Academic Adjustments in Higher Education

The bill requires each institution of higher education (institution) in Colorado to create and adopt a policy and a process to support the ability of a prospective, admitted, or enrolled student with a disability (student) to voluntarily self-disclose the student's disability so the student can receive an academic adjustment from the institution and to engage in an interactive process with the institution to receive an academic adjustment.

The adopted policy must, at a minimum, include information that:

• Describes the institution's process to determine whether a student is eligible for an academic adjustment;
• Outlines documentation that the institution may request to determine whether a student is eligible for an academic adjustment;
• Provides information on the available disability resources and academic adjustments provided to students with disabilities; and
• Describes a grievance procedure for students who dispute a decision made by the institution. Describes an appeals process for academic adjustment decisions that focuses on documentary review.

Each institution shall distribute the policy in an accessible format to applicants, students, parents, and faculty. The institution shall make the policy available:

• During the student application process;
• During student orientation;
• In academic catalogues; and
• On the institution's website.

Each institution shall publish the policy on the institution's website in an accessible format.

The bill describes the documentation that an admitted or enrolled a student may submit to an institution to request an academic adjustment for an institution to determine whether a student is eligible for an academic adjustment.

(Note: Italicized words indicate new material added to the original summary; dashes through words indicate deletions from the original summary.)

(Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)