Learning Services provides accommodations and support services to students with documented disabilities in order to assure program accessibility. Reasonable accommodations are provided in accordance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and the ADAAA of 2008.
Please note that these instructions apply to accepted and current Mount students. Prospective students may submit a Disability Services Inquiry Form.
Complete the following forms:
Review the following documentation guidelines and gather the appropriate paperwork:
We would like to have this information for the start of the academic year so that we have adequate time to review the documentation and collaborate on student needs. Documentation submitted after this date will still be accepted, but assistance with fall course registration may not be possible.
If you have any questions or concerns about disability accommodations, please contact:
Disability Specialist Amber Barnhart
All of the information that you send to us remains on file in Learning Services. This information is confidential, and we will not share it with anyone on campus without your permission. Please do not send information that we need to Health Services and vice versa. Health Services is not allowed, by law, to share this information with us, and we cannot share our information with them.
We review all documentation and forms received and write up an Accommodation Eligibility Letter. This letter includes information about the following:
For legal reasons, the accommodation eligibility letter is sent directly to the student's Mount email address. Please carefully review this letter. If you agree, sign (type) your name in the appropriate sections, and return the letter to Learning Services via email.
Once we receive the signed accommodation eligibility letter, and we are in agreement about the accommodations, we will write up and send the university accommodation letter to the student's Mount email address. This is the official letter that you will use to notify professors of your accommodations. Save this letter. At the start of every semester, this letter must be sent by you (via email) to your professors. You will use the same letter for your entire time at the Mount.
Learning Services is committed to providing needed accommodations to students with documented disabilities. If you believe you have not received the accommodations for which you are eligible, please see our Grievance Procedures (.pdf) in order to remedy the situation.
We get a lot of questions from students with disabilities and we want to be sure to help you find the answers you're looking for. Here are a few of the most common questions we get.
Yes, Mount St. Mary’s University provides academic accommodations and support services to students with documented disabilities. These students are eligible for academic accommodations, as stipulated in Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and the ADAAA of 2008. Types of disabilities that we routinely accommodate include, but are not limited to, the following:
ADD/ADHD
Autism Spectrum Disorder
Learning Disabilities
Chronic Health Conditions
Physical Disabilities
Mental Health Diagnoses
Deaf or Hard of Hearing
Blind or Low Vision
Students who are seeking accommodations on the basis of a diagnosed disability must complete the Request for Accommodation form and return it to Learning Services along with a copy of the student’s most recent documentation. This should be done after the student has been accepted to the Mount.
No. Do not send documentation of your disability in to the Admissions Office with the application materials. Information about disability cannot legally be used as part of the admissions decision.
No, all applicants to Mount St. Mary’s University must meet the same standards for admission.
Students who are requesting accommodations must provide documentation of disability. The specific type of the documentation needed depends on the nature of the disability (see below). In general, appropriate documentation:
Includes the diagnosis and outlines functional limitations
Outlines strengths and weaknesses
Includes test scores (such as WAIS scores)
Reflects current level of functioning
Includes a discussion of recommended accommodations
Includes the name and credentials of evaluator
Please review the documentation guidelines above for specific details.
It depends. 504 Plans and IEPs generally do not include the information that is necessary to evaluate the need for accommodations at the college level. Most often these documents contain a list of goals and objectives specific for classes in high school. These are helpful in that they give us information about the accommodations that the high school provided, but they are not sufficient as documentation by themselves. In order to assess strengths/weaknesses and accommodations, we need to have raw data – test scores. These are located in the psycho-educational evaluation that is usually conducted before the original IEP/504 Plan could be written – and every few years since that first IEP/504 Plan.
In some cases, these documents do contain information about diagnostic testing and scores (for example, WAIS scores). These are acceptable.
Summary of Performance (SOP) documents generally include test scores and, in these cases, are acceptable as documentation.
No. Federal law states that universities are required to provide reasonable academic accommodations for students with documented disabilities who request them. Students will not receive any accommodations without requesting them – every semester.
The accommodations put in place at the university must work to alleviate the functional limitations of the disability in the university setting. These accommodations will most likely be a little different from those provided by your high school.
For example, a student with an auditory processing learning disability who is eligible to receive class notes in high school will most likely receive a copy of the teacher’s lecture notes. At the university level, the student would be allowed to audio record lectures. The student is getting what is needed – notes – but in a different (Dare we say better?) way.
We provide accommodations based on the documented needs of each student. Accommodations are allowed as long as they do not change the essential nature and function of the course and/or assignment and as long as they do not pose an undue hardship on the professor or the university. We cannot predict your needs without seeing your documentation first.
Extended time on tests and quizzes
Alternate location (quieter space) for tests and quizzes
The use of a computer for note-taking, tests and quizzes.
Audio recording of classes
Screen reader programs (such as Kurzweil) for reading textbooks and tests.
Course substitutions for required foreign language.
It is also important to know that there are some accommodations that are provided by high schools that are inappropriate for the university setting.
Word banks
Teacher notes
Formula sheets and note card use on tests/quizzes
Calculators (depends on the class)
Reduced academic load
Reduced assignments
Extended time on assignments
Yes, students who need assistance with organization can work on these skills one-on-one with a Learning Services staff member. Most often, students keep a weekly appointment where they work on these skills and any others. Students are responsible for setting up and showing up for their appointments.
Yes, students who need assistance with time management can work on these skills one-on-one with a Learn-ing Services staff member. Most often, students keep a weekly appointment where they work on these skills and any others. Students are responsible for setting up and showing up for their appointments.
Yes. Students whose disability, supported by clear and strong documented need, severely impacts foreign language learning MAY be eligible for a Foreign Language Accommodation. These include:
Taking a language course, but taking the course pass/fail. The student’s transcript would show a “P” as long as the student passes the courses. Grades of “P” are not calculated into the student’s GPA.
Those students who have severe weaknesses, based on documentation, in auditory processing and or have a language-based learning disability MAY be eligible to take American Sign Language (ASL) in place of the spoken/auditory foreign language courses. Students taking ASL
101 and 102 would take the courses, without any modification to the grading system.
Students who have severe auditory processing weaknesses or who have language-based learning disabilities that significantly impact the ability to learn a foreign language MAY take two Global Encounters courses in place of the language courses. These students need to take a total of three Global Encounters courses – 1 that is a Core requirement for all students and 2 others to replace the Foreign Language courses.
All students interested in applying for a Foreign Language Accommodation must fill out the Academic Substitution Request form and return it to Learning Services. No alteration to the Foreign Language requirement will be made until a student fills out the request form and provides appropriate documentation of need.
Testing accommodations need to be requested for every test. Students wishing to use their testing accommodations must schedule tests via an online Test Scheduling Form at least two business days before each test. On the day of the test, students come to Learning Services instead of their classroom. Learning Services proctors the tests and makes sure that they are returned to the professors when completed.
Yes, students with specific documented need are eligible for priority registration. Eligibility is evaluated on a case by case basis. We do offer registration assistance for all students with disabilities. Freshman Only- Please complete the Registration Assistance Form and return it to Learning Services with your documentation.
All requests for special housing accommodations (single rooms, first floor living, air conditioned room) must be made directly through the Housing Accommodations Form.