Accessibility Services

Procedures for Requesting Accommodations

The Center for Success provides services and accommodations for students with diagnosed disabilities.

It is the responsibility of the student to provide information that verifies the student’s condition meets the definition of a disability as defined by applicable federal and state laws. A disability is defined as a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities.

Sources of information used for determining if a student qualifies for accommodations based upon the impact of a disability includes documentation from qualified evaluators or medical professionals, a student’s self-report, and/or direct observation and interaction with the student.

In Page Navigation

Steps to Request Accommodations
General Guidelines for Documentation
Forms
Additional Information
Temporary Accommodations and Services
Confidentiality and Release of Info
Grievance Procedures
Contact

Contact the Center for Success

Steps to Request Accommodations

Requests for services for student with disabilities will be considered on an individual, case-by-case basis. Students should adhere to the following procedures when requesting accommodations:

Gather current and appropriate documentation of a disability. Ideally, documentation should be completed within the last three years.
1. Students with learning disabilities, Autism spectrum disorders, and ADHD are expected to submit their most recent psychoeducational evaluation.
2. Students with medical, visual, or hearing related disabilities should have their treating practitioner complete the appropriate Verification of a Disability form.
  1. For additional information, please see the General Guidelines for Documentation tab. Please note that while Individual Educational Plans (IEPs) and 504 Plans are valuable resources of information, these generally do not include vital diagnostic information and cannot be used as sole documentation of a disability.
Complete the Application for Accessibility Services for all academic, housing, and dietary accommodation requests. This application allows the student an opportunity to self-report and describe his/her experiences related to the disability, barriers faced, previous accommodations used (both effective and ineffective), and accommodations he/she is hoping to receive.
If requested, you will need to login to The Port before completing the application.
Make sure to attached appropriate documentation where required. Original or scanned pdf files are preferred.
Please note there is a “Save & Finish Later” button at the bottom of the form which you can click if you need to save progress and resume at a later date.
After your application and documentation have been received, please allow up to ten business days for our Accessibility Coordinator staff to review your file and contact you to schedule an Intake Meeting.
During the Intake Meeting, the student and the Accessibility Coordinator will discuss information gathered from the application and submitted documentation materials, and the student will formally apply for accommodations, services, and/or auxiliary aids.
If approved for accommodations, the student will schedule a follow-up appointment to receive and review copies of his/her Eligibility Letters to provide to each instructor (for academic accommodations) or to share with Residence Life Staff (for housing and dietary accommodations).
All new students with academic accommodations are required to attend an initial Center for Success New Student Meeting. Topics covered during this meeting include the different policies and procedures regarding academic accommodations, testing services, scheduling of appointments, grievance procedures, and additional available programs.
For best service, students are encouraged to schedule biweekly progress meetings with the Accessibility Coordinator during their first semester. This is to help ensure continuous progress and ongoing evaluation of accommodation needs.

General Guidelines for Documentation

The Center for Success provides academic, housing, and dietary accommodations for students with diagnosed disabilities. A disability is defined as a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities.

The Center for Success will review and consider all pieces of documentation submitted. Documentation will assist the Center for Success in understanding how the disability impacts the student in an academic or residential setting and the current impact of the disability as it relates to the accommodations requested.

Documentation must be from a qualified professional who is licensed or certified to diagnose the disability in question. All tests used to document eligibility must be technically sound, standardized, and normed on the adult scale.

All documentation should be recent enough to reflect the student’s current level of functioning and contain, at a minimum, the following:

A specific diagnostic statement identifying the disability including severity and date of current diagnostic evaluation.
Specific findings that support this diagnosis including relevant history, tests administered, test results, and interpretation of those test results.
- Information concerning the impact of the disability on the educational setting including:
- a description of the functional limitations due to the disability,
- treatment plan and accommodation services currently prescribed or in use,
- expected progression or stability of disability over time.
If not using one of Franciscan University’s Disability Verification Forms, the documentation should be on letterhead, typed, dated, signed, and include the evaluator’s name, address, telephone number, and professional credentials.

