Policies & Procedures

Pacific Lutheran University is committed to providing equitable opportunity in education for all members of the University community without regard to an individual’s race, color, creed, religion, gender, national origin, age, mental or physical disability, marital status, sexual orientation or any other status protected by law. For further information, please review the following policies:

• Policy on Equal Opportunity
• Policy on Accommodation of Persons with Disabilities
• Policy on Discriminatory Harassment

Information About Accommodations

The Accommodation Process 

• The student completes the online application
• The student submits appropriate documentation
• The student with a disability meets with the Director of Accessibility and Accommodations to discuss policies and procedures for instituting accommodations.
• If an accommodation request is deemed not reasonable, the student has a right to appeal. The appeal will be reviewed by the Dean of Students.
• Each semester, the student electronically requests accommodations and that a Faculty Notification Letter be sent to requested faculty members describing the needed classroom accommodations recommended by the student’s professional assessor. This provides the students electronic consent for OAA to notify faculty. This is required for all accommodations, temporary or permanent.
• Faculty receive the Faculty Notification Letter via email, which is confidential by the faculty and discussed only with the student and OAA staff (e.g. informing the Manager of any concerns of potentially unreasonable accommodations.)

The Student’s Responsibility

• Meet academic and technical standards (attributes a student needs to qualify for a class or program).
• Request accommodations/provide consent to notify faculty through OAA in a timely manner. Applications must be submitted two weeks before final exams begin.
• Accommodations cannot be requested in a retroactive manner. 
• Provide documentation that establishes a disability and accommodation recommendation.
• Fully participate in the accommodation process by following the OAA  and accommodation procedures and communicating with professors.
• Notify OAA if there is any issue with accommodations.
• For requests with more coordination (such as interpreters):
   At times, this may mean auxiliary aids that are provided through a third-party/independent company.  To ensure availability and appropriate coordination, PLU’s OAA office protocol for requests is:
  Submit the request during the business week and office hours. (Monday– Friday.)
• Request for an auxiliary aid from an independent/third party company is:
  An email with date/time/location/and brief description of what the situation is that requires an auxiliary aid sent to Austin Beiermann (beiermad@plu.edu)
• OAA prefers notice of need 5 business days in advance.  If a request is less than 5 business days, an auxiliary aid from a third-party/independent company may not be available.

The Rights of Faculty

• To receive enough information about individual student needs so that teaching and advising responsibilities can be fulfilled.
• The accommodation cannot fundamentally alter the nature of an academic program
• To receive timely and reasonable requests regarding accommodations.

Reasonable Accommodation

• It requires a change in the essential nature of a course or program, or requires an undue administrative burden.
• Impose an undue financial burden when there is a less costly but equally effective option.
• Significantly compromises the health or safety of the student or others.

If a student is requesting classroom accommodations and you have not received a Faculty Notification Letter, please send the student to register their disability with the Coordinator for Office of Accessibility & Accommodation in the Dean of Students Office in the University Center Lot or call (253) 535-7073.  PLU does not provide testing for disability qualification.  We can, however, provide interested parties with a list of local resources.

Providing Accommodations

• Please include a statement about requesting accommodations in your syllabus, such as: If you need course adaptations or accommodations because of a disability, if you have emergency medical information to share with OAA, or if you need other special arrangements, please make an appointment with the OAA Coordinator as soon as possible.  If you have questions concerning the services available for students with disabilities at PLU, please contact the Coordinator for Office of Accessibility & Accommodation in the Dean of Students Office in the University Center Lot, or call (253) 535-7073.
• Provide classroom accommodations only after you have received a Faculty Notification Letter from the Coordinator for Office of Accessibility & Accommodation.  It is recommended the student and faculty have a discussion regarding specific support or arrangements needed to access any accommodations and the contents of the Faculty Notification Letter. If a student has not made an appointment, faculty should contact the student if possible.
• Please take into account the needs of students with disabilities when designing off-campus experiences or atypical class activities (e.g., sign language interpreters, accessible parking, etc.)  See ADA Guide to Event Planning.