Student Accessibility Services FAQs

A disability is a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, such as hearing, seeing, speaking, breathing, performing manual tasks, walking, caring for oneself, learning, or concentrating. Common disabilities for which Queens students seek accommodation include:

• Learning disabilities
• Chronic medical conditions
• Physical disabilities and mobility impairments
• Vision and hearing impairments
• ADHD
• Psychological or mental health conditions (e.g., Major Depressive Disorder, Generalized Anxiety Disorder)
• Temporary injuries/illnesses which limit major life activities (e.g., COVID-19, Influenza, Pneumonia, Concussion, Surgery)

Whether it’s your first time requesting accommodations or not, the first step to receive accommodations is to complete our Student Accommodation Request Form. Once our office receives the form, we will meet with you in person to talk about your disability and how it impacts your academic and campus life experience. We’ll discuss accommodations that can support your success, go over further documentation, if any, we need to support your new accommodation request, and answer any questions.

Students who experience temporary injuries or illnesses that limit major life activities (e.g., COVID-19, Influenza, Pneumonia, concussion, surgery) may qualify for temporary accommodations. These accommodation letters are typically written up to one week at a time, with the option of additional time as needed.

To request temporary accommodations, which typically include temporary flexibility of attendance and deadlines, complete the Student Accommodation Request Form. Students requesting temporary accommodations are not required to meet with SAS. However, SAS staff may request a meeting to gather additional information.

The first step is to have your medical provider complete the Housing Accommodation Request Form. Once completed by your medical provider, please complete the Student Accommodation Request Form. At the bottom of the form, please submit the completed Housing Accommodation Request form as part of your documentation. Once our office receives the form, we will meet with you in person to talk about your disability and how it impacts your residence life experience.

In most cases, we need information about your disability and functional limitations (how your disability impacts your major life activities) from your licensed healthcare or mental health provider.

This documentation should include:

• A diagnosis or the name of your disability
• A summary of functional limitations:
  • How does your disability impact your major life activities? (This may include things like sleeping, eating, speaking, communicating, learning, and reading)
• The diagnosing professional’s background/licensure
• Any recommendations for accommodations

Comprehensive documentation also includes:

• Relevant educational/diagnostic testing results
• Date of diagnosis
• Accommodations or interventions you’ve utilized in the past
• Details on whether your disability is temporary, stable, or episodic
• Information about your relationship with your provider
• Potential impacts if your requested accommodations are not met

Documentation should come from a licensed medical or mental health professional qualified to evaluate your disability. It should come from the treating/diagnosing professional. It is required for documentation of psychological/psychiatric disabilities to come from a mental health practitioner (counselor, clinical social worker, psychologist, psychiatrist) with whom you are an active and established patient/client. SAS does not accept medical documentation from Queens Athletics-affiliated providers.

Please note: SAS will accept medical documentation from Queens Athletics-affiliated providers for Temporary Accommodations due to Concussion or Injury.

SAS will review and determine your accommodation request within 60 days.

• Request is Approved: If your submitted documentation contains all the information we need to approve your accommodation request, we’ll inform you via email response and (as needed) provide an Accommodation Letter.
• Additional Information is Needed: Sometimes, we need additional information to make a decision. This means that your request has neither been approved nor denied. In this case, we’ll inform you of exactly the documentation that’s needed to make a decision.
• Request is Denied: An accommodation request may be denied based on the available information, the nature of the request, and/or the practical limitations of our physical and educational environment. You’ll be informed of this decision via email response, with an offer to meet in person to discuss this decision.

You’ll be informed of this decision via email, with an offer to meet in person to discuss this decision. To appeal a denied accommodation, please complete the Student Accommodation Request Appeal Form. Along with the form, and in addition to your original accommodation request materials, you’ll have the option to submit additional medical documentation and/or relevant documentation (including, but not limited to, a personal statement) supporting your appeal request. Appeal Requests can be submitted by the student at any time, and an Appeal Panel (consisting of campus partners outside of SAS) will meet as needed. The Appeal Panel’s review and final determination will be made within 30 days of the formal review/appeal being sought.

It is the student’s choice whether or not to share information about their accommodations. Queen’s University follows the ADA and Section 504, which protect a student’s right to privacy. We encourage students to share their Accommodation Letters with those who are responsible for implementing their accommodation(s). For example, if students wish to use their accommodations in the classroom setting, they must share the accommodation letter with course instructor.

Letter of Accommodations (LOA) is a document provided by the Student Accessibility Services that explains to faculty the reasonable accommodations to be provided to a student. The letter only contains course-related accommodations and does not include any disability-related information.

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