To help ensure appropriate documentation details are provided, the student is encouraged to have his/her attending medical/psychiatric professional complete the appropriate Disability Verification Form provided by the Center for Success.

Forms based upon specific disabilities are available under the Accessibility Forms tab.

Please note that while Individual Educational Plans (IEPs) and 504 Plans are valuable resources of information, these generally do not include vital diagnostic information and cannot be used as sole documentation of a disability.

The Center for Success reserves the right to request additional documentation in order to support specific accommodations. If additional information is needed, the Center for Success may determine it is appropriate to provide temporary accommodations. Temporary accommodations will be determined based on the information that has been provided and are effective for only one semester.

Accessibility Forms

Dietary: Special Dietary Accommodation Policy and Request Form

Housing: Housing Request Procedures

Forms Regarding Particular Disabilities

ADD/ADHD Form

Communication and/or Language Disability Form

Hearing Disability Form

Medical Disability Form

Psychological or Emotional Disability Form

Visual Disability Form

Autism Spectrum Disorder Form

Additional Information

Admissions Details

The admissions process and criteria are the same for all students applying to Franciscan University of Steubenville, including those with disabilities. The provision of reasonable accommodations is provided at no additional cost to the student.

Note: If you received accommodations in high school, you will not necessarily receive them in college.

The diagnosis needs to meet the criteria of a “disabling condition” when compared to the average person in the general population.
The test data needs to support evidence of a current, significant, and functional limitation that impacts learning.
The evaluation must support a link between the disability and the requested accommodation.

Disability Details

A person with a disability is defined as someone who

(1) has a physical or mental impairment which substantially limits one or more major life activities

(2) has record of such impairment

(3) is regarded as having such impairment

These major life activities include abilities related to walking, seeing, hearing, speaking, or learning. Disabling conditions may include – but are not limited to – chronic health impairments, visual or hearing impairments, psychiatric disorders, traumatic brain injuries, specific learning disorders, attention deficit disorder, and mobility impairments.

Disclosure of your disability is optional and voluntary.

Disability-related Rights

FUS is not bound by your IEP.

While Section 504 does protect elementary, secondary, and postsecondary students from discrimination, several of the requirements that apply throughout elementary and high school are quite different from the requirements that apply in college.

The focus of accommodations at the post-secondary level is to ensure equal access to programs and services. Students with disabilities are encouraged to learn more about their rights and responsibilities by visiting the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights website.

Documentation

As stated above, eligibility guidelines differ from high school. An Individualized Education Plan or 504 Plan alone is not sufficient documentation. The Center for Success will require documentation from an appropriate professional, such as a medical doctor or psychologist. Depending upon the nature of the disability, the guidelines may be different.

Please refer to the Documentation Guidelines section for more information.

Once documentation has been submitted and reviewed by the Center for Success, the student will be contacted by phone or FUS e-mail address. The student is then required to schedule a time with the Accessibility Coordinator for an appointment to discuss submitted documentation, review the student’s Intake Form, and to formally apply for accommodations, services, and/or auxiliary aids. The Accessibility Coordinator will consider all relevant information when determining eligibility for accommodations.

Please refer to the Steps for Requesting Accommodations section for more information.

Graduation Requirements

In providing accommodations, Franciscan University of Steubenville is not required to lower or substantially modify essential requirements. For example, although you may be approved for extended testing time, the university is not required to change the substantive content of the test.

In addition, Franciscan University of Steubenville will not make adjustments that would fundamentally alter the nature of a service, program, or activity, or that would result in an undue financial or administrative burden

Housing Accommodations

Students needing to request housing accommodations based upon a disability are encouraged to submit appropriate documentation as soon as possible after acceptance to Franciscan University.

The Housing Accommodation Request Procedures, Application, and Verification of Disability forms based upon specific disabilities can be found under Accessibility Forms.

Temporary Accommodations and Services

The Center for Success offers a wide variety of legally mandated services to students with temporary documented disabilities. Services are extended to students with temporary disabilities only for the duration of their functional limitations associated with their disability.

