New or Prospective Students

ADS provides accommodations to students with approved documentation of physical, learning, psychological, and chronic health conditions.

Documentation must include the following components:

• Completed by a licensed or credentialed examiner (not a family member)
• A description of the disability or health issue that requires accommodations, including the diagnosis and history
• A description of the current impact in an educational setting
• A description of the expected duration, frequency, severity, and progression of the condition

• List of recommended accommodations

Examples of disability documentation include:

• Educational, psychological, or medical records;
• Reports and assessments created by healthcare providers, psychologists, or an educational system;
• Documents that reflect education and accommodation history, such as Audiology Reports and Vision Assessments;
• Statement from a health or other service professional.

We do not offer specific learning disability (SLD) or ADHD assessments; however, below is information that will help you figure out where you should go in order to get the assessment that you need.

For physical assessments (such as ADHD), please contact your primary/family medical doctor. If you need a list of medical doctors in the area, please visit the Health Center for a list of providers.

For mental health assessments (such as depression), please contact a mental health doctor. Your primary/family doctor should be able to refer you to one in your network. If you do not wish to go through your primary doctor, please visit the Health Center for a list of providers.

For specific learning disability assessments (such as dyslexia and memory processing deficits), please contact us for a list of organizations in the area that offer testing.

If you are an incoming Dominican student who will start in the fall, and you believe you meet the eligibility guidelines and have proper documentation to receive reasonable accommodations, you may submit the ADS Intake form once you have made your deposit to DU. The ADS Team will begin reviewing submitted forms in early May. 

For new students who received accommodations in high school, the process and experience of accessing accommodations in college is different than it is in K-12 education. Please review this helpful document which explains the fundamental differences.  

If you are a current DU student who wishes to register with ADS for the first time and you believe you meet the eligibility guidelines and have proper documentation to receive reasonable accommodations, please begin the intake process. The intake process involves:

• Completing the Intake Form
• After you have submitted this form, please email ADS at accessibility@dominican.edu to let us know that you have submitted this form.
• Once we verify that your intake form meets the eligibility requirements, we will send you a link to complete the Accommodations Request Form. If we need more information, we will notify you with a request for more information.
• Once you submit the Accommodations Request Form, a link to make an appointment will appear on your device after you click on the "submit" button. At this appointment, you will discuss the reasonable accommodations for your needs and collect your accommodation letters.

• After you collect your letters, you will be responsible for delivering these letters to your professors. Please note, it is up to you which professors you would like to give a letter to, as you may not need accommodations for all of your courses.

• Last but not least, please make one-on-one appointments with the professors you will be needing accommodations from, and discuss in detail how all of your accommodations will be implemented in their classes. It is very important to also discuss the "what if" scenarios that may arise (e.g. if your recording device breaks, if your note taker is absent, etc).

Remember to include all documentation:

• Completed by a licensed or credentialed examiner (not a family member) on letterhead
• A description of the disability or health issue that requires accommodations, including the diagnosis and history
• A description of the current impact in an educational setting
• A description of the expected duration, frequency, severity, and progression of the condition
• And a list of recommended accommodations

Federal law protects a student's right to privacy. All student information and records submitted to ADS are treated as confidential. No information will be released about a specific student's disability unless the student:

• gives his/her/their written permission to do so;
• the student poses risk of imminent harm to self or others;
• or in the unlikely event that disclosure is compelled by legal process.

All information is maintained in confidential files in the Accessibility and Disability Services Office and is not included in the student's permanent university record.