Who is Eligible for Disability Support?
Once I am Admitted, What Do I Do?
How Do I Acquire Age-Appropriate Documentation?
How Do I Request Accomodations?
Who is Eligible for Disability Support?
Students who are otherwise qualified and have an appropriately documented disability that substantially limits them in one or more of life’s major activities may be eligible for services.
- Mobility Impairments
- Orthopedic Impairments
- Deaf or Hearing Impaired
- Blind or Visually Impaired
- Chronic Health Impairments
- Psychiatric Disabilities
- Learning Disabilities
- Certain Temporary Disabilities
It is the student’s responsibility to provide age-appropriate documentation, with enough advance notice for accommodations to be put into place. Late requests may negatively impact the College’s ability to provide accommodations in a timely fashion.
Eligibility must be determined in order to make arrangements for accommodations. Accommodations are not retroactive.
Once I am Admitted, What Do I Do?
Lynchburg College is committed to insuring that students with disabilities have an equal opportunity to fully access and participate in their educational experience at LC.
The Support Services Coordinator is available to assist you in identifying your needs by providing accommodations and support services that will give you the opportunity to achieve academic success and personal growth while at LC. The following guidelines will assist you in making a smooth transition into the college:
1. Review the Disability Support Services web pages for information about accommodations, services, policies, and procedures. This information can also be found in the Student Guide to Disability Support Services.
2. Submit age-appropriate documentation of your disability to the Support Services Coordinator. This documentation must be received no later than 45 days prior to the first day of classes for which you are enrolled. Your documentation will be evaluated based upon the guidelines established by the College and recommneded by the Association for Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD). Documentation received later than 45 days prior to the beginning of the semester may result in a delay in the implementation of approved accommodations. Also, please note that accommodations are not retroactive.
3. Contact the Support Services Coordinator as soon as possible to set up an appointment to begin the process. Call (434) 544-8687 or 8419; TTD Relay Service (800) 828-1140. Appointments may be available during SOAR.
PLEASE NOTE: It is the student's responsibility to arrange for services not provided by Support Services and the College. These services include, but are not limited to: personal attendant care, mobility training, adaptive computer training, and other services of a personal nature.
All contact information and documentation received by the Support Services Coordinator is kept in confidential files within the office of Academic and Career Services. No information concerning inquiries about accommodations or documentation will be released to a third party without written consent from the student.
In order to fully evaluate requests for accommodations or auxiliary aids, the Support Services Coordinator will need age-appropriate documentation of the disability. It must be prepared by an appropriate professional and describe the disability and its current impact upon the academic environment. The information must support the accommodations requested.
If the documentation supports the request for accommodations, a list of reasonable accommodations will be generated and reviewed based on potential effectiveness, preferences of the student, and the potential for undue financial or administrative burden on the part of the College.
Please refer to the Student Guide for specific criteria for documentation of various disabilities.
They have been developed to assist you in providing the information needed to evaluate your request. If, after reading these guidelines, you have any questions, please contact the Support Services Coordinator at (434) 544-8687 or TTD Relay Service: (800) 828-1140.
How do I Acquire Age-Appropriate Documentation?
1. For assistance in finding a qualified professional:
- Contact the Support Services Coordinator (SSC) to discuss documentation needs.
- If additional documentation is required, seek assistance in identifying a qualified professional.
- When appropriate, students in high school are encouraged to utilize the Transition Plan, which should be a component of their Individualized Education Plan (IEP), to secure age-appropriate documentation as a part of making the transition to college.
2. In selecting a qualified professional:
- Ask what his or her credentials are.
- Ask what experience he or she has had working with young adults with learning disabilities.
3. In working with the professional:
- Take a copy of Lynchburg Colleges guidelines to the professional; and if necessary, encourage him or her to clarify questions with the SSC.
- Realize that professionals must maintain confidentiality with respect to your records and testing information.
4. As a follow-up to the assessment by the professional:
- Request a written copy of the assessment report for yourself and have one sent directly to the SSC.
- Request the opportunity to discuss the results and recommendations before meeting with the SSC. It is important for you to understand your disability and functional limitations in the academic setting.
How Do I Request Accommodations?
The following procedures should insure that you receive accommodations in a timely manner:
As early as possible contact the Support Services Coordinator to request a documentation review and accommodations. If you have not already done so, you should submit age-appropriate documentation regarding your disability. The documentation must state the diagnosis and explain how the disability substantially limits you in a postsecondary environment.
Due to the challenges of classroom availability and meeting the instructional needs of Lynchburg College faculty and staff, students who require special room accommodations (location, seating, or other physical accommodations), certain adaptive equipment, or special service personnel such as interpreters, must provide the Support Services Coordinator with a copy of their final class schedule a minimum of 45 days before the beginning of each semester and make their accommodation needs known at that time. Acceptable documentation of disability is required and must be on file by this time, as well.
You should plan on meeting with the Support Services Coordinator to review how your disability substantially limits you and determine what reasonable accommodations would be appropriate. Recommendations from documentation and consultation with you are both used to determine accommodations. Call (434) 544-8687; TDD Relay Service (800) 828-1140
An Accommodation Memo will be produced for each course in which you may need an accommodation.
It is then your responsibility to take the Accommodation Memo to your professors, meet with them privately, raise their level of understanding of your strengths and disability, and work out the logistics of providing the approved accommodation(s). Since the primary relationship in the learning process is with the professor, we strongly encourage you to take the initiative within the first week of the semester to develop that relationship.
If difficulties occur in the actual delivery of approved accommodations and you are unsuccessful in resolving those issues, then you may appeal to Support Services Coordinator and request assistance. Requests for assistance should be made as soon as any difficulties arise. The Support Services Coordinator will work with both you and the faculty member or department to arrive at an appropriate resolution. The final determination for providing appropriate and reasonable accommodations rests with the institution.