SAS FAQ
Student Accessibility Services Frequently Asked Questions
鈥嬧赌嬧赌嬧赌嬧赌色情论坛 provides reasonable accommodations to help ensure that eligible students with disabilities experience equal opportunity and participation in programs and services. SAS works with students, faculty and administrators at RWU to ensure learning and living inclusiveness in all aspects of the student's experience. We take care to promote equal opportunity for our students and we support our students toward their achievement of academic success and degree completion.
In other words, we work with faculty, residential life, facilities services, and other units to recommend accommodations or supports that will help ensure that our eligible students have equal access to programs and services, as compared to their peers. We also:
- Meet with our students to help problem solving
- Support your ability to self advocate
- Work to help you navigate a complex college environment
- Encourage you to explore the diversity and inclusion conversations at RWU
- Care about your success, and we will work with you to help you achieve it!
Please follow the steps that are outlined on the landing page of the SAS website (Steps 1-4).
鈥嬧赌嬧赌嬧赌At the higher education level, there are no IEP/504/Learning Plans, rather, there are accommodations to provide equal access to the learning experience. If you have had an IEP/504/Learning Plan (or not) and you wish to request accommodations, please refer to the SAS website landing page (steps 1-4) and/or contact SAS at sas@rwu.edu to get started.
No, RWU does not conduct any type of evaluation services for disabilities. Please contact your primary care physician or treating clinician regarding testing options.
To make an appointment with a Student Accessibility Services staff member, please email sas@rwu.edu, call 401-254-3841, or come to the SAS office, located on the first floor of the library.
You do not need to re-register with SAS each semester or every year (i.e. submit disability related documentation) once a decision has been rendered.
You do need to notify your professors of your approved accommodations each semester by going to the and selecting the 鈥淧rofessor Notification Letters鈥 option and following the instructions.
To find out what accommodations you have been approved for, please refer to "Professor Notification Letters" in the . Additionally, you may contact the SAS office at sas@rwu.edu.
To notify your professors of your accommodations, please refer to "Professor Notification Letters" in the and follow the instructions.
To schedule an exam with SAS, please go to the and select the "Schedule a Test or Exam" option which will guide you through the scheduling process.
*Important Note: Exams have to be scheduled at least 3-4 days ahead of the scheduled exam date.
鈥嬧赌嬧赌嬧赌No, that information (diagnosis, area of diagnosis, evaluation information, etc.) is kept strictly confidential by the SAS office and is not distributed to faculty. Professors or administrators (outside the SAS staff) should never ask you specific questions about your disability or medical condition.
However, professors or administrators may ask you about what you need to be successful in class, and they can discuss your accommodations and whether you have what you need. You may choose to share information if you are comfortable, but you are not required to do so.
Accommodations are not intended to guarantee success, rather, they are intended to reduce barriers and support equal access. This means, for example, that students are assessed on their performance, and not on the impact of the particular environmental barriers they may experience.
Students, regardless of SAS registration status, are responsible to meet the standards of their courses (with or without accommodations) and are also accountable to the behavior codes as established by RWU, including academic honesty and appropriate student conduct.
No, the SAS office does not offer tutoring. However, 色情论坛 has a robust Tutoring Center. Please refer to the Tutoring Center web pages for more details.
SAS does offer strategy meetings, but typically not every week. Students can schedule meetings with us on an as-needed basis.
SAS does not provide executive functioning coaches. However, students are welcome to hire an outside coach, work with peer mentors or the tutoring center, and more. We do provide a list of resources that many students find helpful in building their executive functioning skills.
Emotional Support Animal (ESA)
Under the Fair Housing Act (FHA), an assistance animal, otherwise known as an Emotional Support Animal (ESA), is allowed as an exception to a "no animals/pets allowed" policy in a residential setting. Allowing such an animal in a residential setting is, therefore, a waiver of a no pets policy and regulated by the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD). On a college campus, ESAs are approved when the student has a disability that substantially limits their ability to live in, enjoy, and participate in the residential experience.
