Laboratory Science Accommodation for Student with Disabilities

Villanova University recognizes its responsibility to provide alternatives to the laboratory experience for those students who have documented physical disabilities and are unable to perform laboratory work. Mendel Science Experience courses are a part of the Core Curriculum in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and each of these courses is coordinated lecture/laboratory. In the event that a student has a proven disability, verified by a physician, the student should meet with the course professor at the start of the semester to discuss alternative to the co-requisite laboratory. In lieu of a laboratory, an appropriate alternative experience may be obtained by performing library research on a specific topic agreed upon by the student and the professor – one relevant to the course material and equivalent in rigor to a three hour laboratory.

The student and faculty member should fill out a form designating, the topic to be researched, the expectations of the faculty member in terms of coverage, rigor, and due date. Both the faculty member and student should sign and date the form prior to sending it to Dr. Crystal Lucky, Associate Dean for Baccalaureate Studies, SAC 105.