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Accommodations

Reasonable Accommodation:

 

An accommodation is any support that allows equal opportunity for academic or physical accessibility. The Coordinator of Disabilities and Accessibility Services will determine which accommodations are appropriate on a case-by-case basis by reviewing the provided documentation. Accommodations will not be considered reasonable if they would fundamentally alter the nature of a program, or would be unduly burdensome for the University, either financially or administratively.

 

Accommodations granted by the University may include: (Question: Do I need to put punctuation at the end of the bullet points?)

  • Test readers
  • Interpreters
  • Peer note-takers
  • Alternative textbook formats
  • Recording of lectures
  • Course load modifications
  • Excused medical absences
  • Extended time for exams
  • Alternative settings for exams. Students who have been approved for this accommodation must follow these steps for each exam:
  • Speak with the instructor to confirm that the exam will be taken at the Whitten Student Center or other mutually agreed-upon location.
  • Set date and time exam will be given.
  • Submit a completed Exam Proctor Request form to the Coordinator of Disabilities and Accessibility Services at least one week in advance of exam.
  • Communicate with the Office of Disabilities and Accessibility Services to ensure the receipt of the Exam Proctor Request form, date, time, and test room availability.
  • Remind the instructor to send exam and its instructions to the Coordinator of Disabilities and Accessibility Services prior to agreed-upon test time
  • All testing arrangements must be made at least one week prior to exam, with no exceptions.

 

Temporary Accommodations

 

Although it is not required by law, Woodbury University will consider granting temporary accommodations on a case-by-case basis. Students seeking temporary accommodations will be required to provide clinical documentation of any condition that requires such an accommodation. The documentation should adhere to the same standards noted above, and should also include expected duration and severity of condition or disability.

 

Non-Academic Accommodations

 

Non-academic accommodations are modifications that allow students equal access to all campus services, programs, activities, and facilities. These accommodations may include:

 

  • Accessible parking
  • Accessible classrooms and labs
  • Assistive technology
  • Students are strongly encouraged to work with the Department of Rehabilitation to obtain any needed assistive technology. The Coordinator of Disabilities and Accessibility Services also can determine reasonable accommodations to meet student needs.
  • Housing placement
  • Special housing requests will be decided on a case-by-case basis.
  • Requests will only be considered for students with appropriately documented physical, medical, or psychological conditions.
  • Housing requests based on disabilities cannot be used to void Housing Agreements.

 

Animal PolicyService Animals:

 

Under the ADA, a service animal is defined as “any dog that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability, including a physical, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual, or other mental disability.” The task performed by the dog must be directly related to the person’s disability.

 

  1. Service animals are permitted in all areas of Woodbury’s facilities, including anywhere students, members of the public, and other participants in services, programs, or activities are permitted.
  2.  Documentation, such as proof that the animal has been certified, trained, or licensed as a service animal, is not required. Federal law does not require an animal to be formally trained or to be certified that it has been trained. Service animals are individually trained to effectively perform tasks for people with disabilities.
  3. The University recommends that any student using a service animal on campus request such accommodation by contacting the Office of Disabilities and Accessibility Services.
  4. Service animals must be licensed and fully inoculated, with the burden of proof on the animal user. Fecal matter deposited by a service animal must be removed immediately and disposed of properly. If personally unable to perform the task, service animal users must arrange for removal of fecal matter.
  5. The ADA requires individuals with service animals to be responsible for the care and supervision of their animals. This includes feeding, grooming, and toileting. A service animal must be housebroken (i.e., trained so that it controls its waste elimination, except for illness or accident) and must be kept under control by a leash, harness, or other tether. In cases where the handler is unable to hold a harness or tether because of a disability, or the use of such would interfere with the service animal’s safety and the effective performance of work or tasks, the service animal must be under the handler’s control by some other means, such as voice control.
  6.  Woodbury staff and faculty members may not ask about the nature or extent of a person’s disability to determine whether a person’s animal qualifies as a service animal. However, when it is not readily apparent that a dog is a service animal, personnel may make two inquiries to determine whether the dog qualifies as a service animal. 

These two inquiries are:

  1. Is the dog required because of a disability?
  1. What work or task has the dog been trained to perform?

 

Emotional Support Animals:

 

Emotional support animals (ESAs) provide comfort but are not trained to perform specific tasks to assist individuals with a disability. In general, ESAs are not allowed to accompany individuals in public areas of Woodbury University. However, they can be approved for on-campus housing. In some circumstances, the animal may be permitted elsewhere, but only with prior written permission from the Coordinator of Disabilities and Accessibility Services.

Before students can bring ESAs into on-campus housing, they must register for reasonable accommodations with the Coordinator of Disabilities and Accessibility Services and provide applicable documentation. Specifically, the documentation must adhere to the guidelines outlined in the previous General Documentation Guidelines section and must include specific information regarding the necessity of the ESA to afford the student an equal opportunity to use and enjoy campus housing. For example, the animal would provide emotional support or other assistance that would ameliorate one or more symptoms or effects of a student’s disability.

Once this process is complete, a student requesting approval of an ESA will be required to meet with the Coordinator of Disabilities and Accessibility Services and the Associate Dean of Students and/or the campus Residence Life Coordinator to discuss the University’s ESA policy and process in more detail.

 

As with a service animal, the care and supervision of an emotional support animal is the responsibility of the individual—or handler—who benefits from the ESA. The handler is required to:

  1. Maintain control of the ESA at all times.
  2.  Keep the emotional support animal leashed when outside the handler’s residential hall room.
  3. Be responsible for ensuring the cleanup of the ESA's waste and, when appropriate, must toilet the animal in areas designated by Woodbury University consistent with the reasonable capacity of the owner. Waste must be placed in a sturdy disposable container and secured for disposal in outside trash bins or dumpsters.
  4. Ensure the ESA does not disrupt classroom learning, social events, or other activities that are the right of all Woodbury University students.
  5. Ensure the ESA is up to date on all vaccines and in good health.
  6. Maintain licensure.