Getting Started
Eligibility for Services
Accessibility Services ensures equal access to HPU’s programs and services for qualified students with disabilities. A qualified student with a disability is a student with a disability who meets the academic and technical standards required for admission or participation in the university’s education program and services. As defined in the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, a person has a disability if he/she:
- Has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities of such individual;
- has a record of such an impairment; or
- is regarded as having such an impairment.
In order to determine eligibility for services and fully evaluate requests for accommodations or auxiliary aids, Accessibility Services requests reasonable documentation of the reported disability. Documentation should include information about functional limitations associated with any disability. Accessibility Services reviews and evaluates documentation on a case-by-case basis.
Documentation guidelines are based on the Association on Higher Education and Disabilities (AHEAD) description of quality disability documentation. For additional information please refer to our documentation guidelines.
ADA and related regulations provide for ‘reasonable accommodations’ to eligible students so long as not an undue hardship or fundamentally altering the nature of the service, program or activity.
How do I receive services?
Accessibility Services collaborates with students with documented disabilities and faculty to provide reasonable accommodations, auxiliary aids, and support services that are individualized and based on documentation and a person-to-person interview and assessment of needs. In order to receive accommodations, students complete the following process:
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Complete Intake form by clicking here: Intake Request
OR visit the Center for Academic Success to request an intake meeting. -
Submit documentation from a medical professional that describes your disability, it's effects on your academic performance, and the medical professional's recommendations (if any) for accommodations or use our HPU Documentation of Eligibility Form.
- Schedule an appointment and meet with the Accessibility Specialist. Bring your medical documentation to the intake meeting or email to access@hpu.edu.
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Participate in an initial intake interview to discuss possible accommodations.
- CAS-AS will determine what accommodations (if any) are approved.
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If approved, academic accommodations are initiated through an Accommodations Letter to faculty and are not retroactive.
- Students registered with CAS-AS should stay in communication with course instructors and CAS-AS to ensure the accommodation plan is effectively implemented, and to make any necessary adjustments.
- Every semester, students who are registered with CAS-AS must submit the ADA Accommodation Renewal Request to continue their accommodation plan.
Accessibility Services collaborates with students with documented disabilities to provide reasonable accommodations that are individualized and based on documentation, functional limitations, and a collaborative assessment of needs.
To be eligible for services, a student must provide appropriate written documentation from a licensed professional in the field concerning the specific diagnosis. Documentation FORM must validate the presence of a disability under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disability Act. Documentation should clearly state the nature of functional limitations, the current impact of the impairment on the student’s ability to participate in the university’s educational programs and services, and recommendations for accommodation(s). Submitting appropriate documentation is an important step in the process of registering for support services with Accessibility Services. Once Accessibility Services receives documentation, it is evaluated by a specialist. The student will then be contacted to schedule an intake interview to further discuss eligibility and accommodation needs.
Information provided by public and private special education programs (i.e. IEP, Social History, Special Education Eligibility) may be helpful but may not fully meet Accessibility Services needs related to documentation. Consult with Accessibility Services about the need for and appropriateness of documentation. Call the office at (808) 544-1197 for any questions concerning documentation.
Primary Forms required for all students