Students with Disabilities
The faculty, staff, and administration of Massachusetts College of Art and Design are committed to fostering the academic, personal, and professional growth of our students. We are especially committed to ensuring that students with documented disabilities, as defined under the Americans with Disabilities Amendments Act of 2008 (ADAAA), are provided equal access to all campus resources and opportunities.
MassArt recognizes and respects federal laws prohibiting disability discrimination. We take our obligation seriously and strive to meet the needs of students with documented disabilities in the most appropriate ways possible. It is our goal to serve students in ways that not only level the proverbial playing field, but also promote development of self-advocacy skills and strategies to overcome adversity in order to promote life-long learning and academic, personal, and professional success.
Self-identification process
According to the ADAAA, students seeking services and/or accommodations must first self-identify themselves to the appropriate disability-related person or department at the school. Parents, guardians, former guidance counselors, and clinicians cannot self-identify for a college student over the age of 18. He/she must self-identify on his/her own.
The most efficient way to self identify is to do the following:
1. Secure appropriate documentation from your doctor/clinician. To speed the process, please provide your clinician with the appropriate documentation guidelines required by Mass Art.
2. Contact Mercedes Evans, Director, Civil Rights Compliance and Diversity MassArt, Tower 815, 621 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, (617) 879-7060 mercedes.evans@massart.edu.
3. Complete the ADAAA form (available in the Office of Civil Rights Compliance and Diversity, or the Registrar's Office, or it can be mailed to you). Return the completed form to Mercedes Evans, along with the appropriate supporting documentation.
4. Catherine Fabio, MassArt's learning specialist ((617) 879-7958, cfabio@massart.edu), will examine the documentation and make a decision about the appropriateness of the accommodations request. You may be asked to come in for a clinical interview and/or to provide additional information.
5. Students meet with Catherine Fabio each semester in order to write memos to professors and to discuss the student's and the institution's rights and responsibilities.