Students with documented language-based learning disabilities that specifically impact their ability to learn a foreign language can petition for a modification of the College’s foreign language requirement. The procedure is as follows:
Provide Accessibility Services with documentation that is recent and comprehensive and substantiates the specific language-based learning disability and it’s impact on the student’s ability in the area of foreign language acquisition.
Based on the review of the documentation and the student’s past history in foreign language courses (from high school until the date of the petition), a determination will be made if the course substitution is warranted.
If warranted, the student can choose two courses across the curriculum within the same culture that are taught in English in consultation with their Student Success Advisor.
The student must complete a petition to the Committee on Academic Standing. Jerimiah Bergstrom, Director, Accessibility Services and the Student Success Advisors are available to help students complete the petition. The petition should include the following relevant information:
- a personal statement by the student indicating the reasons for the request, including prior experiences with the subject matter.
- verification of a disability-related accommodation by Jerimiah Bergstrom’s signature on the petition
- the alternative courses the student has chosen in consultation with their Student Success Advisor.
Jerimiah Bergstrom or the Student Success Advisor will submit the petition to the Registrar for approval.