Info for
Quick Links

Accessibility Services

Contact the Office of Student Accessibility

access@spalding.edu

(502) 873-4192

The Office of Accessibility Services

The Office of Student Accessibility Services team ensures that students with specific needs are empowered to experience a holistic Spalding University education. Whether you have a learning or physical disability, a medical or mental health condition, or a temporary impairment, our family-like community and commitment to the mind, body and spirit of each student are here for you. 

Please email access@spalding.edu to ask for our Request for Accommodation Application. 

Submitting Documentation

Even if students with disabilities shared information about their disability with Spalding Admissions, that information is not shared with our office. Individual Education Plans (IEPs) and 504 plans from high school are generally not considered sufficient documentation at the post-secondary level. In some cases, the IEP or 504 may contain the test report and scores required.

If you are unable to provide documentation from a psychiatrist, psychologist or certified mental health professional, please reach out to Spalding University’s Counseling and Psychological Services for a full battery of assessments at no additional charge. This process may take one or more sessions for the Spalding University Counseling Center to schedule.

Accessibility Resources

Spalding University offers a range of accessibility resources designed to empower student success, including:

  • Classroom Accommodations: Spalding University students who are registered with the Office of Student Accessibility Services may be eligible for testing accommodations if the functional impact of the student’s disability adversely affects their ability to perform under the same conditions as their classmates. For more information on classroom accommodations, please email us at access@spalding.edu.
  • Testing Accommodations: Spalding University students who are registered with the Office of Student Accessibility Services may be eligible for testing accommodations if the functional impact of the student’s disability adversely affects their ability to take exams or quizzes under the same conditions as their classmates. For more information on testing accommodations, please email us at access@spalding.edu.
  • Housing Accommodations: Spalding is committed to the full participation of students with disabilities in all aspects of college life, including residential life. Single room accommodations are reserved for individuals whose documentation illustrates clear and substantial needs, and for whom a standard housing assignment with a roommate is not viable. Please email access@spalding.edu for more information.
  • Textbook Requests: If you need a PDF/screen reader compatible version of your textbook, please complete this webform.
  • Alternative Format Textbooks: Bookshare makes reading easier for people with dyslexia, blindness, cerebral palsy and other reading barriers who can customize their experience to suit their learning style and find virtually any book they need for school, work, or the joy of reading. 
  • Canvas Accessibility Tools for Students: Immersive Reader is a learning tool with key features such as “read text out loud,” “break it into syllables” and “increase spacing between lines and letters.”

Sources and Forms of Documentation

Acceptable sources of documentation for substantiating a student’s disability and request for particular accommodations can take a variety of forms. The Office of Student Accessibility Services believes that students are the experts on their experience and are the primary source of information regarding their disability/ies and preferred accommodations. Information from external sources, and the expertise of Office of Student Accessibility Services staff are also part of the process for determining accommodations.

In most cases, the intake interview and supporting documentation will be required to determine reasonable accommodations.

Please note that students who will utilize accommodations for licensure exams will be required to provide specific documentation for testing accommodations. Students are responsible for determining the required documentation for such exams, and are encouraged to work with the Office of Student Accessibility Services to develop a plan to ensure appropriate documentation for such exams.

The student is a vital source of information regarding how he or she may be “limited by impairment. A student’s narrative of his or her experience of disability, barriers, and effective and ineffective accommodations is an important tool which, when structured by interview or questionnaire and interpreted, may be sufficient for establishing disability and a need for accommodation.

Students seeking accommodations should schedule an intake appointment via Navigate or by emailing the office at access@spalding.edu.

Documentation from external sources may include educational or medical records, reports and assessments created by health care providers, school psychologists, teachers, or the educational system. This information is inclusive of documents that reflect education and accommodation history, such as Individual Education Program (IEP), Summary Of Performance (SOP), and teacher observations. External documentation will vary in its relevance and value depending on the original context, credentials of the evaluator, the level of detail provided, and the comprehensiveness of the narrative. Generally speaking, an IEP or 504 plan alone is not sufficient to establish accommodations in college.

