Skip to main content
Penn State Abington
Hotline Visit Us Apply Now Give Now
  • Academics
    • Majors at Abington
    • Minors at Abington
    • Undergraduate Research
    • Global Programs
    • Advising Center
    • Center for Student Achievement
    • Registrar
  • Admissions
    • Visit Us
    • Become a Penn Stater
    • Tuition and Financial Aid
    • Apply to Penn State
  • Campus Life
    • Bookstore
    • Career and Professional Development
    • Counseling and Psychological Services
    • Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging
    • Engage
    • Police and Public Safety
    • Residence Life
    • Student Engagement and Leadership
  • Information For
    • Prospective Students
    • Transfer Students
    • Current Students
    • International Students
    • Development and Alumni Relations
    • Community
    • Parents and Families
    • Faculty/Staff
    • Adult Learners
Full site navigation menu

This dialog contains the full navigation menu for this site.

Penn State Abington
Enter the terms you wish to search for.
Search type:
Hotline Visit Us Apply Now Give Now
  • This is Penn State
  • Academics
  • Admission
  • Tuition & Financial Aid
  • Campus Life
  • Athletics
  • Continuing Education

Find Information For:

  • Prospective Students
  • Transfer Students
  • Current Students
  • International Students
  • Development and Alumni Relations
  • Community
  • Parents and Families
  • Faculty/Staff
  • Adult Learners

Helpful Links

  • Academic Calendar
  • Campus Directory
  • Campus Events
  • Campus Map
  • Careers
  • Contact Us
  • Directions to Abington
  • Giving to Abington
  • Online & Information Technology
  • Parking and Transportation

Connect With Us

  • facebook
  • linkedin
  • twitter
  • instagram
  • youtube
  1. Home
  2. Student Disability Resources

Applying for Student Disability Services

At the college level, it is a student’s right whether or not they choose to self-disclose to request services. This is a very personal decision that we at Student Disability Resources respect, and a decision that only the student can make for themselves. Students seeking services at Penn State must self-disclose the need for academic accommodations, auxiliary aids, and/or services to the office of Student Disability Resources at the Penn State campus they are attending. 

Self-disclosing means that:

  • Parents or anyone other than the student may not identify the student as having a disability or request services on the student’s behalf. 
  • Students must initiate the process, actively participate in the process, and have direct interaction/contact with Student Disability Resources throughout the requesting/providing accommodation process. 

In order for a student's disorder or impairment to be considered a disability, the student must demonstrate through documentation that the disorder/impairment meets the definition of a disability under Title II of the ADA Amendments Act (ADAAA) of 2008 and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. A disability is defined as a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities. 

Due to the number of students we serve, we strongly suggest applying for services as soon as possible; early on in the semester prior to the semester you wish to receive accommodations. Please keep in mind; this is a multi-step process that takes time to complete. If additional information is needed at any time during the process, the procedure of reviewing documentation can be delayed, which may also delay the delivery of academic adjustments, auxiliary aids, and/or services. 

As part of building self-advocacy skills, it is extremely important that the student completes these steps/forms, not the parent or other concerned individual. If you are not certain how to answer a question, feel free to ask a parent or other concerned individual for suggestions, but students should enter the answers themselves.  

Process for Requesting Academic Accommodations, Auxiliary Aids, and/or Services 

Step 1. Student Self-Discloses through the Online Introductory Questionnaire 

Students seeking accommodations for disability must self-disclose the need for services to Student Disability Resources at Penn State Abington. This is  done through the online Introductory Questionnaire. You will answer questions about your diagnosis and academic needs, such as the name and description of your diagnosis, how your diagnosis affects your learning, accommodations you’ve had in the past, etc., so be sure to collect any needed information before you begin the online Introductory Questionnaire. Contact us at [email protected] to let us know when you’ve completed the questionnaire.
 

Step 2. Student Completes Paperwork 

Once your introductory questionnaire is received and reviewed, we will send you a registration packet to your PSU email. Please read through, complete and return to [email protected]. 
 

Step 3. Student Collects Diagnostic Documentation 

Each student is required to submit diagnostic documentation from the licensed professional currently treating you for the diagnosis you are seeking accommodations for. It is the student’s responsibility to obtain documentation and it must be current. If documentation is old or outdated, which may vary depending on your diagnosis, you may need to return to your specialist for an update on your condition. For some, this may require retesting. Any documentation submitted must meet Penn State's disability-specific documentation guidelines in order to be eligible for accommodations. Please review the guidelines prior to submitting documentation.  
 

