Nondiscrimination/Accessibility

Concordia University, St Paul does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, or age in its programs according to both state and federal legislation which prohibits discrimination in any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.

The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding discrimination, including 504/ADAAA concerns and Title IX grievances:

Dee Ann Kerr
Director of Human Resources – Operations
kerr@csp.edu
651.641.8794

Concerns about Web Accessibility should be forwarded to: communications@csp.edu

Concordia University, St. Paul community members shall be able to pursue their interests in a safe and respectful environment free from any form of sexual misconduct.  The university will not tolerate such acts against its members, will investigate reported incidents of sexual misconduct, and will apply student conduct action, when appropriate.

• CSP Title IX Information

1. Contact Student Accessibility Services (SAS) to set up an intake appointment. Email is the best way to contact our staff!
2. Provide documentation of your disability to our staff. See the attached information on documentation requirements. Provide the documentation form to your care provider to complete and send it to our office. It is the responsibility of the student to provide documentation to our office but we are happy to assist. We need to have documentation in most cases prior to services or accommodations being implemented.
3. Come to the intake meeting (in person, online or over the phone). Discuss with our staff accommodations/academic adjustments you’ve had previously, your current functional limitations due to your medical condition or disability and any issues you currently have. This is in order to develop your accommodation plan VISA (Verification of Individualized Accommodations/Services or VISA) for the academic year.
4. Participate in meetings/training regarding services you are approved for, such as note-taking, alternative testing, etc.
5. Meet with your professors to discuss your accommodations/VISA form early each semester.  An important note:  Even if SAS has sent a VISA or information on approved accommodations on your behalf, instructors and students still need to discuss this for each class to ensure access is provided while essential elements of classes/programs are upheld.
6. Check your CSP email/portal for important information about deadlines or disability services information. Contact us with questions. 

Accommodations and academic adjustments are made on an individual, case-by-case basis and may differ from services provided at other institutions, including high school.

Concordia University, St Paul is committed to providing web-based information and services in an accessible manner to all users, including persons with disabilities pursuant to Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act, Section 508.

Marketing and Communications, in cooperation with Student Accessibility Services, strives to provide any information with the accessibility compliance (WCAG 2.0 Level AA). Retroactive changes are being implemented and as guidelines change, updates will be provided as soon as possible to ensure a high standard of access. Websites will be monitored regularly for compliance by both CSP and associated vendors as per VPAT agreements.

This policy applies to any website creators or maintainers across campus including faculty, administrators, students and staff who update their own websites or third-party vendors and contractors whose web presence is formally associated with Concordia University St. Paul.

General guidelines for site accessibility:

1. Add alternative text descriptions (ALT tags) for any graphics, videos, animations or other non-text elements on a page.
2. Videos that are uploaded should be captioned for individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing (Youtube is the recommended option).
3. Transcriptions may be needed for some auditory elements.
4. Ensure color contrast is accurate.
5. Ensure high readability font is used (Verdana or Arial and 12 point).
6. List descriptive texts for hyperlinks (not “click here”).
7. Avoid flickering elements on a web page that may stimulate seizures.
8. Make sure the site can be accessed using keyboard functions alone.
9. If a timely response is required, alert the user and allow options for additional time.

A cursory, general evaluation tool, the WAVE accessibility evaluator, can be accessed here: http://wave.webaim.org/
Questions about access can be directed to Marketing and Communications or Student Accessibility Services.

Adapted with permission from: University of Wisconsin System, The Web Accessibility Initiative, The University of San Diego and Fletcher Disability Consulting.