The Disability Verification Form provides an overview of diagnosis, functional limitations, and recommended accommodations.

Students who have, or suspect they have, a psychological disability (major depression, ADHD, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, etc.) should work with a licensed mental health provider to undergo psychological assessment. Such assessments are provided to Spalding University students at no additional cost and can be scheduled by emailing caps@spalding.edu.

Students should plan to provide a psychological assessment that is no more than three years old. Accommodations are granted on the functional limitations associated with a disability(ies), not the disability itself, therefore assessment guides appropriate accommodation, even if a diagnosis is not likely to change.

Documentation Process

The rationale for seeking information about a student’s condition is to support the Office of Student Accessibility Services in establishing disability, understanding how disability may impact a student, and making informed decisions about accommodations. Professional judgment is an essential component of this process. Students may be asked to provide additional information once the process is underway.

Typical symptoms of Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in a college environment include difficulty managing multiple and competing deadlines for long-term projects, following through on goals and intentions, and making good judgments about how to spend one’s time. Trouble working within an unstructured environment, completing tests quickly, and focusing during classroom lectures are also markers of ADHD in the college setting. Frustration with achieving expectations can create feelings of depression or anxiety. Use of alcohol, medications, and/or illegal substances can be problematic for a student who already has trouble with impulse control or mood management.

This neurological and developmental disorder begins early in childhood and lasts throughout a person’s life. It affects how a person acts and interacts with others, communicates, and learns. It includes what used to be known as Asperger syndrome, Asperger’s disorder, and pervasive developmental disorder. It is referred to as a “spectrum” because ASD can present in many different ways, with varying degrees of impact.

Physical disorders are typically grouped into general categories: neurological, musculoskeletal, and severe, chronic medical conditions. Such medical conditions may include but are not limited to, diabetes, cancer, epilepsy, HIV or AIDS, cystic fibrosis, food allergies, multiple sclerosis, and muscular dystrophy.

Students who are deaf or experience hearing loss may be considered disabled if their condition significantly impairs one’s functioning in the major life activity of hearing.

Psychiatric disorders represent severe mental and emotional distress that significantly hinders a student’s ability to cope with the stresses of daily living and academic life. Psychiatric disorders may impair concentration, energy, memory, and the ability to process information, and schoolwork may be compromised. Such conditions may include but are not limited to, major depression, bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and schizophrenia.

This refers to a significant difficulty in a specific area of learning (reading, writing, math, nonverbal), despite strengths in other areas. Learning Disabilities are persistent throughout life, but may manifest differently depending on the learning demands, academic setting, or the use of compensatory strategies. Getting a clear picture of one’s learning disability contributes to improving strategies for meeting one’s goals, creating achievable plans, and reducing frustration from unexplained difficulties that persist even when a student is giving his or her best effort.

Such as speech impediments and disorders. Speech and language disorders refer to problems in communication and related areas, such as oral-motor function. These delays and disorders range from simple sound substitutions to the inability to understand or use language or use the oral-motor mechanism for functional speech.

Visual impairments may be considered disabilities if they significantly impair one’s functioning in the major life activity of seeing, and are not mitigated by glasses or lenses.

About the Office of Student Accessibility Services

The Student Accessibility Services team strives to ensure that Spalding programs, services, and facilities are accessible to all Spalding students on a non-discriminatory basis. The Office of Student Accessibility Services is committed to working with all eligible students with documented disabilities – and with faculty and staff – to provide reasonable accommodations in the academic and/or living environment.

Our staff will work with you to develop an accommodation plan based on your specific needs. Please know that disclosures to are completely confidential and will never appear on your college record. While we do require documentation of your disability(ies) or condition(s), please do not hesitate to reach out if you have never been assessed for learning differences or lack documentation. We can still work together to explore success strategies and can put you in contact with resources for evaluation for a suspected disability.

Student Accessibility Services

Email:
access@spalding.edu
Related Undergrad Admissions Financial Aid
901 South Fourth Street, Louisville, KY 40203 1 (502) 585-9911
© Spalding University 2026