Non-Academic Accommodations

Non-academic accommodations are modifications or adjustments to university services, jobs, activities, or facilities in order to achieve a welcoming and equitable campus environment. The nature of the accommodation is to provide a qualified individual with an equal opportunity. Possible accommodations at Concordia University Irvine may include, but are not limited to:

Accessible Parking

Persons with temporary disabilities who need accessible parking accommodations can apply for a Temporary Accessible Parking Permit. The applicant must be a student, faculty or staff member of the University and have registered their vehicle with the Department of Campus Safety. The Temporary Accessible Parking Application is available at the University Services Office in Suite 120 of the Administration Building. A licensed physician will need to provide justification for accessible parking privileges and sign the Temporary Accessible Parking Application. The clinician submitting the documentation must not be a family member or relative of the applicant. The Temporary Accessible Parking Application is to be turned in to the receptionist in Administration Building Suite 120.

The application will be reviewed by the Director of Campus Safety, Director of Disability and Learning Services, and the Director of Health Services. Upon receipt of the application, the applicant may be issued a Temporary Accessible Parking Permit valid for 21 days to obtain a Disabled Person Parking Placard from the Department of Motor Vehicles. After 21 days, the applicant must present a Disabled Persons Parking Placard to continue to use accessible parking privileges. It is illegal for a person to provide false information, falsify a doctor’s signature, possess or display a counterfeit or altered placard, or allow someone to use a placard when the person with the disability is not in the vehicle.

Persons who have been approved for accessible parking must understand that the Temporary Accessible Parking Permit does not allow parking in the following areas:

• Disabled Person Parking stalls designated in blue stall markings (CVC 22507.8)
• Fire Lanes and Red Zones (CVC 22500.1)
• Sidewalks, roadways, or other pathways
• Neighboring residential communities
• Lawns or other landscaped areas

A Temporary Accessible Parking Permit does not guarantee that accessible parking will be available at the time of need. Safety Escorts are also available for those with temporary disabilities. Campus Safety Dispatch can be reached at all times by phone at (949) 214-3000.

Architectural Barriers

Concordia University was founded in 1976. Because of this, some of the buildings are not up to current building codes and accessibility standards. When facilities are newly built or undergo major renovations, designs are such that allows for accessibility. If there is a specific barrier, contact the DLRC. The DLRC, University Services, and Facility Services will consider the feasibility of requests for change or will develop an accommodation to meet the need. When it is a classroom, the particular class will be relocated.

Assistive Technology

To help foster independence, students are encouraged to work with the Department of Rehabilitation to acquire technology specific to their need(s). In lieu of that, Concordia University will work with the student to assure that the student’s needs are being met with reasonable accommodations.

Housing Placement Considerations

Some students with disabilities may receive special consideration regarding their housing placements. Such considerations may include placement in specific dormitories or rooms and private rooms. In most cases, a recommendation from the DLRC is required for students to receive these considerations on the basis of disability.

All requests for disability housing accommodations must be submitted to the DLRC for review by April 1^st for the Fall semester housing placement and by November 15^th for the Spring semester. New students may make housing accommodation requests following admission to the University. If you have a temporary disability, are admitted to Concordia University after the deadline, or have a disability that is diagnosed after the deadline or during a semester, contact the DLRC as soon as possible.

Students requesting housing accommodations are required to discuss the request with the Director of Disability and Learning Services and submit the required medical documentation before their request will be reviewed. A signed doctor's letter from an appropriate medical professional that includes a diagnosis and specific impairments, recommended accommodations, and the rationale for the accommodations are needed. All requests will be reviewed by both the DLRC and the Office of Residential Education and Services to determine if the request will be granted.

All accommodations are determined on a case-by-case basis and will only be considered for students with physical, medical, psychological, or sensory disabilities that are appropriately documented and determined to impact a major life activity. Single rooms are not granted as an accommodation for disabilities that primarily impact studying (ADD/ADHD) since there are alternative quiet study locations on campus. As a rule, disability related requests to void an existing Housing License Agreement or to be exempt from freshman or sophomore housing will not be granted.

Renewals for disability housing accommodations should be resubmitted to the DLRC annually in the spring by the contract deadlines set by the Office of Residential Education and Services. Disability housing accommodation requests submitted after the Housing License Agreement deadline for renewing students or after April 1^st for new requests may be denied. Requests for housing accommodations will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Students requesting housing accommodations (other than structural modifications) must submit documentation to the DLRC from an appropriate health care professional to substantiate the necessity of the accommodation. This documentation must include:

• The diagnosis of a medical or psychological condition.
• Information regarding how the medical or psychological condition impacts the student in a community living environment.
• Recommended accommodations (e.g. single room requests, space considerations for medical equipment).
• Information regarding the clinical complications that could occur if the housing accommodations were not provided.

Personal Attendant

Section 504 of Part II, Title 34 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Section 104.44 [2](d) states specifically, “Recipients (post-secondary education programs that receive or benefit from Federal financial assistance) need not provide attendants, individually prescribed devices, readers for personal use or study, or other devices or services with a personal nature.” Concordia University’s position is that personal needs necessitating an attendant are the responsibility of the student.

