Admission to the University

Applicants with disabilities should complete FPU’s admission process. Each application will be evaluated without discrimination. A student may choose to self-disclose a disability during the admission process, but such disclosure is not required nor is it penalized.

We encourage students with disabilities to contact the office of Disability Access and Education to discuss academic and other needs before the beginning of their first semester or as soon as they are diagnosed with a disability. Once documentation is on file, arrangements for reasonable accommodations can be made.

Students’ names and the nature of disabilities will be kept confidential, except in cases where the information is vital to providing services and/or accommodations requested by a student.

Students who choose not to self-identify when they enter FPU do not forfeit their right to request and receive services later. However, the university is not obligated to provide accommodations or services for students with disabilities until the student registers with the office of Disability Access and Education.

How to register for accommodations

1. Students must request accommodations and register for services with the office of Disability Access and Education.
   
   1. The request can come at any point during the semester.
   2. Some accommodations take time to arrange and provide, so timeliness of a request may influence how quickly accommodations will be in place.
2. Complete an Application for Services, available online at Application for Services.
3. Complete a Confidentiality Disclosure, available online at Confidentiality Disclosure to indicate your preferences regarding your confidential information.
4. Submit a valid form of verification of your need for accommodations. A verification form is available online at Verification of Disability. Include the practitioner’s business card if the office name is not printed on the document.
   
   1. Verification must by from a licensed professional to treat or assess the relevant condition.
      
      1. A medical doctor should be a general practice physician or specialist related to your specific health concern who has provided treatment for the relevant condition.
      2. Learning disabilities should be verified by a psychologist or learning specialist.
      3. Mental health conditions should be verified by a therapist, psychologist, psychiatrist, or general practice physician who has provided treatment for that condition.
   2. Verification may be in alternate forms:
      
      1. Note on letterhead from the professional's office
      2. Post-operative instruction
      3. Emergency Room or hospital discharge papers
      4. Other official paperwork including diagnostic, assessment, or test result information
   3. If a condition is obvious such as blindness, missing or injured limb, or needing only a self-report such as deafness or pregnancy, additional verification of the condition may not be needed except if required to support a request or need for specific type or duration of an accommodation.
5. Arrange for a discussion (face-to-face, telephone, or email) of your accommodation needs with the director of DAE. The director will consider your history and experiences with your disability combined with information from your health care provider. Every individual has unique needs, so your accommodations may not be the same as someone else’s even with the same condition. Some accommodations may involve negotiation to find a balance of meeting your needs without causing substantial alteration of a course.
   
   1. If you had accommodations at a previous college or university, the accommodations that were useful to you will probably be continued at FPU.

Additional processess for housing and meal-plan accommodations

The office of Disability Access and Education processes all housing and meal-plan accommodations. More specific verification may be required for some requested accommodations if your specific needs are not evident based on a diagnosis alone.

• The need for an emotional support animal (ESA) in on-campus housing must be verified with specific details of how the ESA reduces symptoms of your disability.
  • The verifying professional must be someone with whom you have an ongoing therapeutic relationship—which means a note from a doctor you see just one time will not be considered.
  • Verification must document that the presence of an ESA actually reduces your symptoms—which means you need to have had the animal long enough for the verifying professional to see proof that having an ESA makes a positive difference in your health.
  • The complete policy regarding Service and Emotional Support Animals may be found here: Service and Emotional Support Animals on Campus.
• Requests for meal plan reductions or exemptions must be very specific about what types of food negatively affect your health.
  • Requests will be evaluated by the Director of Housing in consultation with the food service provider.
• Housing accommodations will be granted only as long as the specific type of room requested is available. It is best to request housing accommodations prior to the general housing lottery in April for returning students and as early in the summer as possible for new students for Fall term.
  • Mid-semester or mid-year requests for accommodations will be granted only if room is available.
  • Mid-semester changes required due to serious allergies or any situation in which a student’s health is significantly compromised will be fulfilled immediately with any room available.
• Housing accommodation requests must be renewed annually. Additional or updated verification may be required in order to continue accommodations from one academic year to the next.

Procedures Documents

• Memory Aid