Section 504 / American with Disabilities Act Compliance

The University is committed to full academic access for all qualified students, including those with disabilities. To this end, all academic units are willing to make reasonable and appropriate adjustments to the classroom environment and the teaching, testing, or learning methodologies to facilitate equality of educational access for persons with disabilities. Leighton University responds to its responsibility under Section 504 and the Americans with Disabilities Act to prohibit discrimination in its policies and programs regarding students. Intolerance and discrimination against any individual with a disability will not knowingly be permitted at the University. Under Section 504, Leighton has the responsibility to make reasonable modifications or accommodations to individuals with disabilities.

To be eligible for accommodation, the student must contact the University's Academic Advisement Center. It is the student's responsibility to inform the Student Success Office promptly about his or her disability. Students may be required to provide documentation of the disability to provide suitable accommodations. Preferably, this contact should be made as early in the semester as possible. It is the student's responsibility to provide medical or other diagnostic documentation of disability and limitations. If documentation is not adequate, the student may be asked to participate in additional evaluation before receiving accommodations. The student will incur the cost of this testing. Students with disabilities are not exempt from following Leighton University policies and procedures, such as drug/alcohol policies, grade appeal procedures, etc.

Students who request academic accommodations will be required to provide the appropriate documentation to the A.D.A./Section 504 Coordinator will review the documentation and meet individually with the student to determine which accommodations will be allowable. The student will be given an "A.D.A. Accommodation Request" form, and the student is responsible for taking this Form to each class/teacher in which accommodations are requested. Accommodations services are provided on an individual basis according to the documentation provided by the student, tailored to individual needs, and may include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Extended time on exams (up to time and a half)
  • Taped or digital text
  • Extended time on reading material
  • Enlarged material
  • Distraction-free environment
  • Graphic organizers