Self Identification
It is the student's responsibility to notify the Disability Resource Center of an impairment/condition that may require accommodations and/or classroom modifications. After students are accepted to the University, the Admissions Office will send an acceptance package. In it, there will be a form called the Request for Disability Services Information. Indicate the nature of your impairment/condition and the services requested. Mail this form back to the Disability Resource Center.

Documentation of Disabling Conditions
Purdue University is committed to responding to the needs of students with disabilities as outlined both in the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (PL 93-616) and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (PL 101-336). The Disability Resource Center within the Office of the Dean of Students is responsible for working with students to determine appropriate academic adjustments and with the students' instructors to facilitate implementations of these adjustments.

To begin working with the student, the Disability Resource Center must have appropriate documentation of the impairment/condition. The documentation presented may verify that the student has a "physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more of the major life activities of such individual; a record or history of such an impairment" (PL 101-336). However, this documentation may not be sufficient to provide the Disability Resource Center personnel with the requisite information about current functional limitations to recommend adjustments. For example, a student requests services from the Disability Resource Center on the basis of his learning disability and presents an Individualized Education Plan that made him eligible in high school. While the information contained in this plan may be useful, it is not sufficient to establish eligibility for services at the post secondary level. In this case, the Disability Resource Center Program Specialist would request additional information, namely, psycho-educational test data, in order to determine the student's need for accommodations.

Sources for Documentation of Disability
The medical community in Indiana has established guidelines regarding criteria for professional status in various fields. The Disability Resource Center requires that documentation be prepared by practitioners who meet these criteria. Professionals from other states would be held to the same standard. An individual with a physical condition defined as a disability must provide documentation from a licensed professional such as a physician, physical therapist, occupational therapist, ophthalmologist, optometrist, audiologist, or other professional in the field. An individual with a disability affecting psychological functioning must provide documentation from a licensed psychologist, psychiatrist, or other professional in the field.

While documentation from a previous school indicating participation in a program for students with disabilities will protect students from discrimination, accommodations -- including academic adjustments and/or auxiliary aids and services -- cannot be provided until current and appropriate documentation is received, evaluated, and approved by a Disability Resource Center Program Specialist.

Required Diagnostic Information
In order to be most helpful to the students, documentation should indicate those areas of limitation applicable to the University setting. Examples of such limitations would include: "difficulty reading written information," "limitations in receiving or expressing sensory information," and "limitations in dexterity or coordination." Recommendations regarding limits to be observed in order to preserve the current level of functioning -- for example, "restrict use of hands" -- are also very useful. Diagnostic information should include any expectations of change in the condition and detailed description of possible medication-related effects on functioning.

Documentation guidelines for students with learning impairments, attention deficit disorders and/or psychological conditions can be accessed through this website, or by contacting the Disability Resource Center.

Determination of Appropriate Academic Adjustments
According to the Americans with Disabilities Act, " no qualified individual with a disability shall, on the basis of disability, be excluded from participation in or be denied the benefits of the services, programs, or activities of a public entity, or be subjected to discrimination by any public entity." A disability by definition "limits one or more of the major life activities of an individual." The analysis of the Americans with Disabilities Act published by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the U.S. Department of Justice serves as the basis for decisions regarding academic adjustments made by Disability Resource Center staff. An underlying principle of this analysis is that "adaptations designed to provide a benefit to persons with disabilities in general, integrated activities." Students are responsible for determining whether or not they will seek adaptations in order to participate in a University class or activity, following procedures established by Disability Resource Center staff.

Accommodation Planning
The student meets with a Disability Resource Center Program Specialist to discuss the academic implications of the disability. Together they determine what the student needs to fully access campus facilities and course-related activities, including print materials and evaluations. This information is then conveyed through a confidential letter to the instructor. Students are encouraged to meet with their instructors, early in the semester, to make arrangements for the timely implementation of their accommodations.

Instructor Notification Letter
The instructor letter contains individualized information about the functional limitations of the student's disability, and the academic adjustments (alternative methods of meeting course requirements) and/or auxiliary aids/services (alternative methods of ensuring access and effective communication) needed to assure the student equal access to educational activities. The instructor letter clearly delineates the responsibilities of the instructor, the student, and the Office of the Dean of Students. In the event that an accommodation conflicts with the essential elements of a course, and/or the fundamental nature of a course or program, contact the Disability Resource Center.

Purdue University is required to respond to the needs of the students with disabilities as outlined in both the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 through the provision of auxiliary aids and services that allow a student with a disability to fully access and participate in the programs, services, and activities at Purdue University.