Access and Accommodations
Welcome to The Office of Access and Accommodations. Our mission is to provide students with disabilities the tools, reasonable accommodations, and support services to participate fully in the academic environment. Furthermore, our mission is to promote an accessible and culturally sensitive campus through outreach and by building partnerships within the university community and beyond.
Section 504 of the 1973 Rehabilitation Act and the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act define a differently abled person as someone with a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities such as walking, seeing, hearing, speaking, breathing, learning, and working. Such a person must have a record of the impairment or regarded as having such impairment.
OAA provides support services by using an individualized approach and works cooperatively with students as they:
- Build self-awareness
- Learn self-advocacy
- Become more independent
- Create a network of resources
- Meet academic requirements
Latosha Baldwin, Interim Coordinator
The Office of Access and Accommodations
Royal C. Peabody Building, Rm. 125
accessandaccommodations@fvsu.edu
Accomodations
Exam and Classroom
Accommodations are academic adjustments to exam conditions, such as extended time or a quiet room, as well as access to materials in alternate formats, or note taking.
Specific examples of accommodations and/or auxiliary aids are as follows:
Testing accommodations such as extended time, quiet room, and use of a word processor. Communication accommodations such as digital recorders for note taking. Other assistance such as qualified readers and/or scribes for exams and alternative text formats. Determination of Accommodations
Accommodations are determined by the Office of Access and Accommodations on assessment of submitted documentation for its appropriateness and completeness under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) and DAS documentation policy.
Accommodations are determined through a series of questions. Each question must be answered “yes” or the accommodation need not be provided. Does the student have a disability? Section 504 and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) criteria are applied. Has the student provided appropriate documentation (documentation link)? Is the student “otherwise qualified?” With the requested accommodations, can the student perform the essential tasks of the course? Is the requested accommodation reasonable? Section 504 and ADA guidelines are applied with respect to determination of “reasonableness.”
Students, faculty, and the Office of Access and Accommodations have certain rights and responsibilities related to receiving, providing, and determining reasonable accommodations. Specific rights and responsibilities are as follows:
Q. What are the student’s responsibilities in this process?
A. The student has the responsibility to:
Provide documentation to Disability Services that supports a need for accommodations. (See Documentation Requirements) Make a request to the Disability Service Provider in a timely manner. Speak with the professor about how and where the accommodations documented in their letter at the beginning of the semester or at the time accommodations have been approved.
Q. What are faculty responsibilities regarding accommodations?
A. Faculty has the responsibility to:
Seriously consider including a statement on course syllabi that informs students about the process for requesting and receiving reasonable accommodations based on disability. Provide accommodations as delineated in a letter from the office of Access and Accommodations. Refer students to the OAA to students who cannot provide evidence of a disability that warrants such. If documentation and/or accommodation requests are submitted directly to faculty without a letter from DAS, faculty is encouraged to refer the student to DAS. Acknowledgment and requests for reasonable accommodations can be difficult for some students; therefore, sensitivity and understanding are recommended.
Q. What are the responsibilities of the Office of Access and Accommodations in this process?
A. Disability Services has the responsibility to:
Determine reasonable accommodations as supported by the submitted documentation and in collaboration with the student. Deny accommodations that are not supported by the documentation. If evidence of a significant impact is not present, accommodations may not be warranted. Ensure that students receive the appropriate reasonable accommodations. Support faculty members around providing accommodations as needed. Follow procedures for determining accommodations and individual rights and responsibilities are framed according to Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Disability Services takes the responsibility of determining accommodations very seriously. Consequently, accommodation(s) approved by DSP are supported by documentation on file.
Documentation Requirements
How to Get Going
All students requesting services and/or accommodations at FVSU must submit documentation of a disability to the Office of Access and Accommodations. Documentation will be reviewed after you confirm with the university that you will attend unless you request an early review. Click here to review the DOCUMENTATION GUIDELINES.
Eligibility for testing and/or classroom accommodations as well as auxiliary aids is based upon evidence of impact of a disability. Therefore, you are advised to review our documentation requirements before submitting your documentation. We also encourage students to share documentation requirements with their diagnostic evaluator because information from the evaluator’s report is the basis for determining accommodation.
- To request accommodations, complete this form:
- To request a meal plan exemption, complete this form:
- To request an assistive animal in residence life, complete this form:
Accommodations for Students with Non-Visible Disabilities
It is important for students to understand that to receive classroom or test accommodations, documentation must meet the Office of Access and Accommodations requirements with respect to currency (no more than 3 years), completeness and appropriateness and must provide evidence of a substantial limitation of a major life function.
The Office of Access and Accommodations is responsible for determining the need for accommodations based on the information in the documentation submitted. Accommodations recommended by the evaluator, those received in high school or those provided on the college entrance examinations (SAT or ACT) will be provided only if specific test results support the need for the accommodation.
For students who need testing, the DSP does not administer test and evaluations. As an institution under the University System of Georgia the DAS can refer students to the Regents Center for Learning Disabilities at the University of GA for testing.
Frequently Asked Question
Q: How do I receive services from OAA?
A:
Accommodations request
1. Complete the application – Access and Accommodations Request Form
The application contains a series of questions designed to provide more information about your diagnosis, current academic impacts, previously used accommodations, and requested accommodations for FVSU. You should receive an email confirmation upon submission of your application. If you do not receive an email, please contact our office. Paper copy of the application is upon request.
2. Submit documentation with your application - Documentation is needed to establish the nature of a student’s disability and the academic impact to support the requested accommodations. Please review the Documentation Guidelines.
Documentation can be submitted electronically in the application or by emailing accessandaccommodations@fvsu.edu. Paper copies can be turned in person to Room 201 Peabody Building.
3. Attend a virtual interview with your Disability Services Coordinator - Once you have completed your application, it will be reviewed by the Office of Access and Accommodations. If any additional information is needed, we will follow up via your FVSU email address. This review process can take time; if you have any questions about the status of your application, you can always contact our office. Once the review process is complete, you will be contacted via email to schedule an initial interview. This is where you will discuss accommodations in more detail and develop a plan for putting them into place.
Q: What if I don’t have adequate documentation?
A: After the DSP receives your application, you will be contacted about documentation. If you do not have appropriate documentation, options for obtaining this will be discussed.
Q: Does FVSU provide testing to document a disability?
A: No, but FVSU is a part of the University System of GA and refers students to the Regent Center for Learning Disabilities at the University of GA. They can provide psychological testing for students with Attention Deficit Disorder, Learning Disabilities, and Acquired Brain Injuries. The cost is $500.00. An DSP staff member will walk you through the process.
Q: What is the documentation standards like?
A: Standards vary across disability categories. Standards for Learning Disabilities and Attention Deficit Disorder have been established by the Board of Regents and are included at the following site: http://www.rcld.uga.edu.
Q: If I don’t choose to disclose my disability when I am admitted, may I do that later and receive Accommodations?
A: Yes – You may disclose at any time, however, you cannot receive accommodations until documentation requirements are satisfied. I strongly urge students to satisfy documentation requirements prior to the first day of classes. Then, if problems arise and accommodations are needed, they can be put in place immediately.
Q: Must I receive accommodations every semester?
A: No. You must reach out to the DSP each semester to approve accommodations for the upcoming semester. You may choose to receive accommodations at any time during the semester or not at all.