E-Mail to All Students re: Presenting Disabilities (September, 2007)

September 1, 2007

To: All Students
From: Office of the Dean of Students
Re: Accommodations for Students with Disabilities

As the academic year is set to begin, we are writing to remind students with disabilities about the procedure for requesting reasonable accommodations. Fairfield University is committed to providing qualified students with disabilities an equal opportunity to access the benefits, rights and privileges of its services, programs and activities in an accessible setting. Furthermore, in compliance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and Connecticut State laws, we provide reasonable accommodations to qualified students to reduce the impact of disabilities on academic functioning or upon other major life activities.

If a student with a disability would like to be considered for accommodations, he or she must make this request in writing, and send the supporting documentation to the office of Academic & Disability Support Services located in the Kelley Center. This should be done prior to the start of the academic semester and is strictly voluntary. If a student with a disability chooses not to self-identify or provide the necessary documentation, accommodations need not be provided. All information concerning disabilities is confidential and will only be shared with a student's permission. Fairfield University uses the guidelines suggested by CT AHEAD to determine disabilities and reasonable accommodations.

For more information, please contact the Office of Academic & Disability Support Services at ext. 2615or visit www.fairfield.edu/adss_index.html

Thomas C. Pellegrino, J.D., Ph.D.
Associate Vice President and Dean of Students
Fairfield University
Fairfield, Connecticut 06824-5195
Ph: (203) 254-4000 ext. 3425
Fax: (203) 254-4014