Accessibility Services

The Office of Accessibility Services offers accommodations for students with chronic illness, temporary medical conditions/sports injury, pregnancy/nursing or a disability. Alvernia University understands and follows the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and all other federal, state and local regulations regarding chronic medical and disability-related conditions. Anyone covered by the ADA who has specific needs will receive reasonable accommodations. Alvernia follows Title IX and will provide accommodations as requested by a physician for students who are pregnant or nursing.
 

The Office of Accessibility Services is located in Bernardine Hall, Room 105C. Our Accessibility Services Director, Andrea Swift, can be reached at accessibility.services@alvernia.edu or 610-568-1499. The fax number is 484-335-4486.

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How to Log In to Accommodate to Submit an Initial Request for Accommodations

1. Log in to the Accommodate Initial Application (First time only).

2. Complete the application.

3. Upload your documentation along with your request.

4. Once you submit your request, you will receive an email from Accessibility Services (OAS) to schedule an appointment to meet with the director of accessibility services. If you do not receive a scheduling email within two days of submitting your request (not including Saturday and Sunday), please email accessibility.services@alvernia.edu.

* If you would like to meet with OAS via Teams or in person before submitting your request, please email accessibility.services@alvernia.edu to schedule an appointment.
 

How to Submit a Semester Renewal Request in Accommodate

1. Log in to Accommodate. This will take you to the Alvernia Accommodate portal. Here, you can enter your Alvernia login and password, which will then take you to the Accommodate homepage.

2. Click the 3-bar menu at the top left of your screen; or if you do not see the 3-bar menu, then you should see a list of options.

3. Click "Accommodation."

4. Scroll down and click on "Semester Request" and then click "Apply Search."

5. Click on "Semester" and select the appropriate semester and year.

6. Click on the "Add New."

7. On the new screen, select the correct semester again, and all of the classes that you are currently enrolled in will populate.

8. Click on "Review the Renewal" - please do not click "Submit for All Accommodations."

• You will then individually select which accommodations you want in a particular class. For example, you may have the accommodations of extended test time and a note-taker, but one of your classes will not have any tests, but you still would like to implement your note-taker accommodation for that particular class.
• To only select certain accommodations for certain classes, unselect any classes that you do not wish to have that accommodation implemented, making sure that the classes you do want the accommodation in are still selected
• You will need to "remove" any accommodation that you do not wish to request (remove housing accommodation, or other accommodations that are not related to academics, including priority registration). *Please note that if your accommodation is not listed, click "Request Additional Accommodation", and the accommodation should populate in a new window. Select each accommodation you wish to request.
• When you have chosen the accommodation that you wish to request and removed any other accommodation you do not want to request, click "Submit" at the end of the page.
   

9. You will receive an email from Accommodate confirming the submission of your semester request.

10. Your case manager will send your Professor Accommodation letter to you and the particular classes you want the letter to be sent to.

11. It is your responsibility to contact your professor and request a time to meet and discuss the implementation of your accommodation.

12. You can click on "Accessibility Letters" under the "Accommodations" menu and see the Professor Accommodation Letter sent to you. You may print the letter or create a PDF from this screen.

13. If you have any difficulty submitting your semester request, reach out to Accessibility Services immediately.
 

Appeal or Grievance Procedures

Institutions of higher education have the obligation to make informed decisions about accommodations. These decisions may not always coincide with recommendations from outside professionals or with prior Individualized Educational Programs (IEPs) and 504 Plans. Students who do not agree with the accommodation decisions of the Office of Accessibility Services should follow the process outlined below.

A student who disagrees with the appropriateness of a decision regarding accommodations should speak first with the Office of Accessibility Services Director Andrea Swift to resolve the issue. 

If a satisfactory resolution still cannot be reached, the student has two options. For academic accommodations, written appeals should be sent to the Office of the Provost. For non-academic accommodations related to medical and physiological disabilities, including campus access (residential, classroom, social and athletic) written appeals should be sent to Senior Vice President for Enrollment Management and Student Affairs Mary-Alice Ozechoski.

