FAQ

• An accommodation allows a student to complete the same assignment or test as other students, but with a change in the timing, formatting, setting, scheduling, response and/or presentation
• It does not alter in any significant way what the test or assignment measures
• They are in place to “level the playing field” Which means to give everyone the same advantages or opportunities

Students should ccontact the Inclusion and Special Needs Support Center to initiate the process through e-mail: specialneeds@qu.edu.qa or visit the center in the female activities building (C05) first floor office # 229.

Colleges are required to provide any reasonable accommodation that may be necessary for equal access to education. They are not required to design special programs for students with disabilities or have Individualized Educational Plans (IEP’s).

Students with disabilities must apply to QU through the regular admissions procedure and when they get accepted, they should register in the Inclusion and Special Needs Support Center.

If you suspect you have a disability that is affecting your academic performance, you will need to provide documentation of that disability to the Inclusion and Special Needs Support Center.

Colleges are not required to conduct or provide testing or evaluations to determine is a student has a disability. The student is responsible for providing current documentation, and any additional testing to support the requested accommodations, if necessary. However, Disability Services does provide referral information for local evaluators.

A student with a disability is responsible for requesting accommodations through inclusion and special needs center. The Inclusion and Special Needs Support Center. will not seek students out. A student with a disability is also responsible for providing acceptable documentation of his or her disability that supports the accommodation requests.

A student with a disability does not have to disclose his or her disability to Qatar University. Disclosure of a disability is on a voluntary basis. However, a student will not receive accommodations unless he or she discloses this information.

A student meeting the essential requirements for admission to Qatar University will not be denied admission solely on the basis of disability.

There is no charge for receiving accommodations from inclusion and special needs center

Students with disabilities have the right to equal access to courses, programs, activities, services, and facilities offered at Qatar University. Students are also entitled to reasonable accommodations. All information about the student’s disability is to be kept confidential. Students have the responsibility to provide acceptable documentation of disabilities and to register with inclusion and special needs center if they would like to receive accommodations. If students deem it necessary to receive accommodations for a particular class, students have the responsibility to inform the instructor, to deliver the accommodations letters that verify their approved accommodations, and to participate in the discussions about how their needs can be met.

An instructor has the right to confirm a student’s request for accommodations and to ask for clarification about a specific accommodation with inclusion and special needs center. Instructors do not have the right to refuse to provide an accommodation or to review a student’s documentation including diagnostic data. Instructors have a responsibility to work with inclusion and special needs center in providing reasonable accommodations. Instructors do not have to provide accommodations for students not registered with inclusion and special needs center.

An instructor has the responsibility to make reasonable accommodations because accommodations make it possible for a student with a disability to overcome barriers enabling the student to communicate what he or she knows. The instructor also has a legal responsibility to provide appropriate accommodations. To determine appropriate accommodations for a student, the student must submit acceptable documentation to inclusion and special needs center. The special needs specialist reviews the information and determines appropriate accommodations.

If an instructor feels that a particular student may have a substantially limiting disability, he or she should refer the student to inclusion and special needs center.

A student with a disability who is disruptive in class should be treated as an instructor would treat any student who is disruptive in class. If an instructor feels that there is a disability-related reason for the student’s behavior, the instructor can discuss this with the special needs specialist in inclusion and special needs center to determine if there is a solution to the problem or strategies for addressing the behavior.

It is important for instructors to remember that providing reasonable accommodations to a student with a disability does not guarantee success in the course. Students with disabilities may not master the course material, just like any other student. Students with disabilities have the same right as other students to fail as part of their educational experience.