MERCYHURST ONLINE ACCOMMODATION REQUEST APPLICATION
Through this application, you can request accommodations in the following areas:
- Academic
- Housing
- Nutrition/Food Service
- Service or Emotional Support Animal
- Accessible Parking
The need could be related to a temporary impairment (e.g., broken arm or recovery from surgery) or permanent disability. Each request is considered individually through an interactive process.
Mercyhurst University values inclusion and is committed to the goal of providing equal opportunities for all. Mercyhurst abides by federal, state, and local laws in admissions, employment, and all services and programs provided. Mercyhurst University is committed to complying with its obligations under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Amendments Act of 2008 (ADAAA), Titles I and II of the ADA of 1990, and Sections 503 & 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Fair Housing Act to ensure that a person with a disability is granted reasonable accommodations when such accommodations are necessary to afford that person equal opportunity to obtain a Mercyhurst education and use university facilities.
SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION
Supporting documentation from a medical or other qualified provider must be submitted.
Mercyhurst University recognizes that every person has their own unique path regardless of their disability status or diagnosis. This may involve working with various medical, mental health, and educational professionals. We accept documentation from a wide range of professionals and in many different forms. This helps us remove barriers to access and take an individualized and holistic approach to providing supports. We do, however, have some minimum criteria that all documentation must meet to be considered. All documentation must:
- Be provided on professional letterhead, signed, and include the name, title, and professional credentials.
- Confirm a diagnosis/the presence of a disability or chronic health condition.
- Describe the nature of the impairment and potential impact on the individual’s ability to participate in the university’s educational programs and services i.e., limitation of major life activities.
- Reflect an evaluation recent enough to provide comprehensive information about the disability that may still be deemed relevant. Documentation from childhood and early adolescence may not be considered applicable to a higher education or workplace setting.
NOTE: Rather than following the documentation guidelines to generate a letter or provide a copy of an evaluation/assessment, a physician or qualified provider may complete one of the following (as applicable):
- Student Disability Verification Form
- Employee Medical Information Request and Verification Form
These forms may be requested from the ADA Coordinator via email
ADA@mercyhurst.edu. The appropriate form for a student or an employee should be completed in its entirety to ensure that the ADA Committee is provided with the necessary information to determine eligibility for reasonable accommodations.
Any documentation may be submitted via upload with this application, emailed to
ADA@mercyhurst.edu, or
faxed to 814-824-2020 ATTN: Susan Reddinger.
If the documentation provided does not meet the university’s requirements, it will not be accepted as the official documentation. The requesting individual will receive notice and will be asked to provide alternative supporting documentation. Individuals requesting additional accommodation after their initial approval may be asked to provide additional documentation.
ACCOMMODATIONS PROCESS
- ADA Coordinator contacts the requesting individual to schedule an intake meeting (in-person, via telephone, or via zoom) to learn about their unique situation and issues they are experiencing, as well as explain what constitutes appropriate supporting documentation.
- Once supporting documentation is received, the ADA Coordinator presents all information to the ADA Committee to determine whether a covered disability exists. To be protected under the ADA, you must have, have a record of, or be regarded as having a substantial, as opposed to a minor, impairment. A substantial impairment is one that significantly limits or restricts a major life activity such as hearing, seeing, speaking, walking, breathing, performing manual tasks, caring for oneself, learning or working.
- In cases where a covered disability exists, the ADA Coordinator will continue the interactive process with the requesting individual to provide reasonable accommodation.
- For a student, reasonable accommodations are adjustments that remove barriers and create equal access to programs, activities, or learning platforms without fundamentally altering the academic content or learning objectives or posing an undue hardship to the university.
- For an employee, reasonable accommodations are any change to the application or hiring process, to the job, to the way the job is done, or the work environment that allows a person with a disability who is qualified for the job to perform the essential functions of that job and enjoy equal employment opportunities. Accommodations are considered “reasonable” if they do not create an undue hardship or a direct threat.
- Please note that the university need not provide the exact accommodation requested by the individual. The university may provide alternate accommodation if it is reasonable and appropriate to make the university’s programs, activities, services, and facilities accessible to that individual.
- Accommodations are not retroactive and may only be used after eligibility has been determined. Accommodations may not be applied to anything prior to eligibility determination.
- Finally, the individual will be notified by the ADA Committee of the determination of eligibility for reasonable accommodation(s) via email.
- All applications/requests and documentation will be maintained in accordance with the confidentiality requirements of the Federal Education Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA).
ASSISTANCE ANIMALS
Please refer to the Mercyhurst University Assistance Animal Policy
https://www.mercyhurst.edu/sites/default/files/assistanceanimalpolicy.pdf for detailed information related to assistance/emotional support animals on campus, as well as specific documentation necessary for eligibility determination.
APPEALS
If the requesting individual is not satisfied with the determination of the ADA Committee, that individual may submit an appeal within seven (7) calendar days of the decision. Appeals should be submitted in writing to the ADA Coordinator via email at
ADA@mercyhurst.edu. Appeals will be reviewed by an ad hoc ADA Appeals Committee composed of three (3) university representatives not involved in any way with prior determinations. Decisions of the ADA Appeals Committee are final.
Please direct inquires and questions to Susan Reddinger, ADA Coordinator,
814-824-2362 or
ADA@mercyhurst.edu.