Disabilities Services
Support services at SASC include disability services for students who qualify for reasonable academic accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA). SASC processes all requests for accommodations on the basis of a disability to provide each student with a suitable learning environment.
Once a student has registered with SASC, most services can be implemented quickly. However, both Luther College policy and the ADA of 1990 emphasize that students are responsible for providing documentation and making timely and reasonable requests for accommodations and services.
It is Luther College's responsibility to ensure that the learning environment is accessible to all students, and to create an atmosphere in which students feel comfortable coming forward to discuss any special needs they may have. Luther College has a long-standing tradition of serving all individual students according to their gifts and needs.
Typical Accommodations for Students with Learning Disabilities
- Extra time for in-class writing and reading assignments
- Advanced viewing of audio/visual materials
- Extended time for exam
- Separate room for exam administration
- Oral exams
- Audible texts/reading materials
Typical Accommodations for Students with Physical Disabilities
When a student finds a program, service, or facility inaccessible he/she should contact SASC. Additional accommodations available to students upon registration with SASC include the following:
- Relocation of class
- Rides to and from residence hall
- Interpreters
- Scribes
- Reading services
Students as Self-Advocates
Luther College encourages independence and self-reliance in all students. Likewise, students with disabilities are expected to self-advocate.
- Register with SASC
- Identify himself/herself as disabled
- Arrange for campus orientation through SASC
- Order special materials through SASC
- Find, train, and employ attendants, if necessary
- Request special testing procedures in advance
Registration for Services
To initiate registration for disability services, the student should forward a copy of a current professional report documenting his/her condition and resulting functional limitation within the context of college life and learning. The report may also suggest recommendations pertaining to the student's specific accommodation needs.
Documentation guidelines are available at SASC and on-line (PDF).
Each report is reviewed according to Luther College guidelines. The student is then contacted to schedule an interview to initiate services.