At Longy, we provide educational access through support and accommodations for students with disabilities. We are committed to supporting and sustaining an inclusive campus that recognizes disability as an important part of the diverse campus of individuals that work and study here. We are dedicated to ensuring individuals with disabilities have an equal opportunity to fully participate in the educational process and musical experiences at Longy.

The Director of Academic Counseling coordinates reasonable accommodations and services for undergraduate and graduate students with documented disabilities in compliance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, and the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments of 2008. Such accommodations may include course materials in alternative formats, extended time in academic settings, as well as other arrangements.

You need to disclose your disability by contacting Director of Academic Counseling Ruth Blackburn. By law, you are eligible for academic accommodations only if you choose to apply for those accommodations through our office. A student that chooses not to self-disclose and follow the process below will not be eligible for accommodations and is, therefore, responsible for any academic outcomes. Accommodations are never retroactive, so we encourage you to begin this process as soon as possible – even before you arrive on campus. Once you choose to self-disclose your disability, the Director of Academic Counseling will be in touch with next steps, including instructions for submitting documentation.

Current documentation of your disability and the need for specific accommodation(s) must be submitted to the Director of Academic Counseling before Longy can determine a reasonable and appropriate accommodations plan. The cost of obtaining the documentation is the student’s responsibility. Appropriate documentation is considered a letter from your health care provider containing the following information:

• Confirmation that you are under the care of the submitting health care provider. The letter must be signed and dated within the last six months.
• A diagnosis. What is the current diagnosis and how does it impact your ability to complete your school or what activities does it limit?
• A proposed treatment plan. The plan should include recommendations regarding the specific types of activities for which accommodations are needed. The treatment plan should also be timebound (ie: What is the length of time the accommodations are needed? Is it a short-term prognosis or will the accommodations be needed until graduation?).

Please note that while an Individualized Education Program (IEP) or 504 plan can be helpful in determining possible accommodations, they do not qualify as appropriate documentation of your disability.

After appropriate documentation has been received, you will be contacted by the Director of Academic Counseling to arrange a meeting about potential accommodations. During this meeting, be prepared to discuss specific barriers or challenges in the classroom and potential accommodations that could alleviate these challenges. After your meeting, the Director of Academic Counseling may, with your permission, discuss potential accommodations with Longy’s Dean of the Conservatory or Associate Dean for Academic Affairs.

Once a decision about your request for accommodations has been reached, you will be notified by the Director of Academic Counseling. If the request is approved, Longy will set forth a plan to provide reasonable accommodations. An accommodation is a modification that is made to a course, program, service, job, activity or facility that eliminates or minimizes disability-related barriers. For accommodation to be deemed reasonable, it must not compromise essential requirements of a course, program, job, activity or facility, and it must not cause undue administrative or financial hardship. In addition, it must not compromise the safety of the student receiving the accommodation or of others, and it must not fundamentally alter a course or program.

At your request, the Director of Academic Counseling will produce a Letter of Accommodation at the beginning of each term. This letter will be sent to the appropriate faculty members by the Director of Academic Counseling. Information about your disability or diagnosis is never shared with faculty. The Letter of Accommodation is restricted to the acknowledgment of formal approval of the accommodations plan by Longy’s administration and an explanation of each accommodation. Please note that your accommodations plan can be updated at any time by contacting the Director of Academic Counseling, especially if there are developments related to the documentation of your disability. Even after accommodations have been approved based on a careful review of your disability file, you can choose not to use the accommodation(s). Faculty and staff will not grant accommodations without a formal Letter of Accommodation.