Disability Services FAQ

The associate vice president for Student Development serves as the university disability coordinator and is assisted by the disability advisors from the offices of Counseling and Psychological Services, Student Health, T.C. Williams Law School, and the School of Continuing Studies (see Contact List).

The University's disability advisors make case-by-case determinations of the student's need for requested auxiliary aid, academic adjustments, or other accommodations determined to be reasonable. The associated vice president for Student Development sends all requests for accommodations to the DA's office based on the type of disability presented. Students with medical/physical disabilities are assigned to the disability advisor in Student Health. The office of Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) manages those students with learning disabilities, attention deficit disorders, and psychiatrist disabilities. The associate dean of the Law School has been designated for making recommendations for Law School students; and for students in the School of Continuing Studies, the director of student services is responsible for disability decisions.   

The University of Richmond provides reasonable environment adjustments or academic accommodations in its programs for qualified students with disabilities. Accommodations are determined on an individual, case-by-case basis and include, but are not limited to, physical space adjustments, extended time, a distraction-reduced environment for examinations, course materials in alternative formats (such as Braille or enlarged print), books on tape, a reduced course load, and taking certain general education requirements on a pass/fail basis. 

Yes. If for any reason the University of Richmond's offered accommodation(s) is/are rejected by a student, the student should first meet with the designated disability advisor to discuss his/her reasons for the rejection of the offer. If the student is still not satisfied with the decision with regard to a disability accommodation, he/she may:

1.  So state in writing to University Disability Coordinator (Associate Vice President of Student Development) Dr. Tinina Cade asking that the matter be reviewed. A copy in writing of the appeal must be provided by the student to the disability advisor. If Dr. Cade upholds the disability advisor's decision, then the student has the right to pursue the next level of appeal with the provost, Dr. Stephen Allred.

2.  The student states in writing to the provost that he or she wishes to appeal the decision. Students contacting the provost of the University in writing are asked to send a copy of their appeal to the following people:

• Associated Vice president of Student Development, Dr. Tinina Cade
• Designated disability advisor: (i.e., Mary Churchill - CAPS; Alene Waller- Student Health; Kristine Henderson - Law School; Caroline L. S. Bear - School of Continuing Studies)

3.  The appeal timeline is as follows:

• The student is given 10 business days after meeting with the disability advisor to appeal the decision directly to University Disability Coordinator (Associate Vice President of Student Development) Dr. Tinina Cade. The appeal must be in writing (email or regular mail).
• If the student is dissatisfied with the university disability coordinator's ruling, then the student has 10 days from receiving the decision to appeal to the provost. The provost is the final appeal agent.
• The student must provide a copy directly to their disability advisor sent in writing by email or mail. All copies of correspondence concerning the appeal should be sent directly to the disability advisor.

Attention Deficit Disorder
Documentation of ADD or ADHD should be in the form of a letter or report prepared by an appropriate professional (i.e., psychiatrist, physician, or psychologist) within the last three years. It should include the following:

• A clear statement of ADD or ADHD with the DSM-IV diagnosis
• A description of the symptoms that meet the criteria for the diagnosis
• A summary of the assessment procedures and evaluation instruments that were used to make the diagnosis
• Information about current medication(s) used to treat the disability
• Possible side effects of any prescribed medication
• A statement of the functional limitations of the impairment
• Whether the condition is mitigated by medication or any other form of currently prescribed treatment
• Questions/concerns can be directed to:  Mary M. Churchill, Ph.D., 201 Richmond Hall, University of Richmond, Tel:   (804) 289-8119, Fax:  (804) 287-1227, e-mail mchurchi@richmond.edu

Learning Disabilities
In order to accurately determine the appropriate accommodations for students with learning disabilities, documentation should be current. To be current, the evaluation must have been completed when the student was an adult (usually older than 15) so that adult scales and instruments were used, or within the last three years.