Step 4. Student Submits Documentation and Paperwork 

Submit your documentation to the Abington Student Disability Resources office.
 

Step 5. Documentation Review 

Once the information is received (documentation, registration packet, and online questionnaire) documentation is reviewed and evaluated to determine if Penn State's documentation guidelines have been met, and if the student's disorder/impairment meets the criteria for having a disability. A clinical diagnosis is not synonymous with a disability. That is, evidence sufficient to render a clinical diagnosis might not be adequate to determine that an individual is substantially limited in a major life activity. If the documentation submitted does not sufficiently address the student's current functional impairment or describe how the disorder/impairment substantially limits one or more major life activities, additional information will be required.  
 

Step 6. Intake Interview 

If documentation guidelines and eligibility have been met, the student will be contacted to schedule an intake appointment with the Student Disability Resources Coordinator. During the intake interview the student's disorder/impairment and academic history are discussed, services are explained, and the rights and responsibilities of the student and Penn State are reviewed. A student should anticipate that the intake assessment will take approximately one hour. 
 

Step 7. Holistic Review 

The Student Disability Resources Coordinator will review all of the information provided by the student from the online introductory questionnaire, self-evaluation, documentation, and intake interview for appropriateness of accommodations requested. If documentation supports the requests, accommodations will be determined. 
 

Step 8. Accommodation Letter 

The student is given an accommodation letter for the semester soon after the student’s intake interview. Timelines may vary depending on the time of year. The letter will list the appropriate accommodations, but never the specific disability, which is strictly confidential.  

In order to receive the accommodations, you are required to share your accommodation letter with each professor whose class you wish to use accommodations in. You are strongly encouraged to meet with professors at the beginning of each semester. An out-of-class appointment for this discussion will probably be necessary. You are responsible for discussing your accommodations and how they will be satisfied within the context of each course. The professor reviews the accommodations to ensure that they do not alter essential features of their class. After the professor signs off on the accommodations, the professor provides the accommodations to the student for the remainder of the semester. 

Please refer to the following links for more information. 

Documentation Guidelines  

Reasonable Accommodations Overview  

Parents' Role in the Reasonable Accommodation Process 

Rights and Responsibilities of Students and Penn State   

Confidentiality and Release of Information  

Academic Support

  • The Advising Center
    • Meet the Advising Center Team
    • Making an Advising Appointment
    • Advising Center Frequently Asked Questions
    • Valuable Links & How-To Infographics
    • Is Online Right For Me?
    • Peer Advisers
    • Meet the Peer Advisers
  • Faculty Advising Resources
  • Student Disability Resources
    • Prospective SDR Students
    • Applying for Student Disability Services
    • Current SDR Students
  • Student Success Office
  • Testing Center
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Instructions and Policies
  • The Center for Student Achievement
    • Penn State Abington Online Writing Lab

Student Disability Resources

[email protected]

102 Sutherland

215-881-7962

Locations of Penn State’s campuses throughout Pennsylvania with Penn State Abington highlighted.

Penn State Abington

Conveniently located in a suburban setting, north of Philadelphia, and easily accessible by public transportation.
  • facebook
  • linkedin
  • twitter
  • instagram
  • youtube
Visit Us Apply Now Give Now
  • Academics
    • Global Programs
    • Library
    • Registrar
  • Admission
    • Apply to Penn State
    • Visit Penn State Abington
    • Take our Virtual Tour
  • Athletics
    • Contact Athletics
    • Schedule of Games
  • Directions
    • Virtual Tour
  • This is Penn State
    • Media Resource Center
    • PSUalert
    • Police and Public Safety
  • Tuition & Financial Aid
    • Tuition & Fees
    • Financial Aid
  • Faculty/Staff Resources
    • Canvas
    • Digital Measures
    • Intranet
    • LionPath
    • Outlook
    • Starfish
  • COVID-19 Information
  • Campus Directory
    • Faculty
    • Staff
Penn State University
1600 Woodland Road, Abington, Pennsylvania 19001 215-881-7300

Footer Legal Menu

  • Privacy
  • Non-discrimination
  • Equal Opportunity
  • Accessibility
  • The Pennsylvania State University © 2023
  • We Are Penn State