Accessibility Services

1. Complete the Self-Referral Form: The student must complete the self-referral process through Blaze. See above for instructions.
2. Initial Review: Alverno's Student Accessibility Coordinator will review the self-referral and reach out if any additional information or documentation is needed.
3. Next Steps: After reviewing the referral, the Student Accessibilty Coordinator will email the student to ask whether they would like to schedule a meeting to complete the process or prefer that the coordinator create a draft accommodation memo in Blaze. Once completed, the draft memo will be emailed to the student for review.
4. Review and Approval: The student must carefully review the draft accommodation memo and provide any feedback or approval to the Student Accessibility Coordinator.
5. Faculty List: The student must provide a list of faculty members with whom they would like their accommodation memo shared.
6. Distribution of Accommodation Memo: The Student Accessibility Coordinator will share the finalized accommodation memo via Blaze. The student will receive a confirmation email once their accommodations have been shared.
7. Forms and Agreements: The student may be asked to complete additional forms or agreements, depending on the type of accommodation.
8. Faculty Communication: The student is responsible for contacting their faculty to confirm that the accommodation memo has been received and to discuss how accommodations will be implemented in each class.

Students with a diagnosis of:

• Mental health (anxiety, depression, bipolar, etc.)
• Chronic health (Crohn's, diabetes, POTS, etc.)
• Learning disability (ADHD, autism spectrum, dyslexia, etc.)
• Temporary (ACL surgery, broken bone, etc.)
• Title IX (pregnancy, childbirth, child-related appointments, etc.)

Accepted documentation includes:

• Neuropsychological Assessment
• Psycho-educational evaluation
• Psychometric tests result from general measures of aptitude and academic achievement
• Audiogram
• Vision screening results
• Letter from medical provider
• Individual education plan (IEP or 504 Plan) within the last five academic years
• Student disability documentation form

Please see our full General Accommodation Documentation Guidelines for more information.

College accommodations put students in control. Students self-refer, share their needs with the Student Accessibility Coordinator and choose which faculty receive their accommodation memo each semester. They also meet with instructors to discuss how accommodations will be applied and activate their supports each term.

This process encourages independence and self-advocacy, helping students take charge of their academic success.

All accommodations must be renewed each semester. Students will receive an email from the Student Accessibility Coordinator near the end of each semester with instructions on how to activate their accommodations for the upcoming term.

Accommodations are not retroactive. If you forget to renew, you will not have accommodations in place until you complete the renewal process.

If you don’t have official paperwork for a diagnosed disability, mental health condition or chronic health concern, that’s okay! The Student Accessibility Coordinator can help you find information and resources on how to get a diagnosis or documentation.

Please note that the Coordinator can’t provide testing or make a diagnosis, but we’ll do our best to support you while you work on getting the documentation you need.

As soon as you get confirmation that your accommodation memo has been sent, reach out to your instructors. It’s important to have a quick conversation about how your accommodations will work in each class. Connecting early helps make sure everything is in place and that you feel supported throughout the semester.

If your accommodations aren’t being met, contact the Student Accessibility Coordinator right away.

Accommodations are a team effort between you, your instructors and the Student Accessibility Office. If you’ve tried to resolve the issue and still have concerns, you can use the Bias Incident Protocol for further support.

Examples of academic accommodations include:

• Alternative text
• Alternative assessment environment
• Recording in class
• Checking understanding with course faculty
• Fidgets in class

Academic accommodation forms:

• Student Disability Documentation Form
• Student Accessibility Agreement
• Audio Recording Agreement
• Faculty Accommodation List

A housing accommodation is a modification or adjustment to a student’s on-campus living environment that ensures students with documented disabilities, mental health diagnoses or chronic health conditions have equitable access to housing.

Examples of housing accommodations include:

• Accessible dorm room
• Accessible bathroom in dorm
• Single room
• Adjustment to room location due to mobility or sensory needs

Required documentation for a housing accommodation:

• Student Accomodation Documentation Form with Housing

An Emotional Support Animal (ESA) is an animal that is prescribed by a healthcare or mental health professional for a student with a qualifying disability and is necessary to afford them with an equal opportunity to use and enjoy a residence hall room. ESAs are only allowed in the student's on-campus residence hall room.

Please see Alverno's full ESA policy here.

Required documentation for an ESA accomodation:

• ESA Student Request Forms
• ESA Request Form for Provider
• A letter from a medical professional that is emailed, mailed or faxed directly from the medical provider
• Current animal vaccination records
• Current photo of the animal

A dietary accommodation is a modification to campus dining services that ensures students with medical, religious or disability-related dietary needs have equal access to safe and appropriate meals while living or studying on campus.

Examples of dietary accommodations include:

• Meal plan exception
• Meal plan reduction
• Limitation based on allergies

Dietary accommodation documents:

• Dietary Accommodation Documentation Guidelines

A temporary accommodation is a short-term adjustment or support provided by the college to help students maintain access to academic, housing or campus life from a temporary condition or situation.

Situations that may qualify for a temporary accommodation:

• Recovery from surgery or medical procedure
• Broken bone, sprain or limited mobility
• Concussion
• Acute illness
• Mental health crisis
• Hospitalization

Temporary accommodation documents:

• Temporary Accommodation Documentation Guidelines

A pregnancy and parenting accommodation is a modification, support or adjustment provided to a student who is pregnant, has recently given birth or is caring for a child, to ensure they have equal access to educational programs, activities and opportunities.

These accommodations are designed to support students through pregnancy, childbirth, recovery and parenting responsibilities without discrimination or academic penalty.

Examples of pregnancy and parenting accommodations:

• Excused absences and flexibility for pregnancy related medical appointments, childbirth or recovery
• Extended deadlines or ability to make-up course work
• Space to pump
• Temporary leave of absence for child birth

Process for receiving pregnancy and parenting accomodations:

• Email the Student Accessbility Coordinator at studentaccessibility@alverno.edu
• Email the Title IX Coordinator at theresa.barry@alverno.edu
• Self-refer via Blaze