Accommodations and Disability Services

The Office of Accessible Education (OAE) serves as a campus resource for students with disabilities. Students with a diagnosed disability who have met the university’s academic standards and have confirmed their intention to enroll, may request accommodations.

Palo Alto University is dedicated to providing access for students who have documented disabilities and have registered with the OAE. We encourage you to contact the Office of Accessible Education in the early stages of your academic planning as reasonable accommodations are not provided retroactively.

The formal request for accommodation begins with the submission of appropriate documentation to support the condition(s) for which one is seeking accommodation.  In accordance with federal guidelines, the determination of a student’s eligibility for disability-related accommodation is based on the following: 

• Any submitted supporting documentation and 

• Information that the student shares during an interactive discussion with the institution’s disability-service provider.

Procedure for Requesting Accommodations:

1. Self-Disclose – Students must self-disclose to the Office of Accessible Education (OAE) in a timely and reasonable manner. The amount of time considered appropriate depends on the nature of the accommodations being sought. Certain accommodations may require significant time to arrange and provide.  

2. Submit Documentation – Submit to the (OAE) current documentation – ideally obtained within the last three years. The recency of the documentation is especially important for documenting chronic conditions with symptom expressions that can greatly fluctuate.  Documentation should include:

   1. • Diagnosis (DSM V, IDEA, medical or other)

      • Statement of severity

      • Statement that identifies how the condition creates a “substantial impairment” and in which life activities

      • Recommendations for accommodations that will be needed by the student in order to obtain equal access to the program or service

The documentation must be from an individual who is qualified by education and experience to diagnose the specific disability. It is not appropriate for professionals to evaluate immediate family members for the purpose of documenting a disability.

Once the OAE receives documentation, we will contact you to set up a meeting to discuss PAU’s accommodation practices and any accommodations that you might have received at previous institutions. This interactive discussion occurs so that students have the opportunity to speak directly about information that has been shared in their submitted documentation.

Should you have any other questions, please feel free to contact the Office of Accessible Education at OAE@paloaltou.edu or (650) 433–3818.