Disability Support Services
North Central University is committed to providing optimal educational opportunities for all students, including those enrolled or admitted who have disabilities and qualify under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA).
Who Qualifies?
"Qualified" with respect to post-secondary educational services, means "a person who meets the academic and technical standards requisite to admission or participation in the education program or activity, 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."
"Person with a disability" means "any person who:
- has a physical or mental impairment which substantially limits one or more major life activities [including walking, seeing, hearing, speaking, breathing, learning, and working]
- has a record of such an impairment,
- or is regarded as having such an impairment."
Disabilities covered by legislation include (but are not limited to) AIDS, cancer, cerebral palsy, diabetes, epilepsy, brain injuries, hearing impairments, specific learning disabilities, loss of limbs, multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, psychiatric disorders, speech impairments, spinal cord injuries, and visual impairments.
It is our goal at North Central to assist students in maximizing their independence and self-advocacy skills to the fullest extent possible within the standards of the university. It is therefore important that students with disabilities to take responsibility for their condition and make them known to the Student Success Center early in their college career. All disclosures of disabilities are governed by strict confidentiality guidelines and therefore our services are not solicited to students, nor are students asked if they have a disability. However, these are some of the services available to such students should they chose to make their needs known:
- Individual consultation and counseling
- Assistance in accessing additional campus resources
- Assistance in fostering the growth of self-advocacy skills in order that students may advocate for their disability-related needs and become independent learners.
- A community of support as the student navigates through North Central University.
College policy provides for reasonable accommodations to be made for students with disabilities on an individual and flexible basis. It is the responsibility of students with disabilities to seek available assistance and make their needs known to the Director of the Student Success Center. In order to determine accommodations for special needs, North Central University asks students to submit a recent (within the last three years) professional assessment that documents the disability. North Central University does not provide diagnostic services, thus the following guidelines have been provided to assist students in obtaining the correct documentation.