.png)
Disability Resources
Virscend University is committed to providing equal and integrated access for students with disabilities to academic, social, cultural and recreational programs. This resolve is grounded not only by law, including Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act, but also by Virscend’s own commitment to the inclusion of all members of the community. Individualized accommodation plans, academic adjustments, accessible technology, and grievance procedures will be provided by Virscend University to ensure equal access.
The Director of Student Success conducts accommodation requests that include the review of relevant documentation and implementation of accommodations recommended by the student’s licensed care provider. We emphasize the value of the student’s experience, history, and perspective in conjunction with the review of supporting medical documentation, and therefore meet with every student before finalizing accommodation plans. Upon approval of the accommodation, the university will implement the request within thirty (30) days, therefore it is recommended but not required that students submit their request prior to the beginning of the semester.
Current and complete documentation of the disability or disabilities must be submitted by the student to the Director of Student Success as part of the academic accommodation service(s) eligibility determination process. The university reserves the right to request supplemental information to verify a student's functional limitations.
Documentation of disability must conform to published Virscend disability documentation guidelines and is required to establish and assess how a student's disability can be reasonably accommodated to ensure equal educational access within a postsecondary academic environment.
When submitting documentation, the following guidelines are requested universally:
-
A statement by the treating physician, therapist, or other qualified care provider that a disability is present including the name, title, license number, address, and signature of the qualified care provider.
-
Current disability and history of diagnosis (Although we do not set a limit on the age of the documentation, it must still be accurate and relevant to the student’s current diagnostic profile.)
-
Information regarding current treatment plan (if relevant to accommodation planning)
-
Functional impact of diagnosis (e.g., learning, concentrating, walking, seeing, etc.)
-
Any recommendations or strategies that will mitigate the Impact of the described limitations.
Rights and Responsibilities of Students with Disabilities
Every student with a disability at Virscend University has the right to:
-
Equal access to courses, programs, services, and activities offered through the University.
-
Reasonable accommodations and adjustments that are provided to eliminate disability-related barriers and achieve equal access.
-
Confidentiality of all disability-related information disclosed to the Director of Student Success except where permitted or required by law or when the student requests that such information be shared, as outlined by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).
Every student with a disability at Virscend University has the responsibility to:
-
Meet the same qualifications and academic standards expected of all Virscend students.
-
Follow procedures for requesting accommodations.
-
Notify the Director of Student Success immediately when an accommodation is not being provided appropriately.
-
Notify the Director of Student Success immediately when discontinuing an accommodation or dropping a course for which specialized accommodations were put into place.
Confidentiality
The Director of Student Success operates under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), and all information and medical documentation submitted to the office is protected under the parameters of this law. College officials who have a legitimate educational interest in obtaining information about student accommodations and disability needs may request this from the Director of Student Success on a need-to-know basis without further authorization from the student. The Director of Student Success strives to respect student privacy, especially surrounding diagnostic information, and takes care in staying within legal compliance with this information.
Furthermore, in order to safeguard the confidentiality of individuals with disabilities, evaluators may withhold or redact any portion of the documentation that is not directly relevant to the University's criteria for establishing a rationale for the requested accommodations as long as the remaining information substantiates the presence of a disability and all documentation criteria are met.
Grievance Procedures
Problems or complaints that students may have about students, faculty, staff or the institution can be resolved by directing the concern to the Grievance Committee (composed of one faculty and one staff). The Grievance Committee is in charge of investigating and providing a resolution to the grievance.
In order to process their grievance/complaint, the grievant must submit the online form (https://www.virscend.com/student-grievance-policy-and-procedure). The committee will send an acknowledgment by email/mail and schedule a meeting with the student within 10 days from which the letter was received.
However, if the grievant disapproves of the Committee’s response, the grievant may submit a complaint to the Office Academic Programs. The complaint may be sent via email (admission@virscend.com) or letter to the following name and address: Virscend University, Office of Academic Programs, Virscend University 16490 Bake Parkway, Irvine, CA 92618. The written complaint must contain a statement of the nature of the problem, the date the problem occurred, the names of the individuals involved, copies of documents, if any, which contain information regarding the problem, evidence (if any) demonstrating that the institution's grievance/complaint procedure was properly followed, and the student's signature. Upon review, the Program Director will send a written response to the individual within 10 business days. Please note that the University expressly forbids anyone to take any form of retaliatory action against any member of the Virscend community who in good faith voices concerns, seeks advice, files a complaint or grievance, testifies or participates in investigations, compliance reviews, proceedings or hearings, or opposes actual or perceived violations of Virscend’s University’s policy or unlawful acts.