Disability Accommodations and Support Services

A spirited group of Northwest University students, dressed in the school colors of blue and yellow.

Overview

Northwest University is committed to serving all our students, including those who require support resources, to the best of our ability. The Academic Success and Support office facilitates equal access to all learning, housing, and campus life activities for all admitted students. For students with learning differences, neurodiverse diagnoses, and/or physical disabilities, as defined by the ADA and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, Northwest University takes an individual and holistic approach to providing accommodations.  Approved accommodations endeavor to address the student’s unique needs without fundamentally altering the University’s instructional programs and are determined on a case-by-case basis. Students are encouraged to consider that accommodations are intended to mitigate barriers and provide equal access; accommodations do not always result in equal outcomes. 

Procedure

The steps to requesting and arranging academic or campus life accommodations are described below. Students are strongly encouraged to begin the process as soon as possible to allow adequate time for requests to be processed and for resulting accommodations to be implemented. Standard deadlines for request submissions are listed below the steps. Accommodations may be requested or adjusted on an ongoing basis.

Step One – Request, Documentation, and Consultation 

To qualify for consideration, requests for accommodations must include the following parts: 

  1. A written request form. All sections of the form should be filled out with accurate, clear, and detailed information. On the form, students are required to self-disclose diagnoses that directly relate to the barriers or functional limitations the student experiences in academic or campus activities 
  2. Credible, current, and verifiable documentation. Documentation for accommodations that provide substantiation for a physical or mental health concern or neurodivergent learning style must originate from a qualified and certified medical provider or educational specialist. The documentation must be current and must describe the diagnosis and nature of the disability and the prognosis. If the documentation is considered outdated or inadequate in scope and content, it will be necessary for the student to facilitate an update on the evaluation report before the request for accommodation is considered complete. To be considered current, documentation should be dated within the last three (3) years from the date of the request. 
  3. An individual meeting with the Director of Academic Success and Advising. This consultation may be conducted in person or via teleconference. During the consultation, the student and the Director of Academic Success and Advising will review the submitted request and documentation, discuss options for reasonable accommodations, and determine together which accommodations will be approved for implementation. 

Accommodations request forms and all documentation documents should be saved as PDFs and submitted to: ada@northwestu.edu. 

Step Two – Approval, Notification, and Implementation 

Upon approval of academic accommodations, the student’s current instructors will be notified in writing about the accommodations and the university’s expectations about appropriate and reasonable implementation for each learning environment. The student’s diagnosis and details about the nature of the student’s request for accommodations are not disclosed in the notification. Students are not expected to negotiate with instructors for approval of the accommodations; however, students are encouraged to coordinate with their professors to most appropriately and effectively implement the accommodations. 

Campus life accommodations are those that impact residential living, food service, service animals and ESAs. These accommodations are approved conjointly by the Director of Academic Success and Advising and the Dean of Students. Following provisional approval by the Director of Academic Success and Advising, the student may be required to schedule a secondary consultation with the Dean of Students and other appropriate university staff to finalize approval and coordinate the implementation of reasonable accommodations. Once approval for campus life accommodations is secured, the university housing department staff will be notified in writing and implementation of accommodations will begin. Please note: ESA requests require the completion and submission of additional forms (see Forms and Resources below). A $200 cleaning fee for ESAs in the residence halls and a $300 cleaning fee for ESAs in the student apartments and Firs will be applied to the student’s account.

Standard Deadlines for Requests

  • Academic Accommodations
    • Fall Semester – Submit by August 15
    • Spring Semester – Submit by December 15
    • Summer Term – Submit by April 30
  • Campus Life Accommodations (Housing, Food Service, Service Animals)
    • Fall Semester, returning students – Submit by February 15
    • Fall Semester, new students – Submit by July 1
    • Spring Semester, new or returning students – Submit by November 15
  • Routine processing time is 4-5 weeks

The standard deadlines are in place to ensure the most expedient, equitable, and effective processing and implementation of accommodation requests. Requests will be considered on an ongoing basis, but requests submitted past term deadlines may require more time for responses, processing, and implementation.

Questions

  • For general inquiries, please email: ada@northwestu.edu
  • For specific questions about academic support resources and accommodations, please email: ada@northwestu.edu or call 425-889-5227.
  • For specific questions about campus life disability resources and accommodations, please email housing@northwestu.edu or call 425-889-5234.

Forms and Resources

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