The eligibility process is the same as for permanent disability cases. After reviewing your documentation, the Accessibility Coordinator will determine appropriate academic services and accommodations depending upon how you are limited in the academic setting. The Center for Success will work with you in accessing the accommodations for which you are eligible. You will be given eligibility letters for your instructors outlining the requested accommodations that have been approved.

Examples of temporary disabilities:

Broken hand or arm with which you write
Broken leg or foot which impedes mobility
Complications of medical treatment
Short-term medical conditions
Surgical procedure

The Center for Success and Franciscan University of Steubenville DO NOT provide personal assistance or devices to students with temporary disabilities such as building-to building transportation, carrying of books/personal items, or providing of mobility devices (wheelchairs or scooters).

Confidentiality and Release of Information

General Information

Franciscan University of Steubenville (FUS) recognizes that student disability records contain confidential information and are to be treated as such. All disability related information submitted for the purpose of receiving accommodations is maintained in locked cabinets within the Center for Success and on secure University servers.

While disability-related information is not considered part of your permanent educational record, all documentation is protected under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and will be released from your file in the following circumstances only:

Your written permission
For a legitimate educational reason to specific faculty or staff
A court order

If approved for services, the accommodation process requires disclosure of a student’s disability status to faculty and staff in order to adapt courses, equipment, or facilities to ensure equal access. Information is shared with faculty (for academic accommodations) and Residence Life staff (for housing and dietary accommodations) through formal accommodation letters. These letters disclose the presence of a disability but do not provide any specific information regarding your condition(s).

The Center for Success staff is very sensitive to and respectful of your right to privacy and confidentiality. As such, disability information may be released to persons outside the University only when a student has signed a Release of Information form. In addition, a student may request to review the contents of his/her own file when the Accessibility Coordinator is present. However, all information in the file is the property of FUS.

Release Forms

Release of Information to the Center for Success

This form is used to request documentation of a disability from a medical or counseling facility where the disability was diagnosed.

Release of Information from the Center for Success

This form is used when a student is requesting information from their file be sent to a testing agency, medical, educational professional, or to the student directly.

Grievance Procedures

Franciscan University of Steubenville (FUS) and the Center for Success supports a student’s right to file a grievance when he/she believes they have been denied equal access in the form of appropriate accommodations, modifications, auxiliary aids, or effective communication or suffered discrimination as described in Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Fair Housing Act, Ohio Administrative Code 4112-5-09, or other applicable federal and state regulations.

In order to expedite the resolution, the following procedure should be followed:

Discuss concerns with the Accessibility Coordinator.

The Center for Success will attempt to resolve the issues by assisting the student in discussing issues with the faculty member, department, or program. The Accessibility Coordinator will gather information and coordinate the discussion meetings with the student, faculty member, and/or department chair. In some instances, the Dean of Advising and Academic Operations will be consulted in order to develop a resolution. Most situations are positively resolved through the Center for Success support and mediation.

Request a review by the Vice President for Academic Affairs.

This formal complaint must be submitted in writing, containing the name, address, and student ID of the complainant and a description of the allegations of discrimination. The complainant is encouraged to include specific facts in support of the allegations. The Vice President for Academic Affairs, in consultation with the University’s general counsel, will make a final determination and inform the complainant within two weeks (10 workdays) of receipt of the appeal.

File formal complaint with appropriate government agency.

If the complaint is not resolved at the University level, the student may choose to file a complaint with the Federal Office for Civil Rights, The Ohio Civil Rights Commission, or Disability Rights Ohio. These entities will take complaints and will investigate when appropriate.

A complainant is not required by law to use the institutional grievance procedure before filing a complaint with The Office of Civil Rights (OCR) of the U.S. Department of Education. However, both the OCR and Franciscan University encourage using internal grievance procedures before filing a complaint with OCR.

Retaliation against any person who files a complaint of alleged discrimination, participates in an investigation, or opposes a discriminatory education practice or policy is prohibited under Franciscan University policy and by state and federal law.