Welcome to ODAS!
Liberty University’s Office of Disability Accommodation Support (ODAS) exists to ensure equal access and an inclusive campus free from barriers to the educational experience by providing individualized advising, advocacy, and reasonable accommodations to support students with disabilities and temporary medical conditions.
We are excited to use LU Accommodate, an accommodation tool that streamlines the review, approval, and delivery of accommodations. With LU Accommodate, students with documented disabilities can manage their accommodation requests, appointments, and related services with ease.
If this is your first time setting up an LU Accommodate account with ODAS, please use the link below and have your disability documentation ready to upload.
If you are a current student, but have not yet registered with ODAS, please use this link.
Accommodations Already In Place?
If your accommodations have already been approved, please use the link below to log in to your LU Accommodate account. This account will be used to:
- request your semester/term accommodations
- keep current with ODAS announcements
- schedule appointments with your ODAS advisor
- access the LU Accommodate Resource Library
Receiving Accommodations (Residential Students)
Students are responsible to disclose their disability to ODAS (where all disability information is kept strictly confidential) for the purpose of receiving accommodations. If they do not do so, professors and others are not obligated to accommodate a disability. The process begins when a student submits an accommodation request and written documentation of his or her disability through LU Accommodate (see above). Examples of acceptable documentation include a copy of the student’s high school IEP or 504 plan, psychoeducational evaluation, or letter (on letterhead with signature) from the student’s physician or therapist that identifies the disability.
Once a student’s Initial Accommodation Request and disability documentation have been received, the student will be contacted by a Disability Advisor to schedule an intake meeting to discuss accommodations and helpful campus resources. Accommodation letters are then sent to the student and his or her faculty for that particular semester or sub-term.
*NOTE: Students must submit a Semester/Term Request through LU Accommodate for each semester and sub-term that they need their academic accommodations.
Academic Accommodation Requests
Each subsequent semester, students requesting academic accommodations are required to fill out a “Semester/Term Request” in LU Accommodate in order for their accommodations to be linked to that semester’s courses. Students are encouraged to follow up with faculty regarding details of their accommodation letters (i.e. modified attendance or a make-up test) and self-advocate as needed.
Non-Academic Accommodations – Housing, Dietary, and Support Animals
Please note that each of the following request processes is different. Questions can be directed to [email protected].
- Housing Accommodation Request
- Dietary Accommodation Request
- Emotional Support or Service Dog Accommodation Request
Additional Accommodations
- Alternate Textbook Services
- Deaf/Hard of Hearing Services
- Deaf and Hard of Hearing Service Request Form – (LU faculty and students’ campus events)
For Liberty University Interpreting Services, please visit the LUIS website.
Report a Barrier Around Campus
Resources
Institutional Responsibilities
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability against students in institutions of higher education. Section 504 mandates “reasonable” accommodations to provide equal program access to all students with disabilities. Faculty must provide accommodations that meet the needs of each student with a disability.
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.
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- 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.
- Major Life Activities:
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:
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- 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
Need to Report a Discrimination Complaint?
Speak Up today by reaching out to the Office of Equity and Compliance.