Comprehensive Assessment:  This assessment should include a diagnostic interview to determine medical, developmental, psychosocial, family, academic, and employment history (if applicable). It should include assessments of:

• Intelligence. All tests must be applicable for adult populations and the evaluator should list subscale scores and, where applicable, index or cluster scores.
• Cognitive Battery. A complete cognitive battery, appropriate for an adult population, with all subtest and standard scores reported should be included. Data should logically reflect a substantial limitation to learning for which the student is requesting the accommodation. The tests should be reliable, valid, and standardized for use with adolescent/adult populations. The test findings should document both the nature and severity of the disability. The following areas must be assessed:
  • Attention
  • Oral language
  • Phonological/orthographic processing
  • Fluency/automaticity
  • Memory/learning (working memory, long-term memory, and/or short-term memory)
  • Executive functions
  • Visual-perceptual/visual spatial
  • Visual-motor

• Academic Achievement. A comprehensive academic achievement battery should include current levels of academic functioning in relevant areas such as reading (decoding and comprehension), mathematics, and oral and written language.
• A Specific Diagnosis. Individual learning styles, learning differences, academic problems and/or test anxiety, in and of themselves, do not constitute a learning disability. The diagnostician must use specific language in the documentation, avoiding the use of such terms as "suggests" or "is indicative of." If the data indicates that a learning disability is present, the evaluator should state this conclusion in the report.
• Clinical Summary. The clinical summary should include: a demonstration of the evaluators having ruled out alternative explanations for academic problems (i.e. poor education, poor motivation, emotional problems, cultural/language differences, etc.), an indication of how patterns in the student's cognitive ability, achievement, and information processing reflect the presence of a learning disability, an indication of the substantial limitation to learning or other major life activity presented by the learning disability and the degree to which it impacts the individual in the learning context for which accommodations are being requested.
• Suggestions for Accommodations. It is helpful for the evaluator to include suggested accommodations based upon the clinical findings. However, the final decision of what accommodations are granted is made by the disability advisor. 
• The Testing Instruments. The testing instruments used to assess the student must be technically adequate and document both the nature and severity of the learning disability. The following are suggested testing instruments.
  • General Intelligence Tests.  Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised (WAIS-IV), Woodcock-Johnson Psycho Educational Battery-III (Test of Cognitive Ability), Kaufman Adolescent and Adult Intelligence Test, Standford-Binet Intelligence Scale (4th ed.). (Please Note: The Slosson IQ-Revised and the Kaufman Brief Intelligence Test are primarily screening devices and are therefore not comprehensive measures of intelligence.)
  • Academic Achievement. Scholastic Abilities Test for Adults (SATA), Stanford Test of Academic Skills, Woodcock-Johnson Psycho Educational Battery-Revised: Tests of Achievement, Wechsler Individual Achievement Test (WIAT), Nelson Denny Reading Skills Test, Stanford Diagnostic Math Test, Test of Written Language, or Woodcock Reading Mastery Tests-Revised. (Please Note: The Wide Range Achievement Test-3 is not a comprehensive measure of achievement and therefore would not be helpful in the diagnostic process.)
  • Cognitive Battery. WAIS-R subtest, Woodcock-Johnson Psycho Educational Battery-Revised (Tests of Cognitive Ability), Detroit Tests of Learning Aptitude-3, Detroit Tests of Learning Aptitude-Adult.

Physical Impairments
Documentation of mobility impairment should consist of a letter or report from a qualified health care professional (i.e. physician). The letter or report should include the following:

• The type of disability
• A statement of the functional limitation(s) caused by the disability
• A description of the duration of functional limitation(s), such as any distance limitations
• Whether the condition is stable or progressive
• Whether the condition is temporary or permanent
• Information about current medication(s) used to treat the disability
• Possible side effects of any prescribed medication
• Suggested recommendations for effective and reasonable accommodations

Visual Impairments
Visual impairments are usually defined as disorders in the structure and function of the eye as manifested by at least one of the following: visual acuity of 20/70 or less in the better eye after the best possible correction, a peripheral field so constricted that it affects one's ability to function in an educational setting, or a progressive loss of vision which may affect one's ability to function in an educational setting. Examples include, but are not limited to: cataracts, glaucoma, nystagmus, retinal detachment, retinitis pigmentosa, and strabismus. Documentation of a visual impairment should consist of a letter or report from an optometrist or ophthalmologist and must include the following:

