Section 504 Coordinator

Role, Responsibilities, and Training Requirements &

Posting Information about 504 Coordinator

Sterling College’s ADA/Section 504 coordinator and compliance officer (the “504 Coordinator”) has responsibility for issues related to Sections 503 and 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act (“Section 504/ADA”). 

504 Coordinator & Contact Information

Effective May 2023, Sterling College’s Section 504 Coordinator is:

Craig Wilson
Director of Learning Support
[email protected]
802-586-7711

Role & Responsibilities

The 504 coordinator is responsible for coordinating Sterling College’s efforts to comply with and carry out its responsibilities under Section 504/ADA, overseeing its policies and procedures relating to persons with disabilities, tracking college progress relating to its policies and procedures as well as state and federal laws relating to persons with disabilities, filing all necessary reports, and providing training and consultative services to other personnel of the College related to the same.

The Coordinator’s responsibilities will include, but are not limited to, the following:

  1. Maintaining comprehensive knowledge of the College’s Accessibility and Accommodation Policy and its Section 504/ADA grievance procedures, which incorporate appropriate due process standards and that provide for the prompt and equitable resolution of complaints alleging any action prohibited by Section 504.  

  2. Participating in annual training regarding the requirements of Section 504/ADA.

  3. Researching and remaining aware of best practices regarding accessibility and accommodation at other very small and rural institutions of higher education, with an emphasis on those that use highly experiential pedagogies.

  4. Communicating the requirements of Section 504/ADA to other employees of the College who may be unaware of their responsibilities, including by offering perioding internal training or tutorials.

  5. Developing and disseminating  informational and educational materials regarding College’s policies relating to equal opportunity for persons with disabilities in work, community, and academics, and fielding queries regarding disability accommodation and universal design for learning;

  6. Chairing the College’s Accessibility and Accommodations Team, which reviews student disability documentation and accommodation requests;

  7. Supporting all College personnel in effectively providing reasonable accommodations to persons with disabilities while maintaining program and performance standards;

  8. Promptly addressing and correcting the failure of any individual employee or employees to comply with Section 504 or the College’s Accessibility and Accommodation Policy, in collaboration with the supervisors of said employees;

  9. Overseeing and having ultimate responsibility for the College’s investigation of, and prompt and equitable response to, all alleged actions that would be prohibited by Section 504/ADA of which a responsible College employee is, or should be, aware;

  10. Confidentially maintaining records of all disability and accommodation matters (inclusive of both accommodation requests and grievances) and their resolution; and

  11. Annually reviewing all alleged acts that would be prohibited by Section 504/ADA of which a responsible employee is aware in order to  identify and address:

  • any patterns or systemic problems; 

  • whether any individuals engaged in repeated misconduct; 

  • whether there are any patterns of barriers to reporting for any group; and/or 

  • if reports were not processed promptly and equitably in compliance with the College’s Section 504 grievance procedures.

Posting of Information Regarding the Section 504 Coordinator

  • The name, title, and contact information for the College’s Section 504 Coordinator is published in the following places:

    • In the College’s Notice of Non-Discrimination, which is published on the College’s Website, in its Student Handbook, and in its Employee Handbook;

    • Sterling College’s Student Handbook: The Student Handbook, which contains the entire Accessibility & Accommodations Policy, is published on the College’s Website, linked in the College’s weekly electronic newsletter, and available on the Student Google Drive;

    • In this document, which is accessible via hyperlink from the College’s Accessibility & Accommodations Policy and Student Handbook and is posted to the Student Google Drive; and

    • On bulletin boards around campus in areas that students frequent (e.g., in the buildings that house faculty offices, classrooms, and our dining hall.