To be eligible for disability related services; students must have a visibly obvious or documented disability as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) and Section 504 of the Vocational Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Under the ADA and Section 504, a person has a disability if he/she has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities such as walking, standing, seeing, speaking, hearing, learning, sitting, breathing, or taking care of oneself.

Disability Services is the designated office at Monmouth College to initially review and collect disability related documents.  Disability Services will consult with the Illinois Department of Human Services’ Division of Rehabilitation Services and the Division of Student Affairs to verify particular types of disabilities, certify eligibility for services, determine reasonable accommodations, and develop plans for the provision of such accommodations. All of these may be done with review and recommendation from other on-campus professionals to ensure accurate and appropriate accommodations. Students with disabilities may also be eligible for auxiliary services including assistive technology, note-takers, learning strategies instruction, coaching, assessment, library and lab assistants, psychosocial support, and mentoring.

Pending receipt of documentation, registering, and certifying eligibility, Disability Services reserves the right to deny services or accommodations.

Certifying Eligibility

When appropriate, Disability Services may request disability related documents from the appropriate licensed professional to certify a student as having a disability and to determine reasonable accommodations. Students who suspect they have a disability and have not received a formal assessment may be referred to the Counseling Center or off-campus resources for an evaluation.

Documentation Guidelines

Since each student has different needs for accommodations, Monmouth College requires each student provide documentation that includes a diagnosis of his or her disability, defines the functional limitations he or she will experience in an academic environment, and describes appropriate academic accommodations. In order for decisions to be made regarding the appropriate accommodations for each student, documentation of the disability by a licensed professional that includes resulting limitations and recommended accommodations will be required.

Disability Services will review the documentation for diagnosis of a disabling condition and the functional limitations experienced by the student. A diagnosis of a disorder, condition, or syndrome in and of itself does not automatically qualify an individual for accommodations. Disability Services will determine the appropriate academic accommodations, if any, for each student on a case-by-case.  If the student's documentation is unclear, it may be referred to other professionals on-campus for review and recommendation.  The documentation provided by the professional will not become part of the student's educational record and will be kept in the student's confidential file.

Specific documentation guidelines are provided below: 

·  Documentation Guidelines for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

·  Documentation Guidelines for Hearing Loss

·  Documentation Guidelines for Learning Disabilities

·  Documentation Guidelines for Medical, Physical, and Visual Impairments

·  Documentation Guidelines for Psychological Disabilities

·  Documentation Guidelines for Traumatic Brain Injury

·  Documentation Guidelines for Other Disabling Conditions