The Wilmette Institute is committed to providing equal opportunities and fostering an inclusive learning environment for all individuals, including those with disabilities. In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and other applicable laws, the Institute will make reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities to ensure equal access to its educational programs, services, and activities. To support this commitment, we have developed the following Inclusive Learning and Accessibility Policy:
1. Definitions
Disability: For the purposes of this policy, a disability is defined as any physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities. This may include, but is not limited to, mobility impairments, sensory impairments, learning disabilities, chronic health conditions, and mental health conditions.
Reasonable Accommodation: A modification or adjustment that enables a qualified individual with a disability to participate in and benefit from the Institute’s educational programs, services, and activities.
2. Eligibility
Individuals who meet the definition of disability under the ADA and other applicable laws are eligible for reasonable accommodations. The Institute may request documentation from a qualified professional to establish the existence of a disability and the need for specific accommodations.
3. Requesting Accommodations
Students who require accommodations due to a disability must submit a formal request to the Office of Registration, Admissions, and Student Services, responsible for handling accommodation requests. Requests should be made as early as possible, preferably before the start of a course, to allow sufficient time for accommodations to be arranged.
Requests for accommodations should include relevant documentation of the disability, such as medical records or assessments, and a description of the requested accommodations. Accommodations are determined based on an interactive process between the student and the Student Services Coordinator.
4. Types of Accommodations
Accommodations are determined based on an interactive process between the student and the Student Services Coordinator who will work with students individually to determine appropriate accommodations based on their specific needs and the nature of the online course.
Accommodations may include, but are not limited to:
- Extended time for completing assignments
- Access to assistive technology or software
- Alternative formats for course materials
- Modifications to course requirements or activities
- Accessible course materials, including closed captioning for videos and transcripts for audio content
5. Confidentiality
All information about a student’s disability and accommodation requests will be confidential. Confidentiality extends to all individuals involved in the accommodation process and not only those directly arranging and implementing accommodations. Should faculty be informed that one of their students has a documented disability, faculty may discuss the matter only with that student or with others charged with providing assistance to that student. Under no circumstances will faculty discuss the student’s disability with other students, in or out of class.
6. Interactive Process
Wilmette Institute is committed to engaging in an interactive process with students to determine appropriate accommodations and meet their needs. Students are encouraged to communicate openly with the Office of Student Services about their accommodation needs and any issues or concerns that may arise during the course.
7. Grievance Procedure
Should a student or faculty have questions regarding the reasonable accommodation process at Wilmette Institute, or wish to discuss accommodation recommendations made for in a course by Office of Student Services, or in the event that there is a question or concern raised by any Wilmette Institute student or faculty regarding approved disability accommodations that remains unresolved after communication between the student and faculty, please contact the Student Services Coordinator learn@wilmeteinstitute.org for advice and/or assistance as soon as the matter is drawn to your attention. It is essential–both for concerns of student welfare and of following the law––that faculty are especially careful to meet all responsibilities related to students with disabilities.
If a student believes they have been denied reasonable accommodations or their needs have not been adequately addressed, they may file a grievance with the Wilmette Institute administration. Grievances will be addressed promptly and in accordance with the Wilmette Institute’s established procedures for resolving complaints related to disability accommodations.
8. Compliance with Applicable Laws
Wilmette Institute is committed to complying with all relevant laws and regulations regarding disability accommodations, including the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.
9. Accessibility
The Americans with Disability Act (ADA) of 1990, Section 504 of the 1973 Rehabilitation Act, states that all individuals should have equal accessibility — including online instructional opportunities. ADA requires that all online courses be fully compliant from the start of the course.
More and more WI students need our courses to be ADA-compliant. For example, the use of screen readers is becoming more common, so our courses need to facilitate their use. Course developers will develop ADA-compliant courses. Look at this checklist to see the elements involved in ADA-compliant courses.
Most elements for compliance are standard in WI courses and are incorporated when putting a course into Moodle. For example, WI will use its standard font (Arial), not colored or alternative fonts. Backgrounds and hyperlinks are also standardized to be ADA-compliant. WI will not publish unclear images, audio, or video files.
This section is dedicated to those elements of ADA compliance that the course developer and faculty can control. Below are some simple strategies for creating accessible courses and demonstrating due diligence.
- WI will avoid overuse of all capital letters, bold, or italics. Some faculty tend to bold many words to emphasize their point, but this is bad practice. Others tend to use all capital letters, especially in titles or italics. None of these are compliant with ADA standards. Notice that ADA compliance means avoiding overuse of these techniques, so bold, all caps, and italics should be used sparingly.
- Avoid underlining words, as screen readers may mistake them for navigation links. The only text that should be underlined is text that is hyperlinked.
- Add a written description for each image you include in the course.
- Use audio and video files that are simple to play and do not require external players.
- These elements also apply to Google Docs, PDF, and PowerPoint files that are linked to Moodle. Accessibility is not only for text published on Moodle but all published text. For these external files, WI will use only Arial or Helvetica (not Times New Roman or Palatino). WI will always use black font (default) on a light background.
Here are further Guidelines to make texts accessible.
Here is a helpful tutorial about making documents accessible.
10. Responsibility
It is the responsibility of the student to self-identify as an individual with a disability and to provide appropriate documentation to support the requested accommodations. The Institute will make reasonable efforts to accommodate qualified students with disabilities, but it is not required to provide accommodations that would fundamentally alter the nature of its programs or impose an undue hardship on the Institute.
The Wilmette Institute is committed to fostering an inclusive and welcoming environment for individuals with disabilities and promoting awareness and sensitivity towards disability-related issues. This policy aims to ensure that all students have equal access to educational opportunities and can participate fully in the Institute’s programs and activities.
11. Contact Information
Students with disabilities who require accommodations or have questions about this policy should contact the Wilmette Institute Office of Student Services: learn@wilmeteinstitute.org, (847) 733-3466.
12. Conclusion
The Wilmette Institute is committed to continuous improvement in accessibility and inclusivity.
Wilmette Institute is dedicated to fostering an inclusive learning environment where all students can thrive academically and personally. We are committed to working collaboratively with students with disabilities to provide reasonable accommodations that support their success in our graduate online courses. By adhering to this Inclusive Learning and Accessibility Policy, we aim to promote accessibility, equity, and diversity within our educational community.
