Student Affairs » ARC

Procedure for Requesting Accommodations

Georgetown does not discriminate or deny access to an otherwise qualified student with a disability on the basis of disability, and students with disabilities may be eligible for reasonable accommodations and/or special services in accordance with the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. However, students are responsible for communicating their needs to the Academic Resource Center. The University is not responsible for making special accommodations for students who have not requested an accommodation and adequately documented their disabilities. Also, the University need not modify programmatic, course, or degree requirements considered to be an essential requirement of the program of instruction.

To request an accommodation on the basis of any disability, whether a physical, psychological or learning disability, a student must take the following steps:

1. Declare his or her disability by submitting appropriate written documentation regarding a disability from a qualified professional to the Academic Resource Center.

1. In the case of a physical or psychological disability, this documentation must be current medical documentation from a qualified professional that provides a specific diagnosis, describes symptoms, demonstrates an impact on a major life activity (i.e. learning, walking, sight), lists recommended educational accommodations, and provides a rationale for each accommodation.
2. With respect to documentation of learning disabilities or Attention Deficit Disorder, Georgetown follows the guidelines developed by the Association on Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD) and the Consortium on ADHD Documentation, as adopted and modified by the Educational Testing Service (ETS). These guidelines describe the documentation that is necessary to validate a learning disability or Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and the need for reasonable accommodations. In general, testing must be current (within three years), comprehensive, and include a specific diagnosis. Each accommodation recommended by the evaluator must include a rationale. Complete guidelines are available through the Educational Testing Services website at www.ets.org/disability/.

The documentation and information regarding the student's disability will remain confidential and will be released only if and to the extent that the student provides the Academic Resource Center with written authorization to release such information, or in the unlikely event that disclosure is compelled by legal process. The University reserves the right to request a second professional evaluation (at its own expense) of the student's disability. Based upon the materials submitted by the student and a review by the appropriate University personnel, the University will determine the appropriate reasonable accommodation.

Students are advised to register with the Academic Resource Center upon enrollment and at the beginning of each semester for which they are requesting services. A reasonable amount of time is required to evaluate the documentation, review the request, and determine the appropriate accommodations.

2. If the University determines that an accommodation is appropriate, the student shall consult with administrators in the Academic Resource Center and the appropriate University personnel, including in cases of academic accommodations, the student's academic dean's office, to identify what services will be provided as a reasonable accommodation. In most cases, the Academic Resource Center will provide the student a letter describing the nature of the accommodation he/she requires as a result of his or her disability.

1. To facilitate this process, a student must complete and sign a release of information form provided by the Academic Resource Center. This form gives the Academic Resource Center permission to share, as necessary, information about the student's disability with the University personnel who will be involved in providing the accommodation to the student.

3. After these steps are completed, the student is responsible for meeting with the University personnel who will be arranging for the accommodation to discuss the recommended accommodations. In the case of academic accommodations, the student should plan to meet with his or her professors at the beginning of each semester. The student should give the letter from the Academic Resource Center that verifies the student's disability and the recommended accommodations to the faculty or staff members with whom they meet.

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