Accessibility

Students with Disabilities

At the Tuck School of Business, our goal is to support all students in achieving their academic and career goals. We encourage applicants with disabilities, who contribute to a diverse Dartmouth community, to apply for admission with the expectation that reasonable accommodations and access to Tuck’s graduate programs, including curricular and co-curricular pursuits, will be provided. Tuck and Dartmouth College are committed to ensuring equal access under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) as amended, and Sections 504 and 508 of the Rehabilitation Act. 

Applicants may disclose disability prior to admission but are not required to, nor will disability status or a request for accommodation to participate in the admissions process be considered in an admission decision. 

Disability disclosure can be made at any time; however, enrolled students are encouraged to engage the interactive process and request accommodations prior to the start of classes or as soon as a disability is identified. Early identification allows for a smooth transition and the implementation of auxiliary services or modifications in a timely manner. Students are further encouraged to make use of reasonable accommodations and the supports available throughout their enrollment.

Getting Started

Accommodations are determined on an individual basis through an interactive process that includes the student and Tuck and are based on federal law and Dartmouth College guidelines. MBA Program Associate Dean Sally Jaeger partners with Tuck students to determine reasonable accommodations and coordinates the provision of their disability-related accommodations.

To begin the interactive process, please submit the following information to Associate Dean Jaeger via postal mail or FAX. This information will be reviewed to determine formal eligibility for disability services and accommodations. Associate Dean Jaeger can be reached at:

Email: Sally.O.Jaeger@tuck.dartmouth.edu
Address:
100 Tuck Hall
Hanover, NH 03755
Phone: +1 603 646 2190
Fax: +1 603 646 7585

Please note - disability documentation may be submitted via email; however, such a transmission is not considered a secure or confidential method for sharing sensitive information.

  1. Current documentation establishing the presence, extent, and impact of the disability. In addition, documentation can offer recommendations regarding the specific types of accommodation the evaluator believes might be helpful in addressing the functional limitations posed by the condition.

    The Tuck School of Business adheres to the disability documentation guidelines established by Dartmouth College of Arts and Sciences’ Student Accessibility Services.  To ensure that complete information is submitted, students should refer to these guidelines and share them with their undergraduate institution or treating clinician.

    Students are responsible for obtaining and providing a complete and current evaluation and supporting documentation to the Tuck School of Business. If additional information is needed, including but not limited to additional assessment regarding current functional limitations, students will be notified.
     
  2. Record of accommodations received at an undergraduate institution or in an employment setting.
     
  3. Record of accommodations granted on the GMAT, GRE or other high-stakes admissions tests.
     
  4. Accommodations being requesting at the Tuck School of Business.

Our goal is to assist students in making as smooth a transition as possible. This is accomplished when students engage the interactive accommodation process, make accommodation requests, and ask questions about access and accommodations at Tuck and Dartmouth College in a timely manner. As some accommodations, require lead time to acquire or produce (e.g., document conversion to alternative formats or video captioning), it is a student’s responsibility to provide reasonable notice of such accommodation requests.

Rights and Responsibilities

Your Rights

Students with disabilities have the following rights:

  • Reasonable accommodation to ensure equal access to the curriculum, programs and activities, and the programs and activities of the Tuck School of Business and Dartmouth College.
  • Disclosure of disability status in order to request and receive reasonable accommodations.
  • Appropriate privacy regarding disability-related information.
  • Engagement of the alternative resolution and/or the institutional grievance procedure to address disability accommodation discrimination.
  • Non-discrimination by Dartmouth faculty, staff and students.

Your Responsibilities

Students with disabilities have the following responsibilities:

  • With or without reasonable accommodations, meet the qualifications for and fulfill the essential institutional standards for courses, programs, and activities. 
  • Self-identify as an individual with a disability and follow published procedures for engaging the interactive process to obtain reasonable accommodations, academic adjustments, assistive technology, auxiliary aids and services in a timely manner. 
  • Provide necessary documentation to establish disability and the need for accommodation to participate in courses, programs, services, and activities.
  • Recognize that accommodations are not retroactive and academic performance prior to disclosing disability and engaging the interactive process may remain unchanged.
  • Request accommodations from faculty, staff, or administration in a timely manner.
  • As part of the academic honor principle, accurately portray accommodation needs to faculty.

Injuries and Temporary Conditions

Temporary conditions such as broken bones, concussions, surgeries, or acute illnesses are generally not regarded as disabilities, as the degree of functional limitation and the duration (generally shorter than 6 months) of such impairments are usually not substantial enough to be considered a disability as defined by law. 

Temporary conditions that occur during a student’s tenure, however, may adversely affect a student's ability to fully participate in their program. At present, students may also be experiencing significant anxiety and/or depression related to COVID-19 or could become infected with COVID-19, which may warrant the provision of temporary academic adjustments or other supports. Students experiencing a temporary condition that impacts their schooling are encouraged to contact Associate Dean Jaeger to discuss possible remedies.

