The era of fully remote learning due to COVID-19 has all but concluded for college and universities, but its impact has changed expectations for disability accommodations on campus. As colleges and universities attempt to go back to a new “normal” in a world after COVID and at a time when there is a decreasing stigmatization of mental health, they are faced with increasing accommodation requests from students that may change the conversation of what constitutes a fundamental alteration or an undue hardship. Institutions need to assess what is fundamental to their specific pedagogy and other campus experiences. Additionally, the current Presidential administration has demonstrated a commitment to reassessing federal disability regulations. In this 2-hour webinar, three NACUA member disability law experts, including a former attorney for the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights who also serves as a professor at Harvard’s Graduate School of Education will explore:   

• Considerations for evaluating requests for remote learning as an accommodation;
• Trends and tips for evaluating other accommodation requests that are increasingly focused on mental health disabilities rather than physical disabilities;
• Advice for responding to students who provide self-disclosures about their mental health history in less traditional ways, such as through admissions essays, but do not explicitly request accommodations with their institution;
• Guidance for thinking about remote and hybrid options with students who are struggling with self-harm or may pose a threat to others;
• Information on the current status of website accessibility requirements, as the topic takes on added importance where more campus and classroom activities are taking place virtually and using virtual resources.

Who should attend? 

This webinar will be of interest to college and university counsel who handle disability law related matters as well as campus administrators with responsibilities related to reviewing and approving accommodations for students or who otherwise work on disability law matters.