Accommodations Procedures
The University of Redlands grants reasonable accommodations when required to ensure equal access to students with disabilities. An accommodation is an adjustment or modification that allows for equal opportunity for academic or physical access.
Reasonable accommodations are determined by ASA after an interactive process that involves submission of necessary documentation and an intake meeting during which ASA seeks to gain an in-depth understanding of the functional impact of the disability. All decisions are made on a case-by-case basis.
Steps to Request Accommodations
- Start the Process
Incoming or current students may reach out to ASA directly or may be referred by faculty or other departments. Initial contact is helpful for students to find out more about the process and about available support. ASA may be contacted at ASA@Redlands.edu or 909-748-8069. - Complete Paperwork and Submit Documentation
It is the student’s responsibility to disclose a disability and to provide additional information through documentation and the interactive process to seek accommodations. Students must complete an online form to provide more information and provide additional documentation as necessary. Medical or psychological documentation should be reasonably current, include a diagnosis, and describe the functional impact of the disability in an educational setting. The University of Redlands follows the AHEAD national guidelines for documentation requirements.
Incoming and current students may submit their accommodations request:
Submit request here - Intake Meeting
The intake appointment is a 1:1 meeting between the student and ASA staff, and is a central part of the interactive process. The intake meeting involves discussion of the functional impact of the disability on the educational experience, review of provided information, and discussion of necessary and appropriate reasonable accommodations if applicable.
As part of the interactive process, ASA may also talk with faculty, chairs, program directors, or other university administrators to understand the requirements, what adjustments are possible, and what the fundamental nature of the program at issue is. ASA gathers this information as needed to make an informed decision regarding individual accommodations. - ASA Decision
ASA makes the determination regarding whether the student is eligible for accommodations. This decision may be made during the meeting or after if additional time to review information is needed. ASA’s decision is made through the interactive process, taking into account all information available from the student and from faculty or others as needed. Students are informed of the final determination, and have a right to appeal if applicable. - Notice of Accommodations
A Notice of Academic Accommodation Letter (NAAL) is produced to document the reasonable accommodations in place. The NAAL is provided, with student consent, to instructors for courses in which the student is enrolled. Students receive a copy of the NAAL, and can also access it in their AIM portal online.
If the accommodations relate to campus housing, a Notice of Housing Accommodation letter (NAHL) is produced. The NHAL is provided to the Residence Life and Housing Office, and ASA collaborates closely with Housing to ensure effective implementation of reasonable accommodations in the dorms. If students are approved for an ESA in the dorms, there is a separate ESA policy they must adhere to, which requires additional documentation.
General Information about Documentation
The University of Redlands has adopted documentation guidelines that recognize changes in society’s understanding of disability, the impact of the 2008 amendments to the ADA, the updated regulations and guidance to Titles II and III of the ADA, and current nationally recognized best practices.
In keeping with accepted best practices, the University’s documentation guidelines follow the recommended guidelines from the Association of Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD), available at https://www.ahead.org/professional-resources/accommodations/documentation.
The University of Redlands ensures that its documentation guidelines reflect current legal standards, regulations, and best practices.
The University strives to ensure that its documentation processes are not burdensome and do not have the effect of discouraging students from seeking protections and accommodations to which they are entitled. Documentation is important as one component of the interactive process.
Acceptable forms of information about a student’s disability:
Within the interactive process, all relevant information is considered. Consistent with the AHEAD guidelines, the following forms of documentation are acceptable:
- Student’s self-report: The student is considered a vital source of information regarding how he or she may be “limited by impairment.” Students have the opportunity to provide a full narrative of their experiences of disability, barriers, and effective and ineffective accommodations through the interactive process. Student’s self-report is documented as part of the information in the request and intake process.
- Observation and interaction: Documentation by disability professionals of impressions and conclusions formed during interviews, conversations, and review of available information is considered an important part of evaluating a student’s need for accommodations.
- Information from external or third parties: Documentation from external sources may include educational or medical records, reports, and assessments created by health care providers, school psychologists, teachers, or the educational system. External documentation may vary in its relevance depending on the original context, credentials of the evaluator, the level of detail provided, and the comprehensiveness of the report. All forms of documentation are mined for pertinent information.
Students requesting accommodations are encouraged to provide the most current and thorough medical, educational, psychological or therapeutic records available to support their request. If it is determined that additional information is necessary to ascertain the extent of the disability or the need for reasonable accommodations, ASA may require additional documentation.
Limitations on Accommodations
Accommodations are not retroactive. This means that students who are not registered with ASA will not be granted retakes of past exams and/or assignments based on newly verified disabilities.
The institution is not required to make academic adjustments that would substantially change the fundamental nature of the program. Therefore, accommodations that fundamentally alter the program or course in question will not be granted. Accommodations are designed to ensure access, but all students still must meet the essential requirements of their programs, majors, and courses of study.
An accommodation that may have been appropriate in another setting may not be appropriate at ASA. Accommodation decisions are made on a case-by-case basis considering all information in the interactive process and considering what is necessary and reasonable for student’s courses in order to ensure access.