A student must have a disabling condition as defined by federal legislation (the 1973 Rehabilitation Act [Section 504] and the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act). This definition specifies that a disability is: a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more of the major life activities; or there is a record of such an impairment; or the individual is regarded as having such an impairment. Major life activities include such activities as walking, seeing, hearing, speaking, and learning.

To establish eligibility for services, the student must submit documentation to the Assistant Director of Disability Services from an appropriate, licensed professional that diagnoses the condition, defines the functional limitations of the condition, and identifies the major life activities which are substantially impaired by the condition. For information on what constitutes acceptable documentation of specific disabilities, please refer to the section on documentation in this Student Handbook.

All documentation of disability is kept in confidential files in the Office of Disability Services. Such information is not made available to the campus community without the express written consent of the student.

The University is committed to providing reasonable accommodations and academic supports to all students with disabilities who have provided appropriate documentation of disability.