Disability Services
The mission of Disability Services is to ensure equal access for qualified students with disabilities, encourage self-determination skill development, and to work collaboratively with students, faculty, and staff to promote and facilitate an inclusive campus community.
Academic Accommodations
- IU Disability Services Accommodation Request Form – Submit this form along with the appropriate documentation if you are a new student requesting academic accommodations due to a physical, learning, psychological, or medical disability/condition.
- IU Disability Services Academic Accommodations Renewal Request Form – Submit this form if you are a returning student and are requesting to renew your academic accommodations for the upcoming semester.
- Documentation Guidelines– Students requesting any type of accommodation must provide supporting documentation of a disability from their treating health care provider. Please review the documentation guidelines for more information.
Academic accommodation as required by law is not meant to diminish academic standards. It is intended to create an opportunity for students with disabilities to learn and for professors to evaluate fairly. Students with disabilities expect access and opportunities, not alterations in academic expectations. Academic requirements and course objectives should remain unchanged. Modifications may need to be made in the way a student receives information or demonstrates knowledge but not in the academic proficiency standards. In accordance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 as amended, Immaculata University prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability and provides reasonable accommodations to students unless doing so would fundamentally alter the nature of a service, program, or activity, or would result in an undue financial or administrative burden.
Although it is the duty of the University to provide reasonable accommodations, it is the responsibility of the student with the need to request a reasonable accommodation in a realistic time frame.
A reasonable academic accommodation is one that does not require a substantial change in the curriculum or alteration of any essential elements of the course, program, service, or activity. Reasonable accommodations are tailored to the needs of the student and determined on a case-by-case and course-by-course basis.
There is no one list of reasonable academic accommodations that will serve the needs of all students with disabilities. The following are some typical examples:
- Extended time on exams or tests
- Distraction-reduced testing environment
- Reader or auxiliary aid to read aloud exam
- Audio recording of lectures
- Alternate textbooks
- Text-to-speech assistive technology
- Alternatives to computer-scored answer sheets
- Arrange for students with a hearing loss to have sound amplified (This may require faculty to wear a voice amplifying microphone.)
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Service & Emotional Support Animals on Campus
Animals that assist students with disabilities are welcome on campus. It is important to note that service animals and emotional support animals are defined differently, and each type has specific requirements and permissions regarding their presence on campus.
Service Animals
The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) defines service animals as “dogs that are individually trained to do work or perform tasks for an individual with a disability.” This includes individuals with physical, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual, or other mental disabilities. “The work or task a dog has been trained to provide must be directly related to a person’s disability.”
A student with a documented disability does not need an accommodation to bring a service animal on campus, but they are encouraged to reach out to the Office of Disability Services beforehand to help ensure a smooth transition. Service animals are permitted in all areas where students are allowed.
The United States Department of Justice has developed a useful brief about service animals in public and private spaces, addressing common questions and concerns regarding what is permitted under Federal law. For more information, please see the U.S. Department of Justice ADA Publication on Service Animals to learn more.
Emotional Support Animals
Emotional support animals are not recognized under the ADA, as they are not trained to perform specific tasks for individuals with disabilities. However, some students with certain disabilities may experience symptom relief through the comfort and companionship these animals provide. Emotional support animals are only allowed in campus residence halls with a formal accommodation approved by Disability Services. Students seeking this housing accommodation must complete the accommodations process.
Prior to bringing the animal to campus, the student must complete all required forms and documentation and engage in the interactive process with the Office of Disability Services. Please note that the accommodations review process can take up to two weeks from submission of forms and documentation.
Approved emotional support animals are not permitted in other students’ rooms, in common areas of the residence hall (with the exception of transporting the animal in or out of the building), or non-residence halls, such as the library, dining hall or in other campus buildings.