A person with a disability includes:

• Anyone with a physical or mental impairment which substantially limits one or more of the person's major life activities
• Anyone who has a record of such an impairment
• Anyone who is regarded as having such an impairment

Major Life Activities

• Breathing
• Sleeping
• Hearing
• Walking
• Bending/Stooping
• Taking care of oneself
• Learning
• Working

Substantial Impairment
Limits an individual's performance of an activity in more than a minor way compared with the average person in the general population, including by restricting the conditions under which, or the manner or duration in which, the individual can perform the activity.

Otherwise Qualified
A "qualified individual with a disability" is one who "with or without reasonable modifications to rules, policies, or practices; the removal of architectural, communication, or transportation barriers; or the provision of auxiliary aids and services, meets the essential eligibility requirements for the receipt of services or the participation in programs or activities provided by (the postsecondary institution)."

Reasonable Accommodations
Under Section 504 and the ADA, colleges must provide - at no cost to the student - "reasonable accommodations" to make their programs accessible to students with disabilities.

• Reasonable modifications to policy, procedure, or practice and the provision of auxiliary aids and services designed to provide equal access to programs and services for qualified individuals with disabilities
  • The term "auxiliary aids and services" refers to devices and services that make programs and materials available to people with disabilities
• Accommodations are reasonable when they do not fundamentally alter the essential nature of a program or service and do not represent an undue financial burden
  • Fundamentally alter: if not appropriate or not required

Eligibility for Accommodations

• There is no guidance that requires colleges to accept documentation that does not meet their guidelines.  Each institution has the right to develop its own guidelines and adhere to them.
• Student must meet disability documentation guidelines set forth by the college.