Students
Accommodation Information
Vanguard University is committed to full compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) as amended (2008), the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and other applicable federal or state laws and amendments that provide students with disabilities the right to pursue their education free from unlawful discrimination. The ADA defines a disability as a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities.
- Academic Accommodations
- Housing & Dining Accommodations
- Testing Accommodation Center (TAC)
- Accommodation Forms
- Documentation Guidelines
Academic Accommodations
Students who have a documented, verifiable medical/physical, psychological, and/or learning disability may request reasonable and appropriate academic accommodations. Barriers to academic inclusion are specific to each student and the appropriate accommodations for each individual will be determined in a meeting with Disability Services staff. All accommodations must be approved by the Office of Disability Services. Examples of potential accommodations include (but are not limited to) :
- Extended time on exams (time-and-a-half or double time)
- Minimal distraction testing room (See TAC section.)
- Note-Taker
- Copy of Lecture Slides
- Accessible Media
To apply for academic accommodations:
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Email documentation of disability to disabilityservices@vanguard.edu. See the Documentation Guidelines section of this page for details on acceptable documentation.
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Disability Services reviews the documentation and contacts students via email. If documentation does not meet the requirements, the student will be asked to obtain supplemental documentation.
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Upon receipt of documentation, you will receive a link via email to schedule an appointment to meet with a Disability Services staff member. This is a required meeting in which we will discuss the accommodations needed for your individualized plan.
Housing & Dining Accommodations
Housing & Dining Accommodations
Students who have a qualifying disability with sufficient supporting documentation can apply for housing and/or dining accommodations. All accommodations must be approved by the Office of Disability Services. The deadline to apply for housing accommodations for the Fall semester is mid-March for returning students and mid-June for incoming first-year/transfer students.
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Housing: Specific roommate and building assignments are not considered reasonable accommodations. These requests should be directed to Residence Life.
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Dining: Before submitting a Dietary Accommodation Request through Disability Services, you must schedule a meeting with the General Manager of Bon Appetit, Douglas Digiovanni (douglas.digiovanni@cafebonappetit.com), to discuss available items to suit your needs. Alternative dietary options to accommodate food allergies and intolerances are available in the Bruce Lindsay Café and may negate the need for a dietary accommodations request. For more information regarding general housing policies and deadlines please visit Residence Life.
Incoming first-year and transfer students should submit housing accommodation requests as soon as possible after committing to Vanguard and making a housing deposit. Housing accommodation renewal appointments for returning students are held in early February-mid-March for the following academic year. Any new requests from returning students should be submitted by mid-March. Requests for accommodations submitted after established deadlines are subject to availability and may be placed on a waitlist.
To apply for a housing/dining accommodation:
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Email disabilityservices@vanguard.edu to set up an appointment, in-person or via Zoom with a member of Disability Services to discuss accommodation specifics and address questions or concerns.
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Email documentation of disability, the completed Housing Accommodation Request Packet, and a personal statement outlining your reasons for your request to disabilityservices@vanguard.edu. All information shared is kept strictly private and is restricted to the members of the Housing Accommodation Committee.
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Requests will be reviewed by the Housing Accommodation Committee on a monthly basis. The student will be notified via email if the request is approved/denied, or if additional documentation is needed. Housing will follow up with the student regarding the room assignment.
*Please note that to secure housing, students must adhere to all deadlines set by Housing, including submissions of housing deposits. Visit the Residence Life page for more information.
For more information about housing and dining on campus please visit the links below.
| Campus Dining | Residence Life |
Testing Accommodation Center (TAC)
The Testing Accommodation Center (TAC) is available for students who have been approved for testing accommodations by Disability Services. Testing services are only available to students with approved accommodations for courses taken at Vanguard University. Disability Services does not offer proctoring for make-up exams or for courses taken at other institutions.
Exam appointments are available Monday-Thursday from 8:00am-3:00pm and Friday from 8:00am-10:00am during fall and spring semesters. Appointments will be arranged on an as-needed basis during summer sessions. Appointments should be scheduled at least one week in advance. Exams are to be scheduled at the same date and time that the exam is administered to the class whenever possible. Evening courses will be administered during regular proctoring hours and must be arranged in advance with Disability Services on a case-by-case basis.
Accommodation Forms
Please see below for the appropriate Accommodation Form:
Housing/Dining Accommodation Request Packet
Emotional Support Animal (ESA) Process Checklist
Documentation Guidelines
General Documentation Guidelines
Below are general requirements for documentation of disability. Please refer to the tabbed items below for additional, more specific requirements by diagnosis type.
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Based on an evaluation by a healthcare or mental health professional currently licensed by the state to diagnose medical, psychological, and/or learning disorders.
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Documentation from student interns or clinicians under supervision must be co-signed by a qualified and appropriately licensed supervisor. The supervisor must list his/her license number.
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The clinician submitting the documentation may not be a family member or relative of the student.
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Is based upon a clinical evaluation thorough enough to objectively establish the need for accommodations and/or services.
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Printed on professional letterhead, dated, and signed by the evaluator; The license number and contact information of the clinician should be included. Notes written on prescription pads are not considered valid.
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A copy of the student's signed release of information form should accompany any reports sent directly from clinicians.
Medical/Physical
- Provided by a healthcare professional qualified and appropriately licensed to diagnose and treat physical and medical disorders
- Diagnosis of a physical or medical condition consistent with established clinical criteria
- Functional impact that the condition has upon the person in an academic environment (e.g. attendance, stamina, mobility)
- Nature and course of the condition
- Recommendations for accommodations that logically flow from the person’s condition and associated impairments
- Information regarding the need for a reevaluation
- Recency of documentation needed will vary based on the diagnosis
Psychological
- Provided by a clinician who is qualified and appropriately licensed to diagnose and treat psychological disorders (e.g. psychologist, psychiatrist, or marriage and family therapist)
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Evaluative methods used to establish the diagnosis should be indicated
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Test scores from measures of cognitive, neuropsychological, and academic functioning should be provided, if administered
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Clear diagnosis consistent with established clinical criteria including present symptoms and degree of impairment
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Description of how the condition impacts the student in an educational environment, including academic, personal, and interpersonal functioning
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Recommend accommodations that logically relate to the diagnosis and associated symptoms
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Prognosis for improvement and timeline for reevaluation; Due to the often transient nature of psychological conditions, annual reevaluations or evidence of ongoing treatment are generally required by the Office of Disability Services.
Learning
- Any and all recent documentation of the learning disability completed within the last three (3) years
- Based on an evaluation from a professional specialist qualified to diagnose learning disabilities (e.g. licensed physician, psychiatrist, educational psychologist)
- The evaluation must minimally include the administration of a measure of intellectual ability and a measure of academic achievement
- A written evaluation report that states:
- All tests administered
- All test scores including I.Q. scores, factor scores, and subtest scores; Classification ranges associated with the scores should be present (i.e. mild/moderate/severe)
- Diagnosis based upon established clinical criteria
- How the individual’s learning processes are affected
- Addresses the validity of the evaluation and its findings
- Recommendations for accommodations; The test findings should provide a logical rationale for the recommended accommodations.
