Office of Disability Accommodation Support

The university has an obligation to make reasonable accommodations in policies, practices or procedures when needed to prevent discrimination on the basis of disability unless making such accommodations would fundamentally alter the nature of the service, program or activity, or would result in undue financial and administrative burdens.

We realize that individuals with temporarily disabling conditions resulting from  injuries, surgery or short-term medical conditions may need access to accommodations similar to individuals with permanent disabilities. Examples of temporary disabilities may include but are not limited to pregnancy and parenting complications, broken limbs, hand injuries, or short-term impairments following surgery or medical treatments.

We are committed to providing pregnant and parenting students with the same benefits and services provided to the rest of the Liberty University community. Pregnant students, or students with parenting responsibilities, may request accommodations through ODAS.

A disability is a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more of the major life activities of the individual.

• • Major Life Activities:
    The phrase major life activities refers to normal functions such as caring for one’s self, performing manual tasks, walking, seeing, hearing, speaking, breathing, learning, and working.
  • Physical Impairment:
    A physical impairment includes any physiological disorder or condition, cosmetic disfigurement, or anatomical loss affecting one or more of the following body systems: neurological, musculoskeletal, special sense organs, respiratory and speech organs, cardiovascular, reproductive, digestive, genitourinary, hemic and lymphatic, skin and endocrine.
  • Mental Impairment:
    A mental impairment includes any mental or psychological disorder such as organic brain syndrome, emotional or mental illness, and specific learning disabilities.
  • Learning Disability:
    A learning disability is a generic term that refers to a heterogeneous group of disorders manifested by significant difficulties in the acquisition and use of listening, speaking, reading, writing, reasoning, or mathematical abilities. These disorders occur in persons of average to very superior intelligence and are presumed to be due to central nervous system dysfunction.

Specific disabilities include, but are not limited to, the following: blindness or visual impairment; chronic illnesses; psychiatric and emotional disabilities (ADHD, anxiety and related disorders, depression, etc.); deafness or hearing impairments; epilepsy or seizure disorders; orthopedic impairment; specific learning disability; speech disorder; spinal cord or traumatic brain injury; and neurological and neuromuscular disorders.

Students with documented disabilities may be eligible for some of the following services:

• • Extended time for testing
  • Testing in a quiet environment
  • Priority pre-registration
  • One-on-one accommodation advising
  • ASL Interpreters
  • Osborne Assistive Learning Technology Center:
    • JAWS for Windows: screen reading software for the visually impaired
    • Kurzweil 3000: scanning and reading software for students with reading disabilities
    • Dragon Naturally Speaking: speech recognition software which can turn speech into print
    • CCTV: magnification hardware for the visually impaired