Center for Disability Services

About the Center of Disability Services

In conjunction with Faulkner’s mission, the Center for Disability Services: Project Key acknowledges disability as an integral part of the campus experience. We are committed to providing equal access and opportunity to all campus programs and services for individuals with disabilities. In order to establish equal access, documentation of disability by qualified professionals is necessary. Accommodations must be reviewed each semester and are not retroactive.

Rehabilitation Act of 1973 Section 504 Subpart E
104.43 Treatment of students; general.

• No qualified handicapped student shall, on the basis of handicap, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or otherwise be subjected to discrimination under any academic, research, occupational training, housing, health insurance, counseling, financial aid, physical education, athletics, recreation, transportation, other extracurricular, or other postsecondary education aid, benefits, or services to which this subpart applies.

Definition of equal access

“At the postsecondary level, the recipient is required to provide students with appropriate academic adjustments and auxiliary aids and services that are necessary to afford an individual with a disability an equal opportunity to participate in a school’s program. Recipients are not required to make adjustments or provide aids or services that would result in a fundamental alteration of a recipient’s program or impose an undue burden” (Retrieved from http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/504faq.html).

Definition of reasonable accommodations

Reasonable accommodations are:

• Academic adjustments that assist the individual with a disability to have equal access to the educational program
• Has a direct relationship between the barrier created by the student’s disability and educational requirements of the course
• Does not alter a course’s
  • Essential skill requirement
  • Essential knowledge requirement OR
  • An established objective

What is the process?

1. Fill out the online Intake form
2. Fill out the online Release / receipt form
3. Identify the documentation requirements for your form of disability and collect the necessary information.
4. Make an appointment for an interview with the Director.
5. For the interview, be sure you have submitted the online forms above and bring documentation pertaining to your disability diagnosis. If you are not attending the Montgomery campus please fax the information to the office.

Documentation should be sent to:

Center for Disability Services
Faulkner University
5345 Atlanta Highway
Montgomery, AL 36109

Contact the Director

Email: disabilityservices@faulkner.edu
Toll-free Number: 1-800-879-9816
Office Number: 1-334-386-7185
Fax: 1-334-386-7124

Students not attending the Montgomery campus may also request a computer mediated interview (e.g., Skype) or a telephone interview.

Request to Schedule a Test in the Testing Room

Qualifications of evaluators

Professionals conducting assessments, rendering diagnoses of specific disabilities and making recommendations for appropriate accommodations must be qualified to do so. Comprehensive training with regard to the specific disability being addressed and direct experience with an adolescent and/or adult population are essential.

The name, title and professional credentials of the evaluator, including information about license or certification (e.g., licensed psychologist), the area of specialization, employment, and state/province in which the individual practices should be clearly stated in the documentation.

Documentation Guidelines

Students who request to be considered for reasonable accommodations under section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the appropriate titles of the Americans with Disabilities Act must submit a current written documented verification from a licensed physician, psychologist, or other qualified professional. A school plan, such as an IEP or a 504 Plan, is not sufficient documentation, but may help to establish a history of the disability.

It is the responsibility of the student to obtain documentation and present a copy to Center for Disability Services. If documentation is not adequate, the student will be duly notified. It is the student’s responsibility to obtain additional information when requested.

Assistance Animals in University Housing Policy and Form (PDF)

On-Campus Animal Housing Form (PDF)

Meal Plan Accomodation Form (PDF)

Request for Meal Plan Exemption (PDF)

Handbook