ESAs are not trained to perform any specific task; they simply exist in the student's life to provide comfort. The request for an ESA must be supported by a mental health practitioner and be a component of an on-going mental health treatment plan. ESAs are not allowed to be anywhere on campus except the student's living space (room/suite). ESAs are not allowed in the classroom or any other building or space on campus. ESAs may be exercised and toileted outdoors, but they are not allowed to travel through campus with their owner. This includes not being allowed to accompany the student on field trips or visiting friends in other residence halls.
Service Animal
By the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Department of Justice (DOJ) definition, a service animal is an animal that has been trained to perform specific tasks for a person with a disability. Service animals are primarily dogs only, and in rare instances, miniature horses. Service animals are allowed to be with their handler/owner at all times. This means that a service animal is allowed to be anywhere the public may go, including in the classrooms, the residence halls, the dining commons, the library, the rec center, administrative buildings, and all spaces the student/employee is allowed to go. Service animals are not pets and do not need to be certified or show proof of training. Many service animals provide a psychiatric or medical service(s) that may not be evident to others.
There are only two questions that may be asked of the person with the service animal when it is not obvious that the animal is a service animal: (a) Is the dog a Service Animal required due to a disability? and (b) What work or tasks is the animal trained to perform? The animal is not required to demonstrate the work or task on demand. A service animal is not required by law to wear an identifying vest, tag, or collar; however, such identifiers are common to serve as a visual indication as to the animal's purpose.
Student Responsibility and Animal Behavior: At all times, the student is fully responsible for the animal's behavior. The dog must be controlled by tether at all times. (If a tether is not possible because of disability, the animal will be controlled by voice or other method). At no time is the dog to be allowed to roam free in public unless it is actively performing a task.
The student will be accountable to the Dean of Students if the service dog becomes aggressive to other RWU community members. Additionally, the dog must not be disruptive to academic, residential, or co-curricular activities. The Dean of Students and SAS will work with the student in maintaining control of their animal; but in circumstances where the service dog cannot be controlled, it may have to be removed/trespassed from campus. NOTE: If a service dog is removed from campus for the reasons indicated, SAS will work with the student to provide reasonable academic accommodations and/or residential life accommodations in lieu of the service dog.
Other Types of Animals
Puppies and Puppies-in-Training
色情论坛 does not recognize puppies or puppies-in-training as legitimate service dogs. Federal law, Americans with Disabilities Amendments Act of 2008, and the US Department of Justice also do not recognize puppies as service dogs. However, in Rhode Island, there are legislative indicators that when a dog is legitimately being trained as a service dog, it is to be treated with the same exemptions given to fully trained service dogs.
The dog must at all times, in public, be on-leash, be treated as a working animal, and may not be disruptive or aggressive. Additionally, the dog must be fully and completely house trained. Students who are training their own dogs to become their service dogs must be in contact with SAS to:
- Provide evidence that the puppy is engaged in a legitimate training program, teaching the dog to perform specific tasks related to the student's particular disability
- Provide identifying and health information (picture of the dog, breed information, veterinary records including current vaccinations, emergency contact for alternate handler, etc.)
Therapy Dogs
Therapy dogs undergo training with their handlers to provide emotional support to people in a variety of group settings (ex. schools, hospitals, nursing homes) or in the therapy session. Therapy dogs and their handlers are generally under the supervision of a mental health system or mental health provider while they are on duty.
Therapy dogs are not service dogs as defined by ADAAA 2008 and are not allowed to accompany their owners to class or other locations on campus except when on duty under the supervision of a mental health provider.
If an eligible RWU student owns a therapy dog, and that student qualifies for the ESA residential accommodation, the student may use the therapy dog as their emotional support animal. However, the therapy dog is considered a residential accommodation only and must remain in the student's residence at all times, as per the ESA guidelines.
A student's disability or medical status is completely confidential, as all student records are subject to FERPA, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act. The information you provide stays within our office records and is not shared publicly in grade rosters, diplomas, with professors, within graduation/retention statistics, or on the operating Student Record System. No one other than SAS professional staff, will have access to your private medical or disability information. When you request accommodations, the faculty or administrators who will provide you with accommodations only know that you are eligible for the recommended accommodations--they will not have access to the reasons for the accommodations.