Accessibility Related Services

How to obtain accessibility related services for students with disabilities

A student with a disability who thinks he or she may need an accommodation to access a campus program, activity, or service should contact Academic Resource Center (ARC) staff to discuss their specific needs. Advance notice is required to evaluate the request and provide notice or arrangements for any accommodation. Denison University relies on the Academic Resource Center in 020 Higley to verify the need for reasonable accommodations based on documentation on file in this office.

  1. Provide required documentation - As part of the intake process, documentation can be uploaded to the MyAccomodations portal. Denison accepts documentation as valid if the date of the testing is within three years from the time of college enrollment. A copy of your high school assessment often known as IEP (Individualized Education Plan) is helpful, however, typically it will not qualify as complete documentation of your disability. The Academic Resource Center will review your documentation and the information a students provides on the intake form and identify possible types of reasonable accommodations based on this information.
  2. Request accommodations – Each semester the student must log in and request to notify faculty for that semester. Services and accommodation will not be offered until a student makes this request. Students registered with ARC have rights surrounding the use of reasonable accommodations; however, they also have responsibilities which include connecting with faculty to work out the logistics of the reasonable accommodations that have been granted. Naturally, it is in the student’s best interest to make this request as early as possible during each semester. It is expected that faculty should have a reasonable timeframe for the request to make arrangements for accommodation. The responsibility of a student to follow up with faculty in a timely manner is not an undue burden nor a disclosure of the disability, rather a step in the process of receiving reasonable accommodations. The specific nature of a disability and the actual evaluation data will not be released unless specifically requested by the student; only the approved accommodation(s) are disclosed to the faculty member. As appropriate, students must notify and seek accommodations through third party groups affiliated with Denison (internships, employment, conferences etc.). This authorization for accommodation only applies to the current academic semester.
  3. Letter of accommodation – Once the request is received; Academic Resource Center will generate a letter to the faculty and a copy to the student. This will make all parties aware of the recommended accommodations that are based on the documentation on file. By law, the Academic Resource Center can not disclose the nature of a student’s disability. It should be understood that a student is their own best advocate and best able to describe their own disability.  
  4. Follow up with faculty – The letter of accommodation is not meant to be a final statement of accommodation. Rather, it is important that the student communicate with their instructors and faculty advisor about the specifics of their accommodation and learning style. Examples might include determining arrangements for extended time testing and/or testing in a private testing area, or explaining the need to have materials available in print form etc.
  5. Academic Resource Center assistance – If the accommodation(s) a student is currently receiving needs to be revisited, the staff is willing to make reasonable adjustments in agreement with the documentation.  Based on the nature of a course, some accommodations may be more fitting than other accommodations. Should a student ever encounter resistance to the reasonable accommodations they are eligible for, please be in touch with an Academic Resource Center staff member.
  6. Future scheduling of classes – Although Denison firmly believes in a faculty advisor model to assist students with their course selection, the Academic Resource Center staff members are willing to meet with students during the scheduling period. The Academic Resource Center’s role is to provide supplementary advising specific to the student’s disability and accommodations as it relates to their course selection.
  7. Other campus resources – The Academic Resource Center strongly encourages students to take advantage of additional campus resources in order to promote academic success. These services are not considered accommodations for students with disabilities but are available to all students across campus. These resources include, but are not limited to faculty office hours, the university tutoring program, academic skill building workshops and programs, the Productivity Circle, the Writing Center, study groups, department-sponsored tutoring, reference librarians.