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Accommodations for Students with Disabilities

Newlane University provides reasonable accommodations in the form of reasonable modifications to policies, practices, or procedures in order to make its services, programs, and activities accessible to qualified individuals with disabilities unless the modification would fundamentally alter the nature of a university service, program, or activity. Once approved, Newlane strives to make these accommodations and adjustments in a timely manner and on an individualized and flexible basis.

Individual students, staff, and faculty members are responsible for identifying themselves as an individual with a disability when seeking an accommodation or, specifically in the case of students, a modification to an academic program. Individual students, staff, and faculty members are also responsible for documenting their disability (from an appropriately licensed professional) and demonstrating how the disability limits their ability to complete the essential functions of their job or limits the student’s participation in services, programs, or activities of the university. Medical documentation will be kept confidential.

Students, staff, and faculty members must maintain institutional standards of performance.

Procedures

The standard procedures for accommodations requests allow for an interactive process whereby the following occur:

  • A request for accommodation is made; (students can also make a request through email, by phone, or video conference or mail)
  • The appropriate documentation is provided to support the disability and the requested accommodation; and
  • A reasonable accommodation is made, if appropriate, in a timely manner.
  • More detailed procedural steps based on the role of the individual seeking the accommodation are below.

To request an accommodation under the ADA, students must file an application, or inquire to Erin Stanley, the Director of Accommodations Services for Students with Disabilities (henceforth ‘the Director’). Erin Stanley can be reached at: erin@newlaneuniversity.com. Requests for accommodations should be made far enough in advance to allow staff adequate time to coordinate needed services. Generally, it is best to request needed services before a student begins a course or as soon as a disability becomes known.

Students must provide documentation of their disability and how it limits their participation in the university’s services, programs, or activities. Documentation of the disability should be timely and from appropriate professionals licensed to diagnose the type of disability the student has. Medical documentation will be retained by only the office serving students with disabilities and will be kept confidential.

The Director makes the determination of whether the student is eligible for accommodations under the ADA. The Director and the student will then discuss what assistance is needed and, if requested, will provide information to relevant faculty members, information technology and student support personnel, and/or the academic unit indicating the nature of the accommodation required. Common examples of reasonable academic adjustments include but are not limited to alternative assignments, supplementary instructional resources, etc. 

Nothing in these accommodations may require an academic unit to make changes that would fundamentally alter the nature of its academic program.

Students are responsible for notifying the Director if reasonable accommodations are not implemented in an effective and timely way. To request an academic program modification under the ADA, students must file an application with the Director and the application must be accompanied by documentation of their disability. 

Documentation of the disability should be timely and from appropriate professionals licensed to diagnose the type of disability the student has. If the student is already receiving accommodations, the student may, but is not required to submit additional documentation in support of the request for an academic program modification. The Director may also request additional documentation if prior documentation does not adequately address the requested academic program modification.

The Director will forward the request and any other relevant information developed by that office to the appropriate official(s) in the academic unit and will serve as a resource as the unit makes its determination as to whether the requested academic program modification constitutes a fundamental alteration to the program. In addition to serving as a resource for the academic unit, the Director will support the interactive process by facilitating requests for additional information and updates, if any, between the academic unit and the student. This process will be undertaken by using reasoned deliberation and will include a diligent assessment of available options.  Nothing in these procedures requires an academic unit to make a program modification that would fundamentally alter the nature of its academic program.

The Director will fully document in the student’s file the date of the request for program modifications, the nature of each request and any supporting documentation, the reason(s) for any denials, and the interactive process that occurred between the university and the student.

The academic unit will consider whether the requested program modification constitutes a fundamental alteration to the academic program, which includes lowering its academic standards or compromising the rigor of the program.

The appropriate official in the academic program will notify the student in writing that the request for an academic program modification has been approved or denied in a timely manner and, if denied, the reason(s) for the denial. Timely manner means that once a request is made, Newlane will let the student know within one week whether the request is approved or denied. If a request is approved, a “reasonable” solution will be proposed within one week of the approval. The student may appeal a denial of a request for an academic program modification to the Newlane Educational Records and Student Experience Committee no later than ten calendar days after the date of the denial. The Educational Records and Student Experience Committee will make a determination on the appeal within ten calendar days of receipt of the appeal and will communicate that determination in writing to the student. The Educational Records and Student Experience Committee’s decision is final.

For information about what evidence to include in an Accommodations Request, see below for information on providing good evidence of a disability.

Providing good evidence of a disability will support Newlane to make a decision about your eligibility for accommodations. Good evidence has the following characteristics: The evidence (is):

  • recent
  • completed by a treating health professional who is relevant to your primary disability
  • confirms your primary disability
  • confirms the impacts of your disability on your ability to succeed in a Newlane program without accommodations.
  • describes previous accommodations (if any) and outcomes–especially relevant are educational accommodations
  • describes future accommodations options and expected outcomes of those accommodations–especially relevant are options for educational accommodations

Primary disability refers to the impairment that impacts most on your ability to succeed in a Newlane educational program.

Who can provide evidence of your disability?

You can work with your treating health professionals to provide your evidence of disability.

Examples of common treating health professionals include:

  • General Practitioner (GP)
  • Pediatrician
  • Orthopaedic surgeon
  • Occupational Therapist
  • Speech Pathologist (Therapist)
  • Neurologist
  • Psychologist
  • Psychiatrist
  • Physiotherapist

The treating health professional who provides the evidence of your disability should:

  • be the most appropriate person to provide evidence of your primary disability; and
  • have treated you for a significant period of time (e.g. at least six months).

What evidence do I need from my treating professional?

This will depend on your primary disability. Your treating health professional will need to provide evidence that:

  • You have, or are likely to have, a permanent disability, including information about:
    • the type of disability;
    • the date your disability was diagnosed (if available);
    • how long the disability will last; and
    • available treatments (i.e. medications, therapies or surgeries).
  • Your disability impacts your ability to succeed in a Newlane academic program without accommodations. Your treating health professional should include a description of how your disability in any of the following (or other) areas may impact your ability to succeed in a Newlane academic program without accommodations:
    • mobility/motor skills
    • communication
    • social interaction
    • learning
    • self-care
    • self-management

Can another Newlane Accommodations Request be made at a later date?

Newlane Accommodations Request decisions are made based on the current impact of your disability. The impact of your disability on your ability to succeed in a Newlane academic program may change over time. Changes in a person’s disability may result from progression of a degenerative disability (such as Multiple Sclerosis), a recently acquired traumatic injury or accident (such as acquired brain injury) or an unexpected deterioration in a person’s day-to-day function.

If your previous Accommodations Request was made more than three months ago, you can contact the Newlane to make a new request.

What happens if you do meet Newlane’s Accommodations Request criteria? 

If you do meet Newlane’s Accommodations criteria, you will be advised of the decision in writing, and a Newlane representative will work with you and your treating health professional to develop suitable accommodations.