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Disabilities Services Information   SERVICES FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES Lincoln University is committed to providing equal opportunities to persons with disabilities in accordance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990. Students are hereby notified that this institution does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability in admission or access to, or treatment, or employment in its programs and activities. Questions that may arise in regard to the University's compliance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act should be directed to the Coordinator of Disabilities Services, 304 Founders Hall, Lincoln University, Jefferson City, Missouri 65102-0029. After being admitted to the University, students will receive information on how to access Disability Services. These services are coordinated through the Office of Counseling and Career Services. The type of service made available is dependent upon documented expressed needs. Examples of such services may include the following: the provision of text on audio tape for persons with visual impairments, learning disabilities or physical impairments; readers for visually impaired students; interpreters for the hearing impaired; notetakers; access to chair-lifts and/or elevators; accessible parking; and coordination with agencies providing services for persons with disabilities. The University also provides on-campus-housing accommodations for students with disabilities. If students find that an academic program is inaccessible, they should report this to the Coordinator of Disabilities Services or the academic dean of their college. Inaccessibility to extra-curricular programs or activities may also be reported to the Coordinator of Disabilities Services. Every effort will be made to make programs accessible. Students should submit an Accommodation Request Form for disability related services as soon as possible after admittance to the University, in order that expressed needs can be met in a timely manner. Lincoln University reserves the right to require documentation of disabilities. PROCEDURES FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES REQUESTING SERVICES All students admitted to Lincoln University who identify themselves at the Disability Office will receive an Accommodation Request Form.  Students with disabilities wishing to request special accommodations must submit the Accommodation request form, along with documentation, to the Coordinator of Disabilities Services, as soon as possible. A Permission for Release of Information Form may be acquired by the Coordinator to assist students in their acquisition of appropriate documentation. The following procedures usually take place upon receipt of documentation: The Coordinator will verify the receipt of the Accommodations Form and Documentation.  In conference with student will verify the nature of the disability and how it might impair the student academics.  Letters of accommodations are generated for the student to submit to each Instructor.  Returning students are sent a letter at the beginning of each semester of enrollment as a welcome and reminder of their role in securing and monitoring the receipt of appropriate accommodations.  Spring Semester, returning students may also be sent an encouraging, written  reminder to utilize academic support services prior to mid-term examinations. About the third week of each semester or term, the Coordinator of Disability Services will conduct a conference by phone or in person with each student concerning their adjustment to Lincoln University and their overall academic performance. PROCEDURES FOR STUDENTS WITHOUT DOCUMENTATION After being admitted to the University and/or being enrolled in classes, students may at any time during the semester, schedule a conference with the Coordinator of Disabilities Services to self-identify as a student with a disability and request accommodations. Students are then requested to complete an Accommodation Request Form providing accurate, documented information concerning the nature of the disability, special needs, and required support. NOTE: Faculty or staff, in a confidential manner, may encourage students to seek assistance or advice from Counseling and Career Services for the purpose of improving their academic performance or overall quality-of-life while attending Lincoln University.  Should a student be unable to readily obtain documentation from a previous school, vocational rehabilitation agency, physician or other recognized source, but indicate their preference to be evaluated for a possible disability, a list of qualified practitioners are provided as possible resources for an updated assessment to determine the disability(s) and appropriate post-secondary accommodations. (Lincoln University is not obligated to and does not cover the cost of the assessment. It is the student's responsibility.) In addition, students without documentation may sign a one semester notification agreement to receive accommodations for one semester only.  The student receiving services under this agreement must present documentation by the end of the semester in order for the accommodations to continue.   Lincoln University Guidelines on submitting Documentation for Disability Services Lincoln University provides assistance to students with a documented disability.  Documentation of the disability needs to be on file with the Coordinator of Disability Services before requests can be granted.  In response to the expressed need for guidance related to the documentation, the following guidelines were developed. A qualified professional such as a psychologist, neurophysiologist, psychiatrist, counselor, doctor, or trained school personnel is appropriate to provide the documentation.  The report must include a specific diagnosis based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-IV) diagnostic criteria. A well-written interpretative summary based on a comprehensive evaluative process is a necessary component of the documentation.  Each accommodation recommended by the evaluator must include a rationale.  The diagnostic report must include specific recommendations for accommodations that are realistic and that postsecondary institutions can reasonably provide.  A detailed explanation as to why each accommodation is recommended must be provided and should be correlated with specific functional limitations. A description of the current functional limitations on how the condition currently impacts the individual should be outlined.  The documentation needs to be thorough enough to demonstrate whether and how a major life activity is substantially limited be providing a clear sense of the severity, frequency and pervasiveness of the condition. Although prior documentation may have been useful in determining appropriate services in the past, current documentation must validate the need for services based on the individual's present level of functioning in the educational setting. INTERPRETING SERVICES FOR THE HEARING IMPAIRED The Coordinator of Disability Services is responsible for securing, monitoring, and maintaining interpreter services for the hearing impaired, and as such serves as the 'site supervisor' of interpreters contracted by the University.  Current regulations/guidelines regarding the qualifications, certification, licensing, performance, evaluation, ethical conduct and compensation for interpreters may be obtained from the Missouri Commission for the Deaf. Students utilizing interpreters must notify the Coordinator of Disability Services in advance (48 hour notification is preferred) whenever interpreting services are to be cancelled. All schedule and procedure changes, whether initiated by Lincoln University or the interpreter, are to be confirmed in writing. PARKING FOR PERSONS WITH PHYSICAL DISABILITIES License plates and placards for persons with disabilities must be obtained directly from the Missouri Department of Revenue, Motor Vehicle Bureau by the student needing them. Parking spaces designed for the exclusive use of vehicles displaying a physically disabled person's license place or placard may only be used when a person with a disability is in the motor vehicle at the time of parking, or when person is being delivered or picked up by a properly marked vehicle which is parked for the sole use of the person with the disability.  All parking is monitored and regulated by Lincoln University's Department of Public Safety and the City of Jefferson. Although spaces are designed for the use of vehicles displaying a physical disabilities placard or plate, reserved parking for persons with physical disabilities is not provided. Students are liable for any and all policy violations. The following suggestions may be offered to better facilitate parking on campus: Park legally. Pre-register, (Classes might possibly be scheduled around peak parking times which are 7:45 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.). Allow sufficient time to find alternative parking when designated parking for the physically disabled is not readily available. Utilize Jefferson City Transportation Division's Handywheels pickup, (573) 634-6477.  NOTICE OF NON-DISCRIMINATION Applicants for admission and employment, students, employees, sources of referral for applicants seeking admission and employment, and all professional organizations holding professional agreements with Lincoln University are hereby notified that this institution does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability in admission or access to, or treatment or employment in, its programs and activities. Any person having inquiries concerning compliance with the regulations implementing Section 504 of the Americans with Disabilities Act should contact the Coordinator of Disability Services, 304 Founders Hall, Lincoln University, Jefferson City, Missouri 65102-0029,(573) 681-5162. Persons may also contact the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Education, regarding the University's compliance.  For further information on disability procedures, the Office of Counseling & Career Services retains an Internal Policy and Procedures Manual.