Susquehanna University is committed to working with students who have disabilities by providing reasonable and adequate accommodations. Our director of disability services works with students to develop self-advocacy skills and provides guidance to assisting students with disabilities.
Students must complete and submit a Request for Accommodations form and attach appropriate supporting documentation. Appropriate documentation must be attached to this form in order for your request to be processed. Please do not complete the form until you have your documents ready to attach. Documentation may be attached as a pdf, word document, or image (.jpeg, .png). PDF documents are preferred. If you have a hard copy of the documentation, you can scan it into a PDF. If you do not have a scanner, there are free scanner apps that you can download on your smartphone (i.e., Adobe Scan, Scanner App, Scanner Pro, and CamScanner).
Documentation must include the following:
Students will receive an email to schedule a meeting with the Director of Disability Services. During the meeting, the student and the Director will discuss eligibility for accommodations, rights, and responsibilities.
PLEASE NOTE: Processing accommodations can take up to two weeks.
Students and faculty will receive Letters of Agreement for Accommodation through their SU email. Students will identify which faculty members they would like notified about their approved academic accommodations.
Students are responsible for making arrangements for extended testing time, testing in a noise reduced area, etc.
Accommodations are determined on a case-by-case basis depending upon the supporting evidence and recommendations given in the documentation. There must be a direct connection between the disability/condition and the accommodations being requested. If the documentation is incomplete or does not support your requests, further information may be needed. Accommodations will not be given if they alter the essential fundamental elements of a course.
The following are some frequently used accommodations:
Contact the Office of Disability Services to discuss specific needs for alternate texts as soon as schedules have been finalized. We will assist students in obtaining texts by:
Contact the director of disability services to receive approval before taking any books to the Print Shop so they can be informed that the student has been approved for an e-text. Remember:
Audio books can be obtained from the Recordings for the Blind & Dyslexic at http://www.bookshare.com.
The Office of Disability Services and the Office of Information Technology will work with students to identify arrangements for access to assistive technology software. Contact the Office of Disability Services to request technical help.
Students at Susquehanna are never exempt from taking a required course but substitutions may be considered.
Substitutions must be approved through the Disability Services Office.
No student is given a course substitution before acceptance or as a condition of their acceptance. Students wishing to obtain a course substitution must inform the director of disability services as soon as possible upon being accepted.
Some students may need more help being proactive because of a disability or sensitive issues surrounding a condition.
Students are encouraged to discuss their issue with the director of disability services and possibly the resident assistant (RA) as early as possible in the semester.
Students with chronic health impairments are encouraged to discuss their condition with the director of disability services, RA and roommate (if appropriate) as soon as possible, particularly if the condition will worsen with continuous conflict and stress.
Report any roommate conflicts to the RA immediately. Room or roommate change requests brought to the director of disability services during the semester will immediately be reported to residence life. If students have not already made a good faith effort to resolve roommate conflicts, they may be asked to do so. The director of disability services will make the final decision to move/change a room assignment due to a chronic health issue that is exacerbated by roommate conflicts.
Single rooms are assigned only when no other accommodation is deemed reasonable and only when available. A medical condition alone does not qualify a student for a single room.
Students who disagree with an accommodation decision may appeal the decision by submitting a written statement of appeal to the Director of Disability Services and the Provost (for academic matters) or the Vice President of Student Life (for non-academic matter), who will make a final decision.
An appeal must be submitted within 10 working days of the initial accommodation decision. The appeal will be reviewed within five working days, and the student will be notified in writing of the decision by either the provost or the Vice President of Student Life. The initial accommodation decision will remain in effect until the appeal has been reviewed and a decision rendered.
Susquehanna University is committed to providing equal access to students with disabilities, as described in Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Amendment Act. Section 504 states “No otherwise qualified handicapped individual in the United States shall, solely by reason of his handicap, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance or under any program or activity conducted by any Executive agency or by the United States Postal Service” 29 USC 794 (Supp. V 1981). Title III of ADAA extends civil rights protections for individuals with disabilities in places of public accommodations, which includes private universities.
Any student with a disability (including physical, mental and learning disabilities) is ensured access to all programs available. Reasonable accommodations to facilities, courses and programs will be made to ensure that “otherwise qualified” students with disabilities can participate.
The coordinator of disability services has the responsibility for making decisions on behalf of the university regarding the accommodations required for providing equal access. It is the responsibility of all staff, faculty and students to adhere to our commitment to equal access of educational opportunity.
Phone: 570-372-4412
Fax: 570-372-2778
disabilityservices@susqu.edu
Complete Now