Accommodations for Psychiatric Disabilities

Students who are seeking accommodations for psychiatric disabilities are required to provide documentation to the Dean of Students Office. The documentation must include information that can be used in establishing the need for appropriate accommodations. A student with a disability is one who: a) has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more of major life activities; b) has a record of such impairment; or c) is regarded as having such impairment.

Acceptable Documentation

Students with psychiatric disabilities must present documentation from licensed mental health professionals such as psychiatrists, psychologists, physicians and social workers. The documentation must include the following:

• Diagnosis and psychological test results, where appropriate
• Summary of treatment and medication recommendations
• Learning areas impaired by the mental disorder
• Evaluation of ability to function in a college environment
• Recommendation for continued treatment
• Recommendation for accommodations and the time period for which academic accommodations are recommended. The relevance of recommended accommodation(s) in relation to the student’s disabilities must be included as part of the diagnostic evaluation

Age of Documentation

Accommodations are primarily based upon assessment of the current impact of the student’s disability(ies) on his/her academic performance. Students with psychiatric disabilities are granted accommodations for 12 months. Should there be a need for extended accommodations, written recommendations by a qualified mental health professional must be provided.

Implementing Recommended Accommodations

Upon receiving the disability evaluations, the Dean of Students Office (the College, Sawyer Business School) will review the recommendation(s) for accommodations and support services and will consult with the Director of the University Counseling Center for further review of the recommendations. Appropriate accommodations will be offered only after meeting with the student and may require further interviews with selected members of the University’s administration and/or faculty.

Duration of Accommodations

Accommodations are made only during the semester(s) when a student is actively participating in course work. A student will not be granted accommodations if his/her accommodation request pertains to academic performances prior to the diagnosis of psychiatric disability(ies).

Release Forms

If a student needs accommodations that require the Dean of Students Office to contact faculty, administrators or outside agencies, the student will be asked to sign a release form. The signed release form allows the Dean of Students Office to share information on the student’s disability(ies) with appropriate professionals for accommodations.

Responsibilities of Students Seeking Accommodations

Students requesting accommodations for disabilities must arrange for testing and must incur the cost of such evaluations. It is strongly recommended that a student with disability(ies) submit such documentation to the Dean of Students Office at the time of admission to the University. Any student with a disability(ies) must keep a copy of his/her disability documentation for his/her own records.

Students in the College or Sawyer Business School should submit documentation to:

Suffolk University, Dean of Students Office, 8 Ashburton Place, Boston, MA 02108, Phone 617-573-8239, TDD 617-557-4875, Fax 617-742-2582.