Accompanying documentation (e.g., IEPs/504 plans, accommodation memos from SAT, ACT, GRE, etc., and/or letters from previous educational institution’s disability offices) are welcome to complement medical documentation; however, these supporting materials alone do not substantiate the need for accommodations and will not be accepted as approved documentation for a request for accommodations. Accommodations will not be approved if they alter the essential fundamental elements of a course.

For more information on how to request Academic Accommodations, please review the documentation guidelines. If you have any questions, please reach out to our office at DisabilityServices@susqu.edu or at 570-372-4412.

Academic Accommodation Forms

These services will only be provided to students with documented disabilities who have been approved by the Office of Disability Services for that specific accommodation.

• Testing in a Reduced Distraction Area
• Extended Time for Assignments
• Modified Attendance
• Recorded Lectures

Helpful Video Guides

• How to complete the testing in a reduced distraction area request
• Tips on how to talk to your professors about accommodations
• Audiobook Accommodations
• Otter.ai (speech to text)
• Otter.ai for MAC

Process for Requesting Housing Accommodations

Accommodations are determined on a case-by-case basis depending on the supporting evidence and recommendations given in the documentation. Please be advised that requests for particular housing assignments based on a student’s preference, rather than need, for that type of living environment or location will not be honored (e.g., student with ADHD or a learning disability seeking a single room to serve as a quiet undisturbed place to study represents a preference, but not a necessity).

Housing accommodations are not intended to resolve roommate conflicts, circumvent housing procedures, and/or to satisfy housing preferences. Documentation must establish a clear link between the disability or disabilities and requested accommodation(s) and explain why regular housing options would not be sufficient to meet the needs of the student. While every effort is made to accommodate all approved requested, requests made during the semester may not be possible to implement, as spaces (especially single rooms) are very limited. Students are strongly encouraged to submit requests well in advance of the beginning of the semester.

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Emotional Support Animal/Assistance Animal

Susquehanna University is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to qualified students with disabilities. Students with disabilities who seek to bring an emotional support animal (ESA) to campus must adhere to the guidelines described on page 32 of the student handbook. Documentation from a qualified professional is necessary in determining the need for an ESA as part of the reasonable accommodation process conducted by the Office of Disability Services. Students are not permitted to keep emotional support animals in residential buildings without prior approval as a reasonable accommodation through the Office of Disability Services. Please refer to the steps below in making a request for an ESA accommodation.

What is an Emotional Support Animal (ESA)?

An emotional support animal is a companion animal that provides therapeutic benefit to an individual with a mental or psychiatric disability. The person seeking the emotional support animal must have a verifiable disability (the reason cannot just be a need for companionship). The animal is viewed as a “reasonable accommodation” under the Fair Housing Amendments Act of 1988 (FHA) to those housing communities that have a “no pets” rule. In other words, just as a wheelchair provides a person with a physical limitation the equal opportunity to use and enjoy a dwelling, an emotional support animal provides a person with a mental or psychiatric disability the same opportunity to live independently. Most times, an emotional support animal will be seen as a reasonable accommodation for a person with such a disability.

What is the difference between an ESA and a Service Animal?

Service Animals are defined as dogs or miniature horses that are individually trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities. These tasks can include things like pulling a wheelchair, guiding a person who is visually impaired, alerting a person who is having a seizure, or even calming a person who suffers from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. The tasks a service dog can perform are not limited to this list. However, the work or task a service dog does must be directly related to the person’s disability. Service dogs may accompany persons with disabilities into places that the public normally goes. This includes state and local government buildings, businesses open to the public, public transportation, food-service facilities, and non-profit organizations open to the public. The law that allows a trained service dog to accompany a person with a disability is the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

An Emotional Support Animal (ESA) is an animal (typically a dog or cat though this can include other species) that provides a therapeutic benefit to its owner through companionship. The animal provides emotional support to help mitigate symptoms of a psychiatric disability or other mental impairments. An ESA is not specifically trained to perform tasks for a person who has emotional disabilities. Unlike a service animal, an ESA is not automatically granted access to places of public accommodation.

Psychiatric disabilities require the expertise of one of the following professionals who can diagnose these conditions:

• Psychologists
• Neuropsychologists
• Psychiatrists
• Neuropsychiatrists
• Licensed Professional Counselors /Licensed Social Workers
• Other relevantly trained medical doctors

It is not considered appropriate for professionals to evaluate members of their own family.

Process for Requesting an ESA/Assistance Animal

Please have one of the aforementioned professionals complete the ESA Medical Provider form that supports your request for ESA/Assistance Animal accommodations. Submit the following with your Request for Accommodations form:

• ESA Medical provider form
• Roommate/Suitemate Agreement
• Vaccination/Veterinarian records

Note: Documentation needs to demonstrate that the student is under the care of the mental health professional and that they have a therapeutic relationship. Purchasing documentation from a website or therapist you are not currently being treated by is not sufficient documentation.

In compliance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Susquehanna University has established procedures to ensure that students with documented disabilities have access to reasonable on-campus dietary accommodations.

Students (and parents) should bear in mind that, as a four-year residential college, all students living on campus are required to purchase a meal plan. Students in need of dietary modifications should not expect an exemption from this meal plan requirement. University Dining Services makes every effort to meet individual dietary needs.

Dietary modifications can be facilitated through University Dining Services where every reasonable effort will be made to support a student’s documented dietary needs, while maintaining Susquehanna’s core belief that dining with fellow students is an important facet of life at a residential college. Dietary modifications that are currently available through University Dining Services offer a variety of foods that promote healthy lifestyles including gluten-free and lactose-free options, meals for vegan diets as well as an allergen station. While Dining Services is committed to the dietary health of each student, it is the student’s responsibility to inquire about the ingredients in the foods served. In all Dining Service locations across campus, nutrition information is either posted or available upon request.

1. Students should first schedule an appointment with the University’s Dining Liaison located in the Hawk Hub, Degenstein Center, at 570-372-4111.
2. The Dining Liaison will work with the student to schedule an appointment with the appropriate staff member in Dining Services to discuss their dining needs. This appointment may include a meeting with the Director of Dining Services as well as a one-on-one session with Susquehanna’s Registered Dietitian to discuss any dietary restrictions and to help develop a safe plan for utilizing University dining services.
3. If after repeated attempts to provide reasonable dietary modifications have been unsuccessful, a special diet and/or modifications to the existing meal plan may be considered. This will be determined on a case-by-case basis after reviewing the history of interactions between the student and appropriate Dining Services staff members. At this point, the student should Request Dietary-Based Accommodations with the Office of Disability Services.

Please note that unused meal swipes at the end of the semester are not evidence the suggested modification was not provided to the student.

The following are some examples of Temporary Accommodations:

• Broken limbs
• Concussion
• Sprains
• Long Covid-19

Process for Requesting Temporary Accommodations

For those requesting the types of Temporary Accommodations noted above (e.g., broken limb, concussion, etc.), please have your medical provider complete the Medical Provider Form to submit with your Request for Accommodations Form.

It is not considered appropriate for professionals to evaluate members of their own family.