• An explanation of the extent of the individual's visual fields
• A specific diagnosis
• The degree of visual acuity
• Whether the condition is stable or progressive
• A statement of the functional limitation(s) caused by the disability
• Possible side effects of any prescribed aids or medication
• Whether visual aids are recommended
• Suggested recommendations for effective and reasonable accommodations

Hearing Impairments
A hearing impairment is a hearing loss of thirty decibels or greater, pure tone average of 500, 1000, 2000 Hz, ANSI, unaided, in the better ear. Examples include, but are not limited to: conductive hearing impairment or deafness, sensory neural hearing impairment or deafness, high or low tone hearing loss or deafness, acoustic trauma hearing loss or deafness. Documentation of a hearing impairment should be in the form of a report from an audiologist. This report must include:

• The results of an audiogram that shows the type of hearing loss (either conductive or sensory neural)
• The degree of hearing loss
• A specific diagnosis
• Whether the condition is stable or progressive
• Possible side effects of any prescribed medication
• Whether the condition is mitigated by medication or hearing aids
• A statement of the functional limitation(s) caused by the disability
• Suggested recommendations for effective and reasonable accommodations

Health Related Impairments
Documentation of a health-related impairment should consist of a letter or report from a qualified health care professional (i.e. physician). This report should include the following:

• A specific diagnosis
• The functional limitations of the impairment
• Whether the condition is stable or progressive
• Whether the condition is mitigated by medication or another form of treatment
• Possible side effects of any prescribed medication
• A description of situations that may exacerbate the condition
• Suggested recommendations for effective and reasonable accommodations

•  
  • A complete DSM-IV diagnosis with an accompanying description of the specific symptoms the student experiences.
  • The diagnosis should be based upon a comprehensive clinical interview and psychological testing (when testing is clinically appropriate).
  • A complete description of the impact on academic functioning of the student's symptoms must be provided. Descriptions of the impact upon study skills, classroom behavior, test taking, and organizing research would be examples of academic functioning.
  • Possible side effects of any prescribed medication.
  • Whether the condition is mitigated by medication or any other form of currently prescribed treatment.
  • A statement of the functional limitation(s) caused by the disorder.
  • Recommendations accommodations with information its impact upon student's functioning.

• Mental Health Impairments
  Documentation of mental health impairments should consist of a detailed report by a qualified mental health professional (i.e. psychiatrist, psychologist, or licensed clinical social worker with appropriate competencies related to the student's diagnosis). All documentation must be current, within the past year, and should include the following:

  Questions/concerns can be directed to:  Mary M. Churchill, Ph.D., 201 Richmond Hall, University of Richmond, Tel:   (804) 289-8119, Fax:  (804) 287-1227, e-mail mchurchi@richmond.edu

Since academic accommodations are based on the present impact of the disability, the diagnostic reports and evaluations are to be current within the last three years.

New students will apply for disability accommodation(s) after admission into the University of Richmond has been achieved. Soon after the acceptance notification, you will receive a mailing from the associated vice rresident for Student Development, which includes a form titled "Application for Disability Accommodation." It is important that the Application for Disability Accommodations and the supporting documentation be received as soon as possible to enable the University of Richmond staff to determine if the documentation is complete and up-to-date and, if not, to give you time to obtain complete and/or updated documentation prior to the beginning of the semester. 

Returning students (whether self-referred or referred by faculty or staff) can visit the university disability coordinator's office to receive an "Application for Disability Accommodation" form or obtain a form from the disability website. In all cases, receipt of the completed application form (along with supporting materials) by office of the university disability coordinator will serve to initiate the procedure for accommodation.  

Request for accommodations must be made in a timely manner and supported by appropriate documentation. Accommodations are NOT provided retroactively. Sufficient notice of request for accommodation needs to be made in order to allow an accommodation to be implemented. The amount of time considered appropriate depends on the particular type of accommodation requested.

