The University is committed to working with enrolled students who have disabilities as defined under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), and the ADA Amendments Act (ADAAA) of 2008 and March 2011. The Dean of Student Services will work on an individual, case-by-case basis to create a plan of reasonable accommodation for any student who, through recent assessment and diagnosis, can document a disability.
Entering students whose disabilities may require accommodations must bring their written requests for reasonable accommodations and required documentation to the attention of the Dean of Student Services and/or the person designated by the Dean as early as possible before the beginning of the quarter.
Continuing students have an affirmative duty to notify the University in writing and provide the required documentation regarding requests for reasonable accommodations to the Dean of Student Services and/or person designated by the Dean no later than two weeks prior to the date of mid-term exams, final exams, or due dates for writing assignments.
All students who require auxiliary services must also contact the Dean of Student Services and/or a person designated by the Dean and provide written documentation related to their disability from a qualified medical professional, along with a written request for auxiliary services, as early as possible before the beginning of each quarter.
Students who request accommodations because of a learning disability are required to provide written documentation that:
- Is prepared by a professional qualified to diagnose a learning disability, including but not limited to a licensed physician, learning disability specialist, or psychologist
- Includes the testing procedures followed, the instruments used to assess the disability, the test results,and an interpretation of the test results
- Reflects the individual’s present level of achievement
The student’s documentation should be as comprehensive as possible and dated no more than three years prior to the student’s request for services unless the student had documentation as an undergraduate.
Documentation should adequately measure cognitive abilities (using the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised or equivalent test) and academic achievement skills (using Woodcock-Johnson Part II, Wide Range Achievement Test, Nelson Denny or equivalent test). The achievement test should sample reading, math, and writing. The documentation must include test results for at least the following characteristics: intelligence, vocabulary, reading rate, reading comprehension, spelling, mathematical comprehension, memory, and processing skills.
The University keeps all information about a student’s disability confidential and discloses such information only to the extent necessary to provide accommodation. Where it is deemed appropriate by the Dean of Student Services and/or person designated by the Dean, a qualified professional may be retained by the school to determine the appropriate accommodation for a disability. The Dean of Student Services and/or person designated by the Dean is vested with the authority to develop a reasonable accommodation plan for all qualified persons with a disability at the University under the ADA or Rehabilitation Act.
Any student who identifies physical, architectural, or other barriers should promptly bring these to the attention of the Dean of Student Services and/or the person designated by the Dean.
A student may appeal the decision by the Dean of Student Services and/or the person designated by the Dean regarding the existence of a disability, the denial of an accommodation, or the provisions of the accommodation plan by filing a written complaint with the Dean, no later than two weeks following notification of the decision. The Dean of Student Services’ decision shall be final. For accommodations, the student should email student_services@sofia.edu to contact the Dean of Student Services.