Accommodation Requests

Disability verification.

Northland College’s Accommodations Office facilitates reasonable accommodations to qualified students with disabilities in accordance with applicable state and federal law. Reasonable accommodations are provided on a case-by-case basis and must pertain to the functional limitations of the disability on the individual student. The guidelines for verifying a disability and requesting reasonable accommodations are as follows:

1. The student must disclose the disability and need for accommodation.

You must first meet with Northland College’s Accommodations Office to discuss your specific accommodation requests and how your academic or social functioning is impacted by your disability. Some accommodations require significant preplanning, so you should schedule this meeting as far in advance as possible. Start the process by submitting an accommodations request form:

2. The student must provide current and appropriate documentation of the disability and need for accommodation prepared by a licensed professional or medical provider.

In order for Northland College to determine your eligibility for accommodation(s), you must start the Disability Verification and Accommodation Request Form and have the remainder of it completed and submitted by a licensed professional or medical provider with relevant background and training (you can also download a print version of the form). The purpose of the form and any supporting documentation is to provide objective evidence that you are a qualified individual with a disability (i.e. has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities), and that the requested accommodation(s) is necessary to provide you with equal access and opportunity to the College’s programs, activities, and services.

The following Disability Documentation Guidelines clarify the information needed from the licensed professional or medical provider to assist the Accommodations Office in determining your eligibility for accommodations.

View Disability Documentation Guidelines

Be completed by a qualified, licensed professional with relevant background and training regarding the condition being diagnosed and who is unrelated to the student. The College reserves the right to require that a certified copy of the report be transmitted directly from the evaluator to the Accommodations Office.
Be recent enough to assess the current impact of the medical condition on a major life activity. Northland College reserves the right to re-verify a student’s condition(s) and request updated documentation as necessary.
Include a clear diagnosis that describes how the licensed professional diagnosed the condition.
Include a description of the diagnostic methodology used including diagnostic criteria, evaluation methods, tests and dates of administration, clinical narrative, observations, and results. Diagnostic methods must be congruent with the particular disability and with well-accepted, current professional practices in the field.
Include a description of the current functional limitations of the disabling condition and how the student’s condition substantially limits one or more major life activities, including the expected duration, frequency and pervasiveness of the condition(s).
Include a description of the progression or stability of the disability over time, what mitigating measures the student has used, and whether with such measure the student may still require accommodation(s).
Identify specific recommendations for accommodations as well as an explanation as to why each is recommended as necessary to provide the student with equal access and opportunity to the College’s programs, activities, and services.
Include a description of current and past accommodations, services or medications.
Attach any additional information or documentation to the Disability Verification and Accommodation Request Form which will assist in assessing the student’s limitation(s) and determining accommodation(s) necessary to provide the student with equal access and opportunity to the College’s programs, activities, and services.

The Accommodations Office reserves the right to request additional documentation and information as necessary to evaluate the accommodation request and as permitted by state and federal law. Any information or documentation that a student provides as a part of the disability verification and accommodation process will be kept confidential in accordance with applicable state and federal law.

3. Following the submission of the Accommodation Request Form (and requested information), the student may be required to meet with the Accommodations Office and other appropriate parties to determine reasonable accommodations.

The Accommodations Office, working in conjunction with other appropriate administrators, faculty, or staff as necessary, will make the final determination of your eligibility for accommodation(s). The College is not obligated to provide the specific accommodation requested, nor is it required to accommodate unreasonable requests or accommodations that impose an undue burden or direct threat to the health and safety of others. Whether a requested accommodation is reasonable or poses an undue burden or direct threat depends on a variety of factors and will be decided on a case-by-case basis. As previously noted, Northland College therefore reserves the right to request additional information or ask follow-up questions that will enable it to make an informed decision about your accommodation request(s).

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