Supportive measures related to routine pregnancy or an active Title IX case are coordinated through the Title IX office.

Campus Resources for Students and Faculty

Campus Assessment/Documentation Options

Disability can occur or be identified at various stages in life, as a result of an accident, illness or because a condition that interferes with learning can go undetected through high school and college (e.g., learning disability or AD/HD). Moreover, the age of onset for many psychological conditions occurs in late adolescence and early adulthood, so a student may first begin experiencing a disability while at Dartmouth. Finally, many students don't realize that a condition they experience, such as a chronic health condition, may qualify as a disability that is eligible for services and support.
The following campus resources are available to help students with the following questions or concerns:

  • The Counseling Center can assist if the concern is:
    • primarily an inability to sustain attention or focus and to be screened for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.
    • related to symptoms of anxiety, depression, and other mental health concerns. Moreover, by engaging in treatment with the Counseling Center (or see a private mental health professional), a student’s provider may be able to submit documentation that qualifies for services and support through Tuck.
  • The Dartmouth College Health Service can assist students who have a current medical condition in  providing appropriate documentation that can be used in the interactive process with Tuck.

If neither of these routes feel quite right, Associate Dean Jaeger to available to discuss a student’s questions or concerns.

Student Organizations

The following student groups address disability and accessibility issues and are open to Dartmouth graduate and professional school students.

Access Dartmouth

Dartmouth Mental Health Student Union

Faculty Resources

The College of Arts and Sciences Student Accessibility Services (SAS) has developed a compendium of instructional best practices as well as detailed information regarding the interactive process, classroom accommodations and faculty rights and responsibilities. While some content is specific to students working with SAS, much of the information is relevant to all faculty within the graduate and professional schools at Dartmouth College.

Please visit the SAS Faculty pages for more information.    

Confidentiality

Disclosure of disability is voluntary and protected under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). Disability information will be shared only on a need-to-know basis with appropriate college officials when coordinating disability-related services and accommodations.

Disability Information

Information contained in a student's file is considered part of their educational record and is protected under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). Information may be released from the file in only three circumstances:

  • Court order
  • With the student's written permission
  • Internally within Dartmouth based on a legitimate educational reason

Tuck does not automatically notify a student's professors regarding a student’s approved accommodations once the student has registered for classes; students are responsible for communicating with each individual course/professor regarding the accommodations they are requesting. Similarly, Tuck will not share a student's documentation or other information with an external entity unless the student requests, in writing, that this information be shared and specifies exactly what information should be shared and with whom.

Resolving Concerns or Complaints

Dartmouth is committed to providing equal opportunities for students, faculty, staff, and visitors with disabilities to access and participate in academic, social, cultural and recreational programs at Dartmouth. This commitment is grounded not only in disability law, including Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Sections 504 and 508), the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) and the ADA Amendments of 2008, but also in Dartmouth’s commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging for all members of the academic community.

Dartmouth’s ADA/504 Coordinator (ADAC) in the Office of Institutional Diversity and Equity (IDE) serves as the first point of contact for information about Dartmouth’s Disability-Based Accommodation Grievance Procedures.

Alternative Resolution Process

Dartmouth encourages an efficient and informal resolution of concerns. In many instances, an informal process can resolve a disability-related accommodation concern in an efficient and expeditious manner. Students who have disability-related grievances associated with their status as a student (not a student-employee1) may initially attempt to resolve matters by contacting Associate Dean Jaeger to discuss the nature of the complaint, factors to consider as part of the interactive process, and whether an alternative resolution process with the relevant individual or program can be engaged.

Students who have been denied an accommodation by Associate Dean Jaeger may contact Dartmouth’s ADA/504 Coordinator (ADAC) in the Office of Institutional Diversity and Equity (IDE).

Formal Grievance Procedure

Students who are not satisfied with the alternative resolution process or who wish to engage in a formal grievance of a decision or action made by Tuck without first seeking an alternative resolution should follow the Dartmouth College Disability-Based Grievance Procedures for Students. Dartmouth’s ADA/504 Coordinator is responsible for responding to allegations of discrimination in the accommodation process.

The accommodation grievance procedure is responsive to situations where there is a disagreement with any action, inaction, or decision made by Tuck resulting in a failure to implement an agreed-upon accommodation, the quality of the accommodation provided, the timeliness of the receipt of the accommodation, an accommodation denial, or any other accommodation-based claim.

Allegations of disability-related discrimination unrelated to the accommodation process are addressed through the Equal Opportunity Grievance Procedures in the Office of Institutional Diversity and Equity (IDE) .

1Students who have been denied an accommodation in their status as a student employee (including as a teaching, research or project assistant or post-doctoral trainee) should follow the appeals procedures for staff.