If the provost or senior vice president for enrollment management and student affairs (as appropriate) feels the decision settled upon by the Office of Accessibility Services Director was reached according to ADA guidelines, written notification of the decision will be issued to the student and kept in the student’s file in the Accessibility Services Office.
 

Frequently Asked Questions 

Who is responsible for facilitating accommodations at Alvernia? 

At the college level, responsibility for facilitating any accommodations rests with the student, who must provide the appropriate documentation outlining a diagnosis and request for accommodations. Your IEP from high school does not follow you.
 

What kinds of accommodations can Alvernia provide?

Reasonable services and accommodations include, but are not limited to, extended time for testing and assignments, testing in a sequestered site outside the classroom, use of tape recorders and preferential seating in the classroom.
 

I think I might qualify for disability services, but I'm not sure. What do I do?

Contact the Director of Accessibility Services prior to the start of the semester and submit a request for accommodations and a copy of your IEP and/or 504 and/or professional evaluation.  You will be notified if further documentation is required.
 

When should students request accommodations? 

You should request accommodations prior to the start of your first semester on campus. For returning students, request should be made at the start of the semester. Students qualifying for accommodations must see Andrea Swift to request that letters for instructors are generated. Letters will be given to the student in person at the beginning of each semester. It is the student's responsibility to distribute these letters to each instructor.

Receiving information regarding any physical concerns in a timely manner is important as accessibility arrangements can take some time. Please contact Andrea Swift as soon as possible if there are any mobility or other issues of a physical nature. Official documentation will be needed to establish and maintain any accommodations.

Please be advised that it takes time to review documentation. It may take a week or more between the submission of documents and the start of accommodations. Accommodations are never retroactive.  Please plan accordingly.
 

What type of documents must the student submit?

The application to request campus accommodations can be found via the Alvernia Student Health Portal.

• Applications can only be submitted by students who have been accepted to Alvernia University and committed to attend. You will need your student ID and Password to log into the portal.
• An authorization for release of information form must be completed and signed electronically. This form can be found at the end of your online application.
• Your application MUST include official documentation of your disability. Please refer to the next drop-down tab on documentation requirements.
   

What are the requirements for Official Documentation? 

Official documentation should:

• Be current — i.e., completed within the last 5 years for LD, last 6 months for psychiatric disabilities, or last 3 years for ADHD and all other disabilities (NOTE: this requirement does not apply to physical or sensory disabilities of a permanent or unchanging nature)
• Identify a diagnosis
• Describe the current academic, emotional or health function, as appropriate
• Describe the functional limitations
• Include suggested educational recommendations justified by assessments
• Be supported by complete relevant educational, developmental and medical histories
• Include the names and scores of testing assessments used to make specific determinations
• Be prepared by a qualified professional in the appropriate field of concern, who is not a family member of the student
• Be typed, signed, and on official letterhead

Records supporting the use of services in high schools or other institutions are helpful in assisting Alvernia staff, although reports such as IEPs, SOPs and letters from disability service providers at other colleges are not, in themselves, automatically considered sufficient to meet this documentation request. Alvernia professional staff reserves the right to request additional information to determine appropriate services or eligibility, if necessary.
 

Who has access to my documentation once I submit it? 

Documentation is maintained in a secure file accessible only by the Office of Accessibility Services. Documentation is not shared with others. If requested, general information about the student’s accommodations may be discussed on a need-to-know basis with faculty or administrative professionals.

The Office of Accessibility Services is committed to maintaining utmost discretion in matters involving students’ disabilities and related matters. Pertinent information related to records may be shared with university personnel only when deemed necessary and appropriate to facilitate the student’s access to programs and services. Requests to share information with persons acting in roles external to the university will be considered only with prior written approval by the student. Files are usually maintained for five years beyond a student’s last registration with the Office of Accessibility, after which they are destroyed.