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Student Accessibility Services FAQs

Student Accessibility Services (SAS) coordinates accommodations for students with disabilities. The following are some of the most commonly asked questions about accommodations.

A disability is a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, such as hearing, seeing, speaking, breathing, performing manual tasks, walking, caring for oneself, learning, or concentrating. Common disabilities for which 海角社区 students seek accommodation include:

  • Learning disabilities
  • Chronic medical conditions
  • Physical disabilities and mobility impairments
  • Vision and hearing impairments
  • ADHD
  • Psychological or mental health conditions (e.g., Major Depressive Disorder, Generalized Anxiety Disorder)
  • Temporary injuries/illnesses which limit major life activities (e.g., COVID-19, Influenza, Pneumonia, Concussion, Surgery)

Whether it鈥檚 your first time requesting accommodations or not, the first step to receive accommodations is to complete our . Once our office receives the form, we will meet with you in person to talk about your disability and how it impacts your academic and campus life experience. We鈥檒l discuss accommodations that can support your success, go over further documentation, if any, we need to support your new accommodation request, and answer any questions.

Students who experience temporary injuries or illnesses that limit major life activities (e.g., COVID-19, Influenza, Pneumonia, concussion, surgery) may qualify for temporary accommodations. These accommodation letters are typically written up to one week at a time, with the option of additional time as needed.

To request temporary accommodations, which typically include temporary flexibility of attendance and deadlines, complete the . Students requesting temporary accommodations are not required to meet with SAS. However, SAS staff may request a meeting to gather additional information.

The first step is to have your medical provider complete the Housing Accommodation Request Form. Once completed by your medical provider, please complete the . At the bottom of the form, please submit the completed Housing Accommodation Request form as part of your documentation. Once our office receives the form, we will meet with you in person to talk about your disability and how it impacts your residence life experience.

In most cases, we need information about your disability and functional limitations (how your disability impacts your major life activities) from your licensed healthcare or mental health provider.

This documentation should include:

  • A diagnosis or the name of your disability
  • A summary of functional limitations:
    • How does your disability impact your major life activities? (This may include things like sleeping, eating, speaking, communicating, learning, and reading)
  • The diagnosing professional鈥檚 background/licensure
  • Any recommendations for accommodations

Comprehensive documentation also includes:

  • Relevant educational/diagnostic testing results
  • Date of diagnosis
  • Accommodations or interventions you鈥檝e utilized in the past
  • Details on whether your disability is temporary, stable, or episodic
  • Information about your relationship with your provider
  • Potential impacts if your requested accommodations are not met

Documentation should come from a licensed medical or mental health professional qualified to evaluate your disability. It should come from the treating/diagnosing professional. It is required for documentation of psychological/psychiatric disabilities to come from a mental health practitioner (counselor, clinical social worker, psychologist, psychiatrist) with whom you are an active and established patient/client. SAS does not accept medical documentation from 海角社区 Athletics-affiliated providers and/or members of the student’s family.

Please note: SAS will accept medical documentation from 海角社区 Athletics-affiliated providers for Temporary Accommodations due to Concussion or Injury.

SAS will review and determine your accommodation request within 60 days.

  • Request is Approved: If your submitted documentation contains all the information we need to approve your accommodation request, we鈥檒l inform you via email response and (as needed) provide an Accommodation Letter.
  • Additional Information is Needed: Sometimes, we need additional information to make a decision. This means that your request has neither been approved nor denied. In this case, we鈥檒l inform you of exactly the documentation that鈥檚 needed to make a decision.
  • Request is Denied: An accommodation request may be denied based on the available information, the nature of the request, and/or the practical limitations of our physical and educational environment. You鈥檒l be informed of this decision via email response, with an offer to meet in person to discuss this decision.

You鈥檒l be informed of this decision via email, with an offer to meet in person to discuss this decision. To appeal a denied accommodation, please complete the . Along with the form, and in addition to your original accommodation request materials, you鈥檒l have the option to submit additional medical documentation and/or relevant documentation (including, but not limited to, a personal statement) supporting your appeal request. Appeal Requests can be submitted by the student at any time, and an Appeal Panel (consisting of campus partners outside of SAS) will meet as needed. The Appeal Panel鈥檚 review and final determination will be made within 30 days of the formal review/appeal being sought.

It is the student鈥檚 choice whether or not to share information about their accommodations. Queen’s University follows the ADA and Section 504, which protect a student鈥檚 right to privacy. We encourage students to share their Accommodation Letters with those who are responsible for implementing their accommodation(s). For example, if students wish to use their accommodations in the classroom setting, they must share the accommodation letter with course instructor.

Letter of Accommodations (LOA) is a document provided by the Student Accessibility Services that explains to faculty the reasonable accommodations to be provided to a student. The letter only contains course-related accommodations and does not include any disability-related information.

Please submit FERPA permissions through .

Contact Us

Other questions, or ready to begin a request? Please contact SAShelp@queens.edu.