You always have the right to file a grade appeal at the end of a semester if you feel an instructor has treated you unfairly.
- If you’ve been mistreated by another student, you can lodge an allegation against them with the Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards. The university’s Code of Conduct includes clear rules and regulations against discrimination and harassment.
You can be sure that the LLF National Law Firm attorney is well-versed on all of Brown’s several complaint, appeals, and grievance procedures. We know what’s involved in filing complaints, and we know what counts as the best evidence in discrimination cases.
Disciplinary Misconduct Allegations
Brown’s Student Code of Conduct can be a valuable resource if you need to accuse another student of mistreating you as a result of your disability. However, this same Code can sometimes be used against students with disabilities.
Disabilities can be mistaken for disruptions, for instance. Tourette’s can wind up labeled as simple misbehavior; ADHD is sometimes treated as simple inattention. Likewise, students with disabilities can find themselves charged with misconduct offenses simply for defending themselves from harassment. And there have been occasions when students wound up labeled “trouble-makers” for raising concerns about discrimination.
Even if the allegations against you are far more prosaic, the Brown disciplinary system can present access problems for students with disabilities. As you go through the process of defending yourself, you deserve a fair chance to defend yourself, whether that means braille translations of evidence or modified judicial procedures that accommodate your ADHD.
As with everything else about your college journey, the LLF National Law Firm is here for you any time you’re charged with a misconduct offense, whether that offense relates to your disability or not. We were founded to protect students from unfair treatment, and we’re always willing to stand up and fight for our clients’ rights.
Trust the LLF National Law Firm
It’s hard enough for any student to get fair treatment from a university like Brown University. Institutions can be a complicated tangle of rules and regulations. When you’re a student with a disability, it can be particularly challenging to convince faculty and administrators to honor your rights. Even just ensuring your professors treat your disability confidentially can be difficult.
You don’t have to deal with your university alone, though. Whatever disability issue you might be dealing with at Brown University, the LLF National Law Firm’s Educational Law Team is here to help. We know what to expect from colleges and universities, and we’re always on your side, whatever the situation. You can count on us to use every resource at our disposal to ensure you the best possible outcome.
It’s unfortunate, but sometimes, you have to fight for your educational rights. You don’t have to do that alone, though. To find out more about how we can help, contact the LLF National Law Firm today at 888-535-3686. Or, fill out our online questionnaire.