Disability Services

Saint Xavier University is committed to providing equal access and reasonable accommodations to students with disabilities as defined under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. 

The Learning Center and Disability Services (LCDS) works closely with students and faculty providing services and academic assistance to students with documented disabilities. 

Specific accommodations are determined on a case-by-case basis by the Director of the LCDS utilizing the required documentation and individual consultation with the student. Upon request, the LCDS will notify individual faculty members of the student’s need for accommodations.

Depending on the nature of the disability, there are many types of accommodations. The LCDS utilizes four categories of disabilities:

  • Medical (Mobility, Vision, Hearing, Health, Developmental, TBI, etc.)
  • Psychiatric
  • Learning
  • ADD/ADHD

The LCDS has disability verification forms for each specific disability. Each registered student must have his or her health care professional complete a disability verification form.

Please make note that it is the student’s responsibility to discuss specific accommodation needs with their professor at the beginning of each semester.

For more information, contact the Director of The Learning Center and Disability Services at (773) 298-3308.

Eligibility for Disability Services

Any SXU student with a documented disability is eligible for services. According to Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990, persons are provided reasonable accommodations when that person:

  • Has a physical or mental impairment which substantially limits one or more of such person’s major life activities;
  • Has a record of such impairment, or:
  • Is regarded as having such impairment.

The student has an obligation to self-identify that the student has a disability and needs accommodations. This is a significant change for many students who are used to having a secondary school automatically provide services. This is also a significant change for parents who are used to asking for services for their children and being a partner in the educational process.

Procedures for Requesting Accommodations

  1. Students seeking academic accommodations should contact the Director of the LCDS at (773) 298-3308 or stop by L-109B. The student will be given a disability verification form to be completed by his or her health professional. The verification form, along with a copy of the most recent medical report and/or evaluation documenting the existence of a specific disability, should be delivered, mailed, or faxed to the Director of the LCDS. Documentation shall be recent, preferably within the last three years, and should have been compiled by an appropriate licensed professional, e.g., psychologist, psychiatrist, learning specialist, physician, etc.
     
  2. The student has an obligation to provide appropriate and verifiable documentation in a timely fashion. 
     
  3. If it is necessary for the LCDS to confer with the health care provider(s) or other professional(s) to determine the appropriate accommodation, a release will be requested from the student.
     
  4. No accommodations will be made that fundamentally alter the content, nature, or requirements of a course.
     
  5. Accommodations are determined by examination of documentation provided by the student and through consultation with the individual student. 

Under Section 504, personal attendants, individually prescribed devices such as wheelchairs, readers for personal use or study, or other devices or services of a personal nature are excluded as mandated academic adjustments. Personal needs that necessitate an attendant are the responsibility of the student. Requesting such services from non-trained, random individuals can be a safety threat to both the student with a disability and the individual who is providing the assistance. The University cannot assume the liability of the risk involved.

Procedures for Activating or Reactivating Files

  1. Make sure that all proper materials, including documentation, are on file at the LCDS.
     
  2. At the beginning of each semester, students will receive a letter from the LCDS advising the student to make an appointment to discuss the accommodation program.
     
  3. After the accommodation plan has been formulated, students need to discuss plans with individual professors, sign the accommodation form, and return it to LCDS. An agreement is also signed with the LCDS regarding the student responsibility for carrying out the plan. It is the student’s responsibility to activate the file in any given semester.
     
  4. A student may choose which courses the student wishes to seek accommodations in, and in which semester. This decision is left entirely up to the student and it is the student’s responsibility to follow through with any accommodations.

Responsibility Agreement Between Student and LCDS

It is the responsibility of the Learning Center and Disability Services to facilitate the arrangement of reasonable academic accommodations, to ensure classroom access, and to assist students in reaching graduation at Saint Xavier University. The active involvement of registered students is essential for the success of their accommodations, their own academic achievement, and their development as an effective self-advocate.

Student responsibilities include:

  1. Taking the Accommodation Plan(s) to your instructor(s), discussing your academic strengths and needs, reviewing necessary classroom accommodations, and obtaining faculty signature(s). The signed originals must be returned to the LCDS.
     
  2. If appropriate, contacting the student’s note takers to arrange for the transfer of notes. (The LCDS can provide duplication services for class notes.)
     
  3. If appropriate, contacting the LCDS to arrange for the transfer of tapes.
     
  4. Attending class, participating, and adhering to class syllabi.
     
  5. If applicable, scheduling exams in the LCDS at least one week in advance.
     
  6. Contacting the LCDS if there are any difficulties regarding the implementation of accommodations.
     
  7. Working collaboratively with the staff of the LCDS to determine and secure academic accommodations and support services, as needed.

The Learning Center and Disability Services is responsible for:

  1. Maintaining confidentiality regarding the student’s disability. 
     
  2. Facilitating reasonable academic accommodations between the student and his or her instructors. 
     
  3. Working with the student to determine secure appropriate academic accommodations.
     
  4. Arranging exam locations, readers, and scribes when necessary. 
     
  5. Providing alternative testing areas, supervision, and aids as deemed appropriate.

Testing Procedures

The LCDS has established a successful testing accommodations procedure that has been in place for three years. 

The LCDS only provides testing accommodations and does not serve as a testing center for the University. Only students who have testing accommodations as a part of their accommodation plan can test in the LCDS.

Emergency Evacuation Procedures

The Learning Center and Disability Services strives to ensure the safety of all SXU students, especially those who have physical disabilities. As a result, the LCDS collaborates with faculty and Public Safety to coordinate evacuation procedures for persons with disabilities. 

A copy of the Emergency Evacuation Procedures for Persons with Disabilities can also be obtained in the LCDS.

Discriminatory Acts Prohibited by the ADA

Colleges and universities receiving federal financial assistance must not discriminate in the recruitment, admission, or treatment of students. Students with documented disabilities may request modification, accommodations, or auxiliary aids that will enable them to participate in and benefit from all post secondary educational programs and activities. Post secondary institutions must make such changes to ensure that the academic program is accessible to the greatest extent possible by all students with disabilities.

Under the provisions of Section 504, universities and colleges may not:

  1. Limit the number of students with disabilities admitted;
  2. Make pre-admission inquiries as to whether or not a student is disabled;
  3. Use admission tests or criteria that inadequately measure the academic qualifications of disabled students because special provisions were not made for them;
  4. Exclude a qualified student with a disability from any course of study;
  5. Limit eligibility to a student with a disability for financial assistance or otherwise discriminate in administering scholarships, fellowships, internships, or assistantships on the basis of disability;
  6. Counsel a student with a disability toward a more restrictive career;
  7. Measure student achievement using modes that adversely discriminate against a student with a disability; or,
  8. Establish rules and policies that may adversely affect students with disabilities. 
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