Common Questions
The following questions are commonly asked of the ASC staff. If you have questions that are not addressed here, please feel free to contact the ASC.
1. Will I be able to handle the work at McDaniel College ?
Each student who is accepted to the College is considered to be qualified to perform college level academics. There is a range of abilities within the population of students who have disabilities as there is among the students who do not have disabilities. Some students will do better than others, some will have to work harder than others. Few ASC first year students are dismissed for academic reasons.
2. Are the faculty willing to provide accommodations?
The faculty have been very willing to provide the accommodations that have been requested. Students have received extended time on tests, alternative test forms, orally presented tests, note takers, and more. The low instructor to student ratio makes it easier to get the extra attention that is sometimes required.
3. Will I graduate with my class?
Some students take up to five years to complete the 128 credits that are required to graduate. This is usually due to taking less than 16 credits each semester. A student can take reduced credits each semester and still graduate with his/her class if they take more than one January term and go to school during the summer. It is common for students to take summer courses at their local community college and transfer the credits into McDaniel College. It is imperative, though, that students check with McDaniel College first to make sure that the credits are acceptable to McDaniel College.
4. Why are they called 504 services?
The number "504" comes from the Federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Section 504 of that act is the basis for the advocacy that is done on this campus. Any organization that receives federal funds may not discriminate against qualified individuals based on a disability. Students with documented disabilities have a legal right to specific accommodations.
Section 504 states:
No otherwise qualified handicapped individual in the United States...shall, solely by reason of [his or her] ...handicap, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or subjected to discrimination under any program actively receiving federal financial assistance.
You should know that in asking for accommodations, such as a separate room for exams, alternative test formats, additional time to complete degree requirements, or taped texts, you are not asking for special concessions. Such accommodations are within your legal rights.