If you are in need of a reasonable accommodation please use the information for students, faculty, staff and visitors below.
Towson University will provide reasonable accommodation(s) upon request to otherwise qualified employees and students as required by law to ensure equal access to University employment, educational opportunities, programs, services and activities in the most integrated setting, to the extent such accommodation(s) do not impose an undue hardship on the university, constitute a fundamental alteration to a program or compromise academic integrity. In general, it is the responsibility of the employee or student to make their disability status and need for accommodation known.
Once the need for accommodation becomes known, it is the responsibility of the university and the individual with a disability to engage in a dialogue to identify possible accommodations to assess their reasonableness and effectiveness. Determinations regarding accommodations are made on a case-by-case basis.
Towson University provides reasonable accommodations to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to enjoy equal employment opportunities. Reasonable accommodations for employees are handled through TU’s Office of Human Resources. For more information, email adarequest AT_TOWSON or call 410-704-2162 during regular business hours.
Towson University provides applicants and candidates with disabilities accommodations for the application and interview process. To request disability accommodation(s) please submit the Applicant Disability Accommodation Request Form. For questions, please email the Office of Human Resources at adarequest AT_TOWSON or call 410-704-2162 during regular business hours.
In the context of higher education, a reasonable accommodation is a modification or adjustment in the academic environment that enables a qualified student with a disability equal access to the university's programs, courses, services and activities. Examples of reasonable accommodations may include, but are not limited to: testing accommodations, note-taking assistance, alternate formats for printed material, interpreting or transcription services, reading and writing software, para-transit registration and internship accommodations.
Accessibility and Disability Services works with students with disabilities who wish to request an accommodation. A student with a disability is encouraged to register with our office as soon as possible after admission to the university to ensure timely provision of services.
For more information and for the Accessibility and Disability Services Application, please see the Accessibility and Disability Services or call (410) 704-2638.
Visitors who have questions regarding accessibility for a particular event or who need to request an accommodation for a disability (sign language interpreter, wheelchair access, etc.) should fill out the Visitor Disability Accommodation Request Form. For questions, please contact Inclusion and Institutional Equity by email ada AT_TOWSON or by phone (410) 704-0203.
Commencement
Towson University is committed to ensuring that Commencement is accessible to all students and members of the public. A student with a disability who needs an accommodation at the ceremony should contact Accessibility & Disability Services.
Guests with mobility needs who do not have a state-issued disability license plate or hang tag should park in the designated lot based on whether or not they have a Commencement Graduate permit. If you have a Commencement Graduate permit, you should park as directed by staff in one of the Graduate parking lots (13, 14 or 19) at the Towson Center. If you do not have a Commencement Graduate permit, you should park in the Union garage. Para-transit services will be available from all Towson Center lots to transport guests with mobility needs to the Towson Center. Guests who utilize para-transit services from the Towson Center lots are welcome to have one other member of their party ride the para-transit van with them.
Shuttle buses will also be available to transport guests, including those with mobility needs, from the Union garage to the Towson Center.
After the ceremony, shuttles and para-transit service will be available to transport passengers back to parking lots. For those with mobility needs who are returning to Towson Center lots 13, 14 or 19, please look for posted signs outside of the Towson Center where you were dropped off, or speak with a Parking & Transportation representative. If you are returning to the Union garage, please look for the shuttle buses marked for the “Union Garage.”
Service may be requested by speaking with a Parking & Transportation staff member or by calling 410-704-RIDE (7433).
The university will take appropriate steps to ensure that communications with individuals with disabilities are as effective as communications with others. The university will provide appropriate auxiliary aids and services where necessary to afford qualified individuals with a disability, including applicants, participants, companions, and members of the public, an equal opportunity to participate in, and enjoy the benefits of, the services, programs and activities of the University.
Here are some resources on conducting a live and accessible virtual meeting or event on platforms such as WebEx.
TU recommends requiring registration for your event and to include a field asking if registrants have a need for a disability accommodation. We recommend that the registration period be closed 48 hours in advance of your event to ensure adequate time for making accommodations.
If registration is not feasible and you anticipate 15 attendees or more, arrange for live captioning as part of your initial planning. If registration is not feasible and you expect 15 participants or less, you must advertise how to request an accommodation for the event in a prominent place in all messaging and advertising about the event. We suggest including information about when accommodation requests should be made by, such as “captioning requests should be made 48 hours in advance.”
The cost for live captioning is $118 per hour. To arrange for captioning, please contact OTS Accessibility at otsaccessibility AT_TOWSON at least 48 hours in advance of your event.
Our live captioning approach consists of a separate URL that users may view next to the main meeting window for a real-time transcription feed, by an actual person and not AI. Every live TU event with captioning will have its own unique URL. If you know you will be captioning the event in advance and have already initiated captioning services through OTS Accessibility, provide the URL with your initial invitation.
If your event invitation has already gone out, edit any applicable invitations to include the transcription URL. Additionally, you should paste the transcription URL into the meeting chat box upon launch, and then do so again about 10 minutes after you begin so that any late arrivals know how to access the live transcription feed.
If you plan to record your event and provide access on-demand via the web, your video should be closed captioned. Some departments on campus are equipped to provide captioning internally and have established captioning processes; if you are not in one of these departments and need guidance on captioning, please contact OTS Accessibility at otsaccessibility AT_TOWSON.
TU supports numerous virtual event/meeting platforms. Though there is not a one size fits all solution when it comes to accessible technology, OTS Accessibility is available for consultations to determine what platform may be best for your audience. For consultation, please contact OTS Accessibility at otsaccessibility AT_TOWSON.
The university is committed to affording equal opportunity to individuals with disabilities by providing physical access to its programs, activities and services.
If any individual has difficulty navigating the physical environment of the university, please contact the Office of Inclusion and Institutional Equity by phone at 410-704-0203 or by email at ada AT_TOWSON.