Policy Statement and Guidelines Regarding Services for Students with Disabilities

It is the policy of the university to not discriminate on the basis of disability, race, color, national origin, marital status, gender, sexual orientation, or age in admission, access to, or treatment in employment, educational programs, or activity. Individuals with disabilities are entitled by law to equal access to postsecondary education programs. There are two federal laws that protect individuals with disabilities in postsecondary education: The 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act as amended by the 2008 Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. The University also conforms to Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and The Age Discrimination Act regulations.

Federal Protections

Under Section 504 of the Vocational Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended; the Civil Rights Restoration Act of 1988; and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, as amended, Linfield University has a responsibility to accommodate and provide access to students with disabilities. Consistent with these laws, a student with a disability is someone who has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activity; including, but not limited to, learning, speaking, seeing, hearing, breathing, walking, sleeping, or performing manual tasks. Section 504 reads, in part:  

No otherwise qualified individual with a disability in the United States shall, solely by reason of their disability, be excluded from the participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.

With respect to postsecondary education services, “otherwise qualified” means a person with disabilities who meets the academic and technical standards requisite to admission or participation in the program or activity with or without accommodations. Colleges and universities are obligated to make the adjustments necessary to eliminate discrimination on the basis of disability.  

With the exception of removing architectural barriers, no set formulas exist for making adjustments which will be helpful in every case. Thus, adaptations will be specific to the needs of individual students. In every case, the intent is to accommodate the disability without altering academic standards. Educational institutions are required to designate at least one person to coordinate its efforts to comply with the requirements of Section 504. The university has designated the following individuals to serve as its ADA/Section 504 Coordinator:  

Jamie Opdyke on the McMinnville Campus: lss@linfield.edu, 503-883-2562

Sari Ann Platt on the Portland School of Nursing Campus: pdx-lss@linfield.edu, 971-369-4143

Students with disabilities have the right to:  

1. Appropriate academic adjustments under Section 504 of the Vocational Rehabilitation Act of 1973. 
2. An equal opportunity to participate in and benefit from university-sponsored programs and services, extracurricular activities, housing, and facilities. 
3. File a grievance concerning any alleged failure to comply with the laws, regulations and procedures set forth for people with disabilities. Grievances shall be processed through the University’s existing discrimination grievance procedure.  

Decisions regarding the nature of the adjustments are made by the Office of Learning Support Services.

Students with disabilities are responsible for:  

1. Contacting the Learning Support Services office to begin a formal request for accommodations.
2. Providing documentation that supports the formal request for accommodations when such documentation is available or necessary to make an appropriate determination.
3. Submitting accommodation requests in advance to allow sufficient time for instructions to arrange for the adjustments requested. Once approved, requests must be submitted each term for every class in which the student would like to receive accommodations.
4. Notifying LSS of any issues, concerns, or delays in receiving approved accommodations.
5. Using all University provided adjustments responsibly.
6. Meeting the University’s academic and technical standards with or without accommodations.  

Faculty Members’ Rights and Responsibilities:  

Section 504 requires that faculty make reasonable adjustments to remove academic barriers for students with disabilities. Adjustments of course procedures are not solely the faculty’s responsibility. Students maintain responsibility in engaging proactively with faculty and staff to meet the faculty’s expectations concerning attendance, classroom participation, and performance or work standards with or without accommodations.  

Faculty with questions or concerns about a specific accommodation should contact the Office of Learning Support Services to engage in an interactive process to determine how an accommodation can be implemented without resulting in a fundamental alteration or the course or program.  

In most circumstances, faculty are obligated to ensure a student is accommodated as soon as possible once Learning Support Services provides official notice of a student's accommodation requests. In general, accommodations are intended to be prospective and as such, faculty are not required to implement accommodations retroactively. When a request for an adjustment is received directly from a student, without accompanying LSS notice, faculty may require verification of the accommodations from the Office of Learning Support Services.

The following provides a broad description of disabilities and samples of appropriate academic adjustments that may be required. The examples listed below are neither complete nor an indication of Linfield University setting a restriction on the kind of accommodations they will provide. The Office of Learning Support Services will engage in an interactive process to determine the appropriate academic adjustments.  

Physical Disabilities: a condition impacting the use of one or more extremities, or the ability to walk, grasp, or lift objects.

Possible Accommodations: physical accommodations (e.g. electric doors, accessible restrooms), or academic accommodations (e.g. in-class notetakers, test proctors).  

Sensory Processing: a condition impacting one or more senses—sight, hearing, smell, touch, taste, or spatial awareness—and includes students who are (D)deaf and/or blind.  

Possible Accommodations: Sign language interpreters, oral interpreters, in-class note takers, textbook readers, alternative testing formats.  

Learning Disabilities: a neurological condition impacts information processing, memory and retrieval, and output. And, additionally, may have an impact on reading, writing, math, attention, concentration and/or overall organization.

Possible Accommodations: extended test time, notetakers, textbook readers, assistive technology.  

Mental Health Disabilities: a range of conditions that may be caused by trauma, biochemical imbalances, highly stressful life experiences, and other genetic, biological, or social factors.  

Possible Accommodations: extended test time, reduced-distraction location, preferential seating.  

