Register for Accommodations

Students seeking permanent or temporary accommodations must complete a registration process to receive academic accommodations or adjustments. In order to fully evaluate a student’s application and to determine eligibility for services, documentation of the student’s disability is required.

Step 1:  Request Accommodations– Complete the online AIM form Click Here for the AIM Link

You will need your valid Tarleton State University email, student number and password in order to access this online form.

Step 2: Submit Documentation-Upload .pdf file(s) with accommodations application or email [email protected] or bring a hardcopy when you are on campus. 

Step 3: Appointment with Office of Student Accessibility Services staff member.  Once Steps 1 and 2 are completed, a Student Accessibility Services staff member will arrange an in-person or virtual appointment with the student to facilitate an interactive conversation about the accommodation request.

Until all steps of the registration process have been completed, the student will be considered pending with the Office of Student Accessibility Services and will not be eligible for services or accommodations. Incomplete files will be kept for 90 days and then destroyed. The student may begin the accommodation request process again at any time.

What is an accommodation?

An accommodation is a modification or adjustment to a course, program, service, activity or facility that enables a qualified student with a disability to have fair treatment. Fair treatment means an opportunity to attain the same level of performance or to enjoy equal benefits and privileges as are available to a similarly-situated student without a disability. The University is obligated to make an accommodation only to the known limitations of an otherwise qualified student with a disability.

To determine accommodations, the Office of Student Accessibility Services may seek information from appropriate University personnel regarding the essential standards for courses, programs, services, activities and facilities. Students and the practitioners directly involved in assessing the individual student’s disability may provide recommendations for accommodations. However, final determination of accommodations that will allow the student equal access will be made by the Office of Student Accessibility Services.

Accommodations are determined by examining:

The barriers resulting from the interaction between the documented disability and the campus environment;

• The possible accommodations that might remove barriers;
• Whether or not the student has access to the course, program, service, activity or facility without accommodations;
• Whether or not essential elements of the course, program, service, activity, or facility are compromised by the accommodation.

The Office of Student Accessibility Services realizes that accommodations are individualized and flexible, based on the nature of the documented disability and the environment. Accommodations will be continued only if they are shown to be effective in providing equal access and/or the student receiving accommodations uses them responsibly. The student should make an appointment prior to the start of each semester to discuss ongoing or new accommodations.

Under provision of the ADA regulations, students are guaranteed fair treatment with no guarantee of specific outcomes. In addition, Tarleton State University reserves the right to define the essential skills for its various degree programs and certificates; to refuse services to students who do not meet the standards establishing them as a person with a disability; and who do not follow procedures for accessing services.

Who is Eligible for Services?

Tarleton State University provides services to all qualified students with disabilities as defined by law. A person with a disability means:

“…an individual who, with or without reasonable accommodations to rules, policies, or practices, the removal of architectural, communication, or transportation barriers, or the provision of auxiliary aids and services, meets the essential requirements for the receipt of services or the participation in programs or activities…”

Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, 42 U.S.C. §12131 [Sec. 201.]

The definition of a disability includes a person who:

has a physical or mental impairment which substantially limits one or more of such a person’s major life activities; has a record of such impairment, or is regarded as having such impairment.

Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, 42 U.S.C. §12131 [Sec. 201.]

A “qualified” person with a disability is defined as one…

“who meets the academic and technical standards requisite to admission or participation in the education program or activity.”

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 protects the rights of qualified individuals who have disabilities such as, but not limited to:

Documentation Guidelines

Documentation guidelines allows for consistency and compliance with federal statutes, to verify a student’s request for accommodations, to assist in the determination of appropriate accommodations for the student, and to personalize the student’s right to equal access to the university.

Sources of information used for determining a disability and/or accommodations may include a student’s self-report, direct observation and interaction with the student, and/or documentation from qualified evaluators or professionals.

Disability-related documentation should provide information on the functional impact of the disability so that effective accommodations can be determined.  Criteria for the source, scope and content of documentation differs by disability type.  Documentation may include assessments, reports, and/or letters from qualified evaluators, professionals, or institutions.

Documentation supporting the request for academic accommodations must be provided by a licensed independent professional, i.e., physician, psychologist, psychiatrist, etc. The documentation submitted to the Office of Student Accessibility Services is intended to establish the nature of the student’s disability/condition and related impact to the student in the educational setting. Please note that the Office of Student Accessibility Services reserves the right to make a determination on the appropriateness of submitted documentation and requests for accommodation(s) on a case-by-case situation.  Also, keep in mind that documentation acceptable for other agencies and institutions (e.g., vocational rehabilitation agencies, public schools) may not be sufficient for determining post-secondary services.

Acceptable documentation must reflect the following:

• Specific diagnoses supported by documentation;
• Documentation must be current (in most cases, within the past 3-5years);
• Evaluation findings that support all diagnoses, to include relevant background history, tests administered, test scores (composite and subtest scores), test results, and interpretation of test results;
• Identification of associated functional limitations or symptoms and how these functional limitations or symptoms substantially impair major life functioning. Keep in mind that functional limitations inform which accommodations are appropriate;
• Severity of disability and/or expected progression;
• Current and/or past accommodations;
• Current medications and any related side effects, if applicable;
• Specific recommendations for accommodations based on identified diagnoses and associated functional impairments;
• Documentation must be on a letterhead, typed, dated, and signed with the evaluator’s name, address, telephone number (in the event that the office needs to contact them), and professional credentials relevant to the diagnosis.

Please send Documentation Electronically to: [email protected] or by fax to (254) 918-7600

Under provision of the ADA regulations, students are guaranteed fair treatment with no guarantee of specific outcomes. In addition, Tarleton State University reserves the right to define the essential skills for its various degree programs and certificates; to refuse services to students who do not meet the standards establishing them as a person with a disability; and who do not follow procedures for accessing services.