Students are encouraged to register with the university disability coordinator office at any time after they have been admitted to the University—the sooner the better. Documentation will not be processed until after students have been admitted.

No. Professors are provided accommodation letters (delivered by the student) which identify the individual as a student with a disability and list the accommodations that have been approved for that student. No additional documentation is required for the professor. Students are encouraged to have discussions with their professors about what their needs are and how their accommodations will be put in place; however, students are not required to disclose the specific nature of their disability issues.

Medical requests for housing are sometimes appropriate. Students are requested to complete the Application for Disability Services with their documentation. The request will be reviewed by the designated disability advisor.   

Yes. The academic standards of the university requires demonstrated competency in a second language. Credits taken at another university can be evaluated with the registrar's office to see if the course and credits meet the Com 2 requirement.

If after reviewing the above link, a student still feels that their disability warrants accommodations, the University still expects a minimum of one semester effort of a second language taught by a University of Richmond faculty. After the completion of that one semester language, the student's request for academic accommodation for the Com 2 requirement will be reconsidered by the university disability advisor in consultation with the faculty who taught the course. 

Credits taken at another university can be evaluated with the registrar's office to see if the course(s) and credits meet the Com 2 requirement.

Once you are registered as a student with a disability, further documentation is generally not required. However, if there are changes in your condition or you require further accommodations that are not warranted through the initial documentation, further evaluation may be requested.

Students' needs change from time to time and from class to class. It is therefore a good idea to consider how your needs are being served and if there are any additional accommodations that are necessary. 

The college does not provide diagnostic services for students. You can contact the appropriate disability advisor to receive a list of service providers in your local area.

No, however, it is recommended that in case of an emergency, you understand the college's emergency evacuation plans. For assistance you should contact the Housing Department.

The disability advisors do not determine course attendance policies at UR. Students are required to adhere to policies established by faculty that are outlined on the course syllabus, catalog, and the website.

Disability documentation is considered confidential information and does not become part of a student's academic transcript. All disability information is housed in the designated disability advisor's office and in the coordinator's office. Disability documentation shall be released only in accordance with the law, and UR's policies and procedures. Faculty and staff have no authority to see disability documentation or have any information concerning a student's disability without a legitimate educational need to know. Students who have been granted academic accommodations are given a Disability Accommodation Notice (DAN) that they give to the professors from whom they want to receive accommodations. Copies of your DAN will be sent to Dr. Cade (coordinator of disability services), the Student Health Center, your dean, and your advisor

Although you can disclose your disability at any time, it is highly recommended that you do so as soon as possible in order to receive appropriate accommodations and services. This will provide you with an equal opportunity to participate in all programs, services, and activities offered at UR.

Accommodations are provided for students as a means of leveling the playing field, and allowing equal access in the academic environment. Accommodations are used to assist a student with a disability in receiving accommodations related to their specific need, but do not guarantee success.

Contact Information

Disability Advisors

Learning Disabilities, Attention Deficit Disorders, and Psychiatric Disabilities

Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS)
Mary Churchill, Ph.D.
201 Richmond Hall
University of Richmond
Tel:  (804) 289-8119
Fax:  (804) 287-1227
mchurchi@richmond.edu
Physical/Medical Disabilities

Student Health Center
Alene H. Waller, M.D.
Associate Medical Director
Special Programs Building
Tel:  (804) 289-8064
Fax:  (804) 287-6466
awaller@richmond.edu

T.C. Williams School of Law
Kristine M. Henderson
Associate Dean for Student Services and Administration
202 T. C. Williams School of Law
Tel:  (804) 202-818
Fax:  (804) 289-8992
khender3@richmond.edu

School of Continuing Studies
Caroline L. S. Bear, M.A.
Academic/Career Advisor, Student Services, SCS
Special Programs Building
Tel:  (804) 287-1291
Fax:  (804) 289-8138
cbear@richmond.edu