Obtaining Assistance

Students enrolled in a course at the University should complete the process to request an ADA accommodation well in advance of the anticipated need for services and accommodations. From the time a student submits their documentation, it can take up to two weeks for an accommodation to be implemented.

• Students are asked to notify the Disability Services Office prior to enrollment in a course to allow time to collect the required documentation to establish an educational plan with a reasonable accommodation
• Students having a temporary or sudden disability are asked to notify Disability Services Office at the on-set of the disability or as close to the onset as possible
• Academic accommodations are not retroactive but rather are implemented once the student is determined to be eligible based on stated documentation and communication requirements

The Disability Services Office can be reached at sas@nu.edu (not case sensitive).

Granting Accommodations

The accommodation process is an interactive process between the student, the Disability Services Office and the School. After an appropriate accommodation is determined through dialogue and the review of the supporting documentation, the student will receive an ADA Accommodations Contract to review and agree to the ADA accommodation. Once the student agrees, the student’s faculty member and academic advisor will be notified regarding the accommodation(s) that is approved for the student and how the accommodation(s) will be implemented.

Confidentiality

In accordance with privacy laws including FERPA and HIPPA regulations, only University team members with a legitimate need to know will have access to the details of an ADA file. Once a student is deemed eligible and has agreed to the negotiated accommodation, the ADA Program Coordinator will communicate the accommodation to the faculty and University team members as appropriate.

• Student services team members will not engage students about a disability
  • If a student self-discloses a disability, the team member will acknowledge it and refer the student to the ADA coordinator
  • Team members are not positioned to support requests for or determine eligibility of an ADA disclosure
• Only team members who have a legitimate need to know the details of an ADA file including the disability and associated accommodation(s) will be given such information
• Students will be referred to Disability Services Office upon disclosing a disability or asking for information regarding ADA accommodations and services
• Documentation regarding the disability and requested accommodation will be accepted by Disability Services Office only
• Non-ADA team members will not make any entries about a student’s disability in the University student systems
  • Referrals of students can be denoted in the journal as “Referred to [Name of ADA Program Coordinator]”