Reasonable Accommodation Policy
JGU is committed to an inclusive, equitable and accessible campus for every member of its community, including persons with disabilities. The Reasonable Accommodation Policy sets out how the university provides equal access to academic programmes, campus infrastructure, digital resources and co-curricular activities. Accommodations are individual, confidential and delivered through the Disability Support Committee (DSC) and the Disability Support Office (DSO). Between Spring 2025 and Spring 2026, the DSC supported between 133 and 150 registered students each semester, and between 7 and 14 JGU employees.
Reasonable Accommodation Policy
Policy Details
- Policy Name: Reasonable Accommodation Policy
- Legal Framework: Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 (Section 16(3)); Mental Healthcare Act, 2017; UGC guidelines
- Year Reviewed: 2026
1. Purpose and Principles
1.1 The policy provides a structured, transparent framework through which reasonable accommodations are requested, assessed, delivered and reviewed.
1.2 Its principles are: dignity and independence; individual assessment; the twin tests of reasonability and necessity; confidentiality; timely delivery; and no discrimination or retaliation.
1.3 It supports SDG Targets 10.2 and 10.3, and SDG 4 on inclusive and equitable education.
2. Scope and Definitions
2.1 The policy covers students, faculty, staff and visitors, and applies to physical, sensory, learning, medical and mental health conditions that are long-term or chronic.
2.2 Disability follows the meaning in the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016: a long-term physical, mental, intellectual or sensory impairment that, together with barriers, limits full and equal participation in society. The conditions listed in the Act include blindness, low vision, hard of hearing, speech and language disability, specific learning disabilities, autism spectrum disorders, chronic neurological disorders, blood disorders, intellectual disabilities, mental health conditions and multiple disabilities.
2.3 Reasonable accommodation means a decision to recommend changes to standard arrangements for study or work, which removes social or environmental barriers and enables a person with a disability to take part on an equal basis with others, without imposing a disproportionate or undue burden.
2.4 Domains covered: teaching and learning; assessment; library and digital resources; physical access and mobility; hostels and dining; employment and work conditions; events and co-curricular activities.
3. Policy Statement
3.1 JGU will provide reasonable accommodation to any member of its community who needs it because of a disability, and refusal of reasonable accommodation is treated as discrimination.
3.2 Accommodations are individual and are given case by case, depending on the nature and severity of the disability.
3.3 Accommodation changes how a person takes part, not the learning outcomes or essential requirements of a programme or role.
3.4 Examples include extended time for examinations, materials in alternative formats, assistive technologies, flexible attendance, note-taking support, remote participation options, scribes and readers, separate examination halls, adapted hostel rooms and mentoring.
3.5 DSC accommodations are recommendatory, and are implemented by instructors and departments as set out in section 5.
4. Governance and Responsibilities
4.1 The DSC assesses students with long-term disabilities, recommends accommodations, and reviews them. It does not give medical advice, counselling or disability certificates.
4.2 The DSO coordinates implementation with faculty, administrative departments, examinations, hostels, the library (including Abhigamya), counselling services, the Health Centre and Estates.
4.3 Medical experts evaluate each registering student and recommend accommodations.
4.4 Course instructors and the Office of Academic Affairs of each school implement recommended accommodations and may not refuse or alter them without referring back to the DSC.
4.5 The Sukoon Centre for Mental Health and the JGU Health Centre provide counselling, therapy and emergency care. The DSC refers mental health emergencies to them.
4.6 The Anti-Discrimination Committee hears complaints about refusal or failure to provide accommodation.
5. Procedure
5.1 Registration each semester: a person who meets the definition of disability registers with the DSC at the start of every semester, within the stated deadline. Previous registration does not carry over, and accommodations may differ from one semester to the next.
5.2 Stage I, form: the person fills in the registration form sent by the DSC. Errors or missing information may delay or prevent registration.
5.3 Stage II, assessment: the person is evaluated by a medical expert at an appointed time and brings the original documents, which are returned after the assessment. Registration takes a few weeks at the least, and the DSC does not undertake last-minute registrations.
5.4 Documents: mandatory documents are medical history, symptoms and diagnosis. Treatment details and a government disability certificate or UDID card are provided if available. A UDID card or government certificate may remove the need for a fresh assessment at re-registration, though the DSC may still ask for one.
5.5 Currency of documents: for mental health conditions, the diagnosis should be no more than 18 months old, or accompanied by a review no more than six months old, and made by an NMC-registered psychiatrist with an MD in psychiatry or an RCI-registered clinical psychologist, with evidence of at least three counselling sessions. For other disabilities, the diagnosis should be no more than three years old, or a diagnosis with a testing report made after the age of eighteen.
5.6 Stage III, implementation: recommended accommodations are communicated to course instructors and the Office of Academic Affairs of the school, with the DSC copied, and the person receives a confirmation. The person then discusses implementation with the instructors. Accommodations are not changed within a semester unless the condition changes significantly.
5.7 Re-sit examinations: re-sit examinations follow the end-term accommodations of the previous semester.
5.8 Short-term conditions: the DSC addresses long-term disabilities and does not grant relief for short-term or last-minute situations, such as injuries or panic attacks before an examination. Such cases are referred to the Health Centre or the Sukoon Centre for Mental Health.
5.9 Disagreement: a person who disagrees with a decision may ask the DSC to reconsider, and may then approach the Grievance Redressal Committee or the Anti-Discrimination Committee.
6. Funding Mechanism
6.1 Reasonable accommodation is funded by the university from its regular budget, so that no student or employee bears the cost of an accommodation recommended by the DSC.
6.2 The budget covers assistive technology and software, alternative-format conversion at the Abhigamya library section, scribes and readers, personal assistance, accessible transport, accessible facilities and awareness activities.
7. Confidentiality, Data and Non-Discrimination
7.1 The nature of a disability is shared only with the DSC administrator, chairperson and member secretary and with the medical experts evaluating the case.
7.2 The Office of Academic Affairs, faculty, the examinations office and other departments receive only the person's DSC status and accommodations, on a need-to-know basis, and must keep them strictly confidential.
7.3 Medical records are never shared without explicit consent. Data are held for the duration of registration or the degree programme and are then removed, and a person may withdraw consent at any time, which ends registration and accommodation.
7.4 The university has zero tolerance for discrimination and retaliation connected with disability or accommodation. Demeaning or maligning a person with a disability is a legal offence.
7.5 Registered students are expected to act with honesty and integrity in the process and to keep appointments. False documents or exaggeration of symptoms are treated seriously.
8. Monitoring and Review
8.1 The DSO maintains anonymised records of registrations, accommodations, employees supported, awareness activities and complaints, and reports each year to the university.
8.2 Improvement targets, such as accessibility works and awareness activities, are reviewed annually.
8.3 The policy is reviewed at least once every two years, and was last reviewed in 2026.