Service Animals

Federal and California state laws prohibit discriminating against individuals with disabilities. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Sec. 36.302 (1) requires that a public accommodation modify its policies, practices, and procedures to permit the use of a Service Animal by an individual with a disability in any area open to the general public. Concordia University and the DLRC have the right to exclude an errant Service Animal from campus if the animal’s behavior is disruptive, not controlled and the owner does not take effective corrective action. Disruptive behavior may include: barking, whining, growling, wandering, sniffing people, and initiating contact with someone without partner’s permission. The Service Animal must be on a leash at all times. The animal’s hygiene must be acceptable at all times (e.g. free of strong odor, or evidence of having fleas, ticks, etc). The ADA and the U.S. Department of Justice have established 2 training requirements for an animal to be considered a service animal:

1. The Service Animal must be individually trained to perform tasks or work for the benefit of a disabled individual
2. The Service Animal must be trained to behave properly in places of public accommodation

Concordia University recognizes that Service Animals can play an important role in facilitating the independence of individuals with certain types of disabilities. Allowing individuals with disabilities to be accompanied by their appropriately trained and registered Service Animal in campus facilities where animals are typically prohibited, is a reasonable modification of general Concordia University policies and practices concerning animals on campus. The health and safety of the University’s students, faculty, staff, as well as the Service Animal is important. Therefore, only Service Animals that meet the criteria described in this policy, set forth and supported by the University and meet the criteria described in this policy will be exempt from the rules that otherwise restrict or prohibit animals.

The exception to any existing Concordia University Animal Policy is granted for approved animals provided that their behavior, noise, odor, and waste do not exceed reasonable standards, and that these factors do not create unreasonable disruptions for others.

A student with a disability who intends to bring a Service Animal on campus should adhere to the following policy without exception:

• Student must present current documentation of disability including statements from medical provider/diagnostician which describes the criteria used to assess the impact of the animal on the disability and include specific recommendations for Service Animal use.
• Students with disabilities who use Service Animals are to identify the working status of the animal with a harness, cape, and identification tag that readily identifies its working status. Members of the campus community are reminded that Service Animals are not pets, and interference with a service animal is discouraged. Students and campus personnel should not:
• Prevent a Service Animal from accompanying its partner/handler at all times and everywhere on campus except where specifically prohibited.
• Pet, feed, or otherwise distract a Service Animal.
• Startle, tease, or taunt the animal.
• Attempt to separate the animal from its partner/handler.

Under the ADA, a Service Animal is defined as “any animal that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of a person with a disability including, but not limited to: guiding, alerting, pulling a wheelchair, fetching, and opening doors.”

1. Service Dog (Assistance Dog)
   A Service Dog is one that has been trained to assist a person who has a mobility or health impairment. The types of duties the dog may perform include carrying, fetching, opening doors, ringing doorbells, activating elevator buttons, steadying a person while walking, assisting a person to get up after a fall, etc. Service Dogs are sometimes referred to as Assistance Dogs.
2. A Dog in Training
   This terminology refers to a Service Dog in the process of being trained. These dogs have the same rights as a fully trained dog when accompanied by a trainer and are identified as such.
3. Guide Dog
   An animal that has been carefully trained and serves as a travel tool by the blind or the severely visually impaired.
4. Seeing Eye Dog
   Only dogs that have been trained by a certified school can be called Seeing Eye Dogs.
5. Hearing/Signal Animal
   An animal trained for sound-specific tasks for the deaf or hearing-related disability (e.g. a knock on the door, fire alarm, phone ringing, etc.).
6. Signal Animal
   A Signal Animal is specially trained to assist a person with autism. The animal alerts the partner to distracting, repetitive movements. A person with autism may have deficits in sensory input and may need the same support services from an animal that one might provide for a person who is vision or hearing impaired.
7. Seizure Response Animal
   The type of training needed for a Seizure Response Animal to assist a person is determined by the individual circumstances and severity of the disorder. Some animals have learned to predict a seizure and warn the person in advance, and may stand guard over the person during a seizure or go for help.
8. Owner Responsibilities
   The care, feeding, and supervision of a Service Animal are solely the responsibility of the owner. The owner is responsible to designate an alternative caregiver for the animal if the owner becomes ill or unavailable. The owner must respect and have sensitivity to faculty, staff, and students with allergies and to those who fear animals to ensure the peace of the campus community.

Companion/Therapy Animals

Per the Fair Housing Act, Concordia University Irvine provides reasonable accommodations for companion animals (i.e., an emotional support animal) in the residence halls. Companion/Therapy animal is an animal whose sole function is to provide emotional support, comfort, therapy, companionship, therapeutic benefits, or to promote emotional well-being. A person qualifies for reasonable accommodation if:

1. The person has a documented disability.
2. The animal is necessary to afford the person with a disability an equal opportunity to use and enjoy the residence halls.
3. There is an identifiable relationship between the disability and the assistance the animal provides.

Individuals using service, therapy, or companion animals are responsible for their animals at all times. Use of the animal may not constitute a direct threat to the health and safety of others. The owner is responsible for the health of the animal with verification from a qualified veterinarian or service animal school, for cleaning up after the animal, including the sanitary disposal of animal wastes, for any property damage caused by the animal, for the behavior of the animal in private and public places, and for due care and diligence in the sue of the animal on campus.

Companion animals are only allowed within the residence halls. The university will not permit companion animals if they would cause substantial physical damage to the property of others; would pose an undue financial and administrative burden; or would fundamentally alter the nature of the provider's operations. For example, if a roommate has asthma or allergies or fear of the animal, it is not reasonable for the animal to live in the room/apartment. Efforts would be made to find an alternative housing arrangement but it would be dependent on the time of the notification for the need for the companion animal and the availability of housing.