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Connecting with SAS to Receive Academic Support

Student Self-Report:

Students should complete the Application for Academic Accommodations, which provides students an opportunity to describe their disability and the accommodations they are hoping to receive. Students are given the opportunity to include information about their experiences related to their disability, barriers faced, and previous accommodations.

Documentation Process:

The rationale for seeking information about a student’s condition is to support the SAS Consultant in establishing a disability, understanding how the disability may impact a student, and making informed decisions about accommodations.

The SAS Consultant and student will engage in an interactive and collaborative process to explore barriers, functional limitations, previous educational experiences, and past accommodations. Current academic accommodations will be determined through this process, which includes the student’s description, Consultant’s observations, and available external documentation.

External Documentation:

  • Disability documentation should provide information on the impact of the disability so that appropriate accommodations can be identified.
  • Documentation may include assessments, reports, and/or letters from qualified evaluators, professionals, or institutions. Common sources of documentation are health care providers, psychologists, diagnosticians, and information from a previous school.
  • Suggested Documentation Elements:
    • Typed on letterhead, dated, and signed by a qualified professional.
    • State the disability or disabilities.
    • Describe the impact or symptoms of the disability.
    • If appropriate, discuss the severity and/or expected progression.
    • If appropriate, list medication side-effects.
    • Current and/or past accommodations.
    • Any recommended accommodations.
    • Students have the option utilize an  SAS Verification Form  as documentation.

If documentation is limited and a connection between the requested accommodation and disability cannot be made, SAS may provide provisional/temporary accommodations for a student while updated documentation is procured.

Initial Meeting with SAS Consultant

The student’s assigned SAS Consultant will reach out via FAU email or phone to schedule the initial meeting with the student. This meeting with start the interactive process.

**Please note, this institution’s process and criteria for determining accommodations may not be the same as practiced by others, included standardized/licensure exams.

Documentation for an Emotional Support Animal or Housing Accommodations


Emotional Support Animal

We understand that students can acquire ESA approval letters online for a fee, but this documentation is not, by itself, sufficient to reliably establish that a student has a disability-related need for an ESA.

To verify the need for an Emotional Support Animal (ESA), we request information which:

  • Confirms a disability (a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities)
  • Provides confirmation and identification of the particular assistance or therapeutic support provided by the specific animal

This information is only reliable if the health care provider has personal knowledge of the student’s disability and is acting within the scope of their practice to provide the supporting information.

The student must also provide proof of compliance with state and local requirements for vaccinating the emotional support animal.

  • In accordance with Florida State law (828.30), all dogs, cats, and ferrets (including Service Animals) are required to have current rabies vaccines.

Housing Accommodations and/or modifications

To request a housing accommodation or modification, please provide documentation which includes:

  • Confirmation of a disability (a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities)
  • Description of the necessary accommodation/modification
  • The relationship between the student’s disability and the need for the requested accommodation. Housing accommodations and modifications are meant to remove a disability-related barrier for a student and this barrier should be identified.

To ensure accommodations in the room assignment process can be made, students should complete the Housing Contract and Student Accessibility Services process prior to:

  • June 1 for the fall semester
  • November 1 for the spring semester

Requests are accepted after this point, but assignments are always based on availability.

Students have the option to utilize an SAS Verification Form as documentation for ESA, ESA Vaccination, and Housing Accommodation documentation.

Policy on Reasonable Accommodations and Assistance Animals in University Housing

Policy

Meal Plan Accommodations:

Students having trouble making food choices at the Atlantic Dining Hall due to food allergies/intolerances or a medical condition, please visit the dine on campus page and follow the steps for dining accommodations:

Dine on Campus - Dietary Restrictions

Students who have a severe allergy, dietary disability, or medical condition which precludes them from safely eating in the dining hall, even with accommodations, may be eligible for an exemption from the required meal plan:

Meal Plan Exemption Information