Accessibility Services: Accommodations and ADA Section 504

Accommodation Requests

The goal of Accessibility Services is to assist all students to become efficient, self-confident, and independent learners. If a student has a documented disability** and plans to request any type of accommodations, they must self-identify with Trine University. Students can request accommodations by completing and submitting the Request for Accommodations Form.

**Documentation regarding a disability typically includes:

  • A diagnosis of the disability
  • An explanation of how the condition affects the student’s ability to function in an academic setting
  • Examples of academic adjustments that are recommended
  • An explanation of how these adjustments relate to the disability
  • If the documented condition is not stable, the documentation must be less than 3 years old
  • Trine reserves the right to require documentation from a profession source, such as a licensed school or private psychologist, educational diagnostician, or medical doctor

If you have questions about Accessibility Services, please contact Nicole Kibiloski, Director of Accessibility Services, at 260.665.4590 or kibiloskin@trine.edu. Nicole’s office is located in the University Center, on the 2nd floor of the LINK (LINK 227).

Academic Accommodations

Students requesting academic accommodations must complete the Request for Accommodations Form. Once a student completes this form, we will review it and contact the student via email to request documentation of their disability. If a student has a 504 Plan or IEP from high school, they may submit that as their documentation. Once all documentation has been reviewed, the Director of Accessibility Services will provide the student with an official letter stating their accommodations. Students are responsible for sharing this letter with their professors or other faculty.

Providing documentation of a disability does not guarantee that a student will receive the requested academic accommodations. Trine University reserves the right to select equally effective and appropriate adjustments that will provide a student with equal access to educational programs. The academic adjustments selected depend on the student’s unique situation. Each student is considered on an individual basis, meaning that students who have the same documented disability on paper may not receive identical accommodations. It is important that students understand that their accommodations will not decrease or waive essential requirements of their academic program.

Once a student has submitted documentation and received an official letter, their information will stay on file for the duration of their time at Trine University. If a student’s condition changes, they receive an additional diagnosis, and/or their needs change, they can contact the Director of Accessibility Services.

Housing Accommodations

If a student with a documented disability would like to request housing accommodations, they must complete the following steps:

  1. Complete and submit the Request for Accommodations Form
  2. Complete the Housing Accommodations Request Form and submit it to the Director of Accessibility Services (see submission instructions on the document)
  3. Submit both forms by the dates below:
  • Fall semester (current students): April 1st
  • Fall semester (incoming students): June 1st
  • Spring semester (all students): November 1st
  • Summer semester (all students): March 1st

Students must submit updated documentation EVERY YEAR in order to continue receiving accommodations. If a student receiving Housing accommodations does not submit their updated documentation by the above dates, we cannot guarantee that they will receive the same accommodations that they had during the previous year. Students are responsible for keeping track of these dates and submitting documentation in a timely manner. These dates DO NOT apply to requests for Emotional Support Animals. Please see more information below.

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Emotional Support Animals (ESA)

Please click here to read our Emotional Support Animal Policy. ESAs are a type of Housing accommodation. If a student with a documented disability would like to request an ESA, they must complete the following steps:

  1. Complete and submit the Request for Accommodations Form
  2. Complete the Emotional Support Animal Housing Accommodations Request Form and submit it to the Director of Accessibility Services (see submission instructions on the document)
  3. Submit both forms by August 1st
  4. Submit updated documentation every year by the due date listed above. If a student does not submit updated documentation in a timely manner, they will not be permitted to have their ESA on campus.

If students plan to request additional Housing Accommodations, they must also fill out the Housing Accommodations Request Form and submit it by the dates listed in the Housing Accommodations section above.

ADA Section 504

In accordance with federal law, Trine University honors ADA Section 504. Nicole Kibiloski serves as our Section 504 Coordinator and performs the following duties:

  • Reviewing documentation for requests for reasonable documentations
  • Assisting with investigating any grievances filed by students who believe they have been subjected to discrimination on the basis of disability
  • Assisting with coordinating the efforts of Trine University to comply with Section 504 and related disability laws
  • Maintaining data/documentation and assisting with preparation of notices and reports required for compliance with Section 504 and related disability laws

ADA Section 504 Grievance Procedure

It is the policy of Trine University to not discriminate on the basis of disability. Trine University has adopted an internal grievance procedure providing for prompt and equitable resolution of complaints alleging any action prohibited by Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. § 794), or the regulations implementing the Act. Section 504 prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance. The law and regulations may be examined in the Office of Accessibility Services.

Individuals who believe they have been subjected to discrimination on the basis of disability by Trine University may file a grievance under this procedure. The University encourages persons who may have a grievance to first discuss their concerns directly with the persons responsible for the possible violation in an effort to seek informal resolution.  Many concerns can be resolved in a timely manner using informal resolution.

Submission and Resolution of Grievances

  1. If a matter cannot be resolved informally, or if there is a preference to file a formal grievance, then a person may do so by submitting a written statement of the alleged grievance to the Director of Accessibility Services, generally within thirty (30) days after the date of the alleged discriminatory action. The Director of Accessibility Services has been designated as the University’s Section 504 Coordinator.
  2. The grievance must contain the name and address of the person filing it, a description of the problem or action alleged to be discriminatory, and the remedy or relief sought.
  3. The Director of Accessibility Services (or their designee) shall conduct an investigation of the grievance. This investigation may be informal, but it will generally include interviews of the person who submitted the grievance; relevant individuals referenced in the grievance; and may include additional interviews as appropriate. The person bringing the grievance and the person responding to the grievance may identify additional persons or documents that they believe would be relevant and helpful to the investigation of the grievance.
  4. Absent unusual circumstances, the Director of Accessibility Services (or their designee) will issue a written decision on the grievance no later than thirty (30) days after its filing. The grieving party and the responding party will both be notified of the decision, in writing.
  5. The decision of the Director of Accessibility Services (or their designee) may be appealed in writing within ten (10) days after the decision has been issued. The written appeal should be delivered to the Director of Accessibility Services and state why the person believes the decision should be changed and the change(s) sought. Requests shall be considered by a panel consisting of the Director of Accessibility Services, the Vice President for Student Affairs, and the Dean of Students. Absent unusual circumstances, the appeal panel shall issue a written decision in response to the appeal within ten (10) business days.  The decision of the appeal panel shall be final.

Additional Provisions

Trine University will make appropriate arrangements to ensure that persons with disabilities are provided other accommodations, if needed, in order to participate in this grievance process. Such arrangements may include, but are not limited to, providing interpreters for the deaf, providing audio material for the blind, or assuring a barrier free location for the proceedings. The Director of Accessibility Services shall be responsible for such arrangements.

It is against the law for Trine University to retaliate against anyone who files a grievance or cooperates in the investigation of a grievance.

The availability and use of this grievance procedure does not prevent a person from filing a complaint of discrimination on the basis of disability with the U.S. Department of Education.  For more information on filing formal complaints, contact:

U.S. Department of Education | Office for Civil Rights
Lyndon Baines Johnson Department of Education Building
400 Maryland Ave, SW | Washington, DC 20202-1100
Telephone: 800.421.3481
Fax: 202.453.6012; TDD: 800.877.8339
Email: OCR.Chicago@ed.gov