Other Health Conditions: illnesses such as those that are chronic in nature (e.g. arthritis, cystic fibrosis, heart disease, etc.) or acute health conditions (e.g. asthma, epilepsy, lupus, etc.).  

Possible Accommodations: extended time on assignments, reduced distraction testing locations, flexible attendance, virtual attendance.

To secure a substitution for an admission or graduation requirement the student must:

1. First be diagnosed as having a disability as defined by Section 504 of the Vocational Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, and based on appropriate tests, have documentation of their disability reviewed by the appropriate University officers.
2. Be provided with appropriate and reasonable accommodations through the Office of Learning Support Services while demonstrating an inability to complete the tasks encompassed by the requirements.

The Committee, comprised of the appropriate faculty, staff, and LSS representatives, shall review the student’s case and determine whether substitution for the requirement is warranted. If it is, the committee will notify the student along with the department or the admissions committee and will provide a list of possible substitutions to satisfy the requirement in question. If the course for which substitution is needed is a university and/or major program requirement, the Committee shall determine whether a substitution constitutes a fundamental alteration in the nature of the program.  

Should a student with disabilities have academic difficulty related to lack of access and wish to drop/withdraw from a class after the deadline, they should discuss options with Learning Support Services.

Additionally, if a student with disabilities is academically suspended, and wishes to appeal the suspension or appeal to return after suspension, they should consult with the Director of Learning Support Services about their appeal letter. If a suspension appeal is approved, the student would be allowed to return for the following semester on academic probation.

Admissions

The University places no limitation on the number or proportion of qualified persons with disabilities who can be admitted or enrolled. Students with disabilities will be governed by the same rules for admission/enrollment applied to other students (i.e., application dates, completion of enrollment information, test scores, recommendations, fees, deposits, etc.). When test scores are required for admission, scores may be weighted, or tests may be taken with reasonable accommodations.

Financial Aid Assistance

The Office of Financial Aid provides financial assistance to all students to reduce the cost of their education. Students with disabilities are evaluated for eligibility for financial aid in the same manner as their peers without disabilities.

Reduced Course Load

A reduced course load accommodation allows approved students with disabilities to enroll in a reduced course load of no less than 6 credits each semester to meet the eligibility requirements of Direct Stafford Loans, Pell Grant, and Oregon Opportunity Grant funds.

Linfield University requires undergraduates to maintain enrollment in no less than 12 credits (full-time) to receive certain types of institutional aid. It is essential to note that taking less than 12 credits may result in a reduced aid package.

Recommendations for a reduced course load are coordinated by the Office of Learning Support Services and the Executive Director of Financial Aid.

Cost of Attendance Adjustments

The Office of Financial Aid may adjust the student’s Cost of Attendance (COA) for non-standard expenses, allowing the student to potentially receive more aid. The COA can be increased for equipment, supplies, and transportation needs related to their disability. Students will need to contact the Office of Financial Aid for additional information on a COA adjustment. 

Linfield University is committed to helping all students achieve their academic and personal goals. Students with disabilities shall not be counseled or advised toward more restrictive or alternate career opportunities or professions solely on the basis of their disabilities.

University social organizations, clubs, living groups, and political organizations shall not deny consideration for membership to any qualified student because of disability. The University shall deny or withdraw recognition of or assistance to fraternities, sororities, or other campus organizations that discriminate against individuals based on disabilities.

Under the ADA, a service animal is defined as a dog that has been individually trained to do work or perform tasks for an individual with a disability. The task(s) performed by the dog must be directly related to the person's disability. Pets and Emotional Support Animals are not allowed in campus buildings.

What questions can staff ask to determine if a dog is a service animal?

In situations where it is not obvious that the dog is a service animal, staff may ask only two questions: 1. "Is the dog a service animal required because of a disability?" and 2. "What work or task has the dog been trained to perform?" Staff are not allowed to request any documentation for the dog, require that the dog demonstrate its task, or inquire about the nature of the person's disability.

What does "do work or perform tasks" mean?

The dog must be trained to take a specific action when needed to assist the person with a disability. For example, a person with a physical disability may use a dog for mobility assistance. A person who is blind or low vision may use a dog for orientation and navigation purposes. A person with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) may have a dog that performs specific duties during an anxiety attack or reminds the handler to take their medication. A person with diabetes may have a dog that is trained to alert them when their blood sugar reaches high or low levels. A dog may detect seizures or perform a task in response to a seizure. There are numerous tasks that a service animal can be trained to perform and there is not an approved task list which makes a dog eligible.

What is the difference between an Assistance Animal, Emotional Support Animal and a Service Animal?

For the purpose of this resource, Assistance Animals or Emotional Support Animals (ESAs) are an accommodation related to Housing as opposed to a public accommodation. All guidance on this particular webpage refers to Service Animals and no other forms of Assistance Animals or pets. ESAs are not allowed in campus buildings.

Does the ADA require services animals to be trained by specific agencies?

No. There is not specific professional service dog training program or license that are required for a dog to become a service animal.

Are services-animals-in-training considered service animals under the ADA?

No. Under the ADA, the dog must already be trained before it can be taken into public places. However, Oregon law provides consideration for service animals in training. Service animals in training are still required to meet behavioral requirements.