How to Apply for Services

To obtain eligibility to receive reasonable accommodations through Student Disability Services (SDS), students will need to follow the formal application process for accommodations outlined below: 

Step 1

Students will complete and submit an application and attach supporting documentation to request academic accommodations:

• Student Request for Accommodations Form: This online application form is required to be completed by the student; it informs SDS of the accommodations you are requesting, what you've used in the past, and how you describe your disability.
• Authorization for the Release of Information: This step is mandatory for all students seeking services with SDS. You will see a checkbox that you will click to provide your authorization in the application. This enables us to read your information and share it with key parties. Key parties are those that need to know what your accommodations may be in order for your accommodations to be implemented effectively. Key parties are trained in FERPA and other privacy mandates. Confidentiality is respected at all times.
• Provider Report: This form is submitted with your Student Request for Accommodations Form; if you do not have supporting documentation, or your documentation has exceeded the three-year threshold. If you are seeking accommodations for either a learning disability, ADHD, or other psychological disabilities, the form must be completed by a licensed psychologist/psychiatrist. 

If you are seeking accommodations for a physical disability (deaf/hard of hearing, low vision, or bone/muscle/neurological disabilities) the Provider Report can be completed by your family doctor.  

Supporting documentation for your request for accommodations must be no older than three-years old. Your documentation could be any of the following but not limited to: 

• IEP/504 plan with a psychological evaluation embedded within the IEP  or,
• Psychological evaluation from a licensed clinician detailing how your disability affects your academic performance, and daily life , or,
• Medical Diagnosis from appropriate provider describing the functional impact of the disability in daily life and educational environment, or,  
• A letter of approval for accommodations from the College Board (with supporting documentation that includes a diagnosis)
• Submit/Upload a Provider Report (you can download a Provider Report form our website) completed appropriate by an appropriate certified provider or licensed clinical professional

Supporting documentation should:

•    Contain a diagnosis for a disability
•    Verify the nature and extent of the disability’s impact
•    Support the need for a specific accommodation request
•    Describe the recent impact of disability conditions
•    Contain a signature from an appropriate licensed professional
•    Contain the licensed professional’s license number
•    Contain the provider's letterhead

Documentation that will not support your request for accommodations:

• Handwritten patient records or notes from patient charts
• Documentation provided by a member of the student’s family
• Diagnoses on prescription pads
• Research articles
• Syllabi
• Self-diagnosis reports
• Prescription notes

If your documentation is outdated, you may be eligible to receive temporary accommodations while obtaining the updated documentation. (Please contact SDS to see what we would need to grant you temporary accommodations
 

Step 2

Submit your Student Request for Accommodations & Authorization for the Release of Information online application forms and attach your supporting documentation or Provider Report. or email your supporting documentation to sds@neiu.edu.

Office Hours: 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday

SDS will notify you when we have completed our review of your request for accommodations and made our determination. This could take up to ten (10) business days. 

Step 3

SDS will notify you to schedule an appointment with an SDS Specialist, to go over whether your request has been approved or denied.

If your request has been approved, we will discuss:

• How an accommodation can be implemented
• SDS policies for utilizing certain accommodations
• Resources for on and off campus to get a full range of support
• Your Accommodation Determination Letter and how to use it

If your request has been denied, we will discuss:

• The reasons
• Other actions that can be taken or alternative accommodations
• The appeal process

Reasons why accommodations could be denied:

• If making the accommodation means making a substantial change in an essential nature of a program or element of the curriculum;
• If it poses an undue financial or administrative burden and;
• If they create a direct threat to the health or safety of others.
• Accommodations do not transfer from one place to another.
• Each request is case-by-case, and unique to each environment (i.e., the level of support in high school is vastly different from that in a higher education environment; the level of support from one higher education environment to another can also vary widely.)