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Students with documented disabilities who are enrolled in all our degree programs may apply for accommodations and auxiliary services through the Disability Services Office. We work in partnership with the University to provide an accessible and inclusive environment where students are challenged and supported in fulfilling their academic dreams and life goals.
Please see our Frequently Asked Questions below or choose one of the links to get started.
FAQs
What does the Disability Services Office do?
Point University is committed to providing equal academic opportunities for students, faculty and staff with disabilities across all our academic programs. No qualified person may be excluded or denied the benefits of any University program or activity. The Disability Services Office also provides services for individuals with temporary injuries or conditions in order to maintain the accessibility of all University programs and activities. The Disability Services Office is guided by:
- The Point University Honor Code
- The Association of Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD) Code of Ethics and Professional Standards
Students, faculty, staff and visitors who need accommodations should contact the Disability Services Office via email at Disability.Services@Point.edu.
What is a Disability?
Under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), a disability is defined as a “mental or physical impairment which substantially limits one or more major life activities.” This includes people who have a record of such an impairment, even if they do not currently have a disability. It also includes individuals who do not have a disability but are regarded as having a disability. The ADA makes it unlawful to discriminate against a person with a disability. If you have a documented physical or mental impairment, you may be entitled to certain accommodations under the ADA.
What are “Reasonable Accommodations and Services"?
Accommodations include both the tools and procedures used to provide a level playing field for students with documented disabilities. Accommodations may allow extended time for completion of work, a distraction-free environment during exams, provision of note-takers or use of laptops, recorders or other devices in the classroom, ASL interpreters, campus housing requests, etc. Accommodations also cover accessibility concerns in the online and hybrid classroom environment. Accommodations may not reduce or modify learning expectations, threaten the academic standards or integrity of a course, or place the institution under undue financial hardship.
How Do I Document My Disability?
- An accepted student must contact the Disability Services Office at Disability.Services@point.edu with the required documents listed below, preferably 30 days prior to the beginning of the semester.
- The Disability Services Office will engage in an interactive process with the student, which requires completion of an application for disability services and formal requests for documentation. The process will include consideration of any recommended reasonable accommodation that would enable the student to have an equal opportunity to benefit from the academic and spiritual programs offered by Point University.
- Once evaluation of documentation is complete, the student will receive a Point University Accommodation Plan in writing. Accommodations are not retroactive and provision of accommodations by another institution does not guarantee eligibility at Point University.
- After discussion of its contents, both student and the disability services director will sign the document and the student will present his/her instructors with letters notifying them of the accommodations for which the student is eligible.
- Required documents for students desiring disability services:
1. Application. Complete the Application for Disability Services or complete the Application for Temporary Disability Services for sudden illness or injury.
2. Document Guidelines for Disabilities. See below for guidelines for your specific disability or disabilities.
What Documentation is Required?
Documentation requirements vary depending on the individual’s specific disability and the needs associated with it. Explanations are provided in the following documents:
- Documentation Guidelines for ADD/ADHD
- Documentation Guidelines for Deafness/Hearing Impairment
- Documentation Guidelines for Developmental Disorders
- Documentation Guidelines for Head or Traumatic Brain Injury
- Documentation Guidelines for Health Related Disabilities
- Documentation Guidelines for Low Vision/Blindness
- Documentation Guidelines for Psychological Disorders
- Documentation Guidelines for Specific Learning Disability
- Point University Service and Emotional Support Animal Policy
If I Had an Individualized Educational Plan (IEP) or a 504 Plan in High School, Can This be My Documentation?
The University prefers additional documentation in addition to an IEP or 504 plan. Such plans do not always provide sufficient information. More in-depth documentation that discusses specific diagnoses is ideal.
What Accommodations Are Available to Me?
Accommodations depend on the individual’s need and are determined via a personal interview with the director of disability services. They may include, but are not limited to, extended time for testing, testing in a distraction-free environment outside of the classroom, access to adaptive technology for hearing or vision impairments, ASL interpreters, campus housing requests in collaboration with Student Life, priority registration, extended time on written assignments, proctoring and/or scribing exams, service animals, etc.
Is There an Accommodation Memo? Will My Advisors and Instructors Know I Have a Disability?
Advisors, instructors and administrators across departments are not informed about an individual’s specific disability unless the individual chooses to disclose that information. Instructors of each class are informed at the beginning of each semester via an official letter from the Disability Services Office only of an individual’s accommodations.
