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Students who have been accepted to Lakeland University should immediately initiate the process for seeking accommodations. As the review and development of accommodations may take several weeks, students are strongly encouraged to initiate the process well before classes begin. Please note that no accommodations can be provided until this process is completed. The following steps must be completed:
1. Medical Documentation
Lakeland University requires that students seeking accommodations provide appropriate medical documentation of their disability in order for the ADA Coordinator to:
- determine eligibility as a qualified individual with a disability, and
- determine appropriate academic accommodations for that student.
In general, medical documentation must be provided by a physician or other appropriate professional. The documentation must:
- specify the particular medical diagnosis, including when the diagnosis was made and the likely duration of the condition;
- describe in detail the student’s functional limitations created by the diagnosis; and
- indicate accommodations that are recommended for the student, along with explanations as to why these accommodations would be useful.
Evaluators are encouraged to include appropriate medical reports, relevant medical history, test scores, where relevant, and any other medical or educational records or data that would be useful in determining and providing appropriate accommodations and services. In some cases, the ADA Coordinator may ask the student or his/her physician/evaluator to submit additional information.
2. Accommodation Formulation
Once a student’s eligibility is established, the ADA Coordinator proceeds to formulate those academic accommodations that will best assist the student in meeting the requirements of his or her particular academic program. The goal of this process is to ensure equality of access and opportunity for students with disabilities. In reviewing the specific accommodation requested by the student or recommended by the physician/evaluator, the ADA Coordinator may find that while a recommendation is clinically supported, it is not the most appropriate accommodation given the requirements of a particular student’s academic program. In addition, in light of our considerable experience in providing accommodations, the ADA Coordinator may also propose clinically supported accommodations that would be appropriate and useful for the student, but which neither the student nor the evaluator has requested.
The University does not waive program requirements or permit substitutions for required courses. For example, several degree programs at the University have foreign language or mathematics requirements; the University considers these degree requirements to be fundamental, and therefore they will not be waived.
3. Consultation and Advocacy
At the completion of the review process, the ADA Coordinator invites the student to discuss the available accommodations and the appropriate methods for engaging his/her instructors. At the beginning of each term, the ADA Coordinator will inform each of the student’s instructors of the approved accommodations. The student is ultimately responsible for requesting use of the appropriate accommodation in given contexts.
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