To register with our services, we require documentation in the form of psycho-educational assessments or medical documentation from a health professional that is dated within the past 5 years. Your documentation must identify a permanent or temporary disability.

We provide accommodations based on the recommendations in each student’s documentation. We cannot accept IEPs alone. You can send your documentation through email (disability.access@acadiau.ca), fax (902-585-1093) or mail (Accessible Learning Services, Box 189, Wolfville, NS B4P 2R6).

Please complete the intake packet (PDF), which includes an academic skills survey. The survey allows us to see what you would like to work on in addition to developing a semester plan on how to build these skills. 

Terminology

• Accommodation:The term may be used to describe and alteration of environment, evaluation format, or specialized technology that allows an individual with a disability to gain access to content and/or complete assigned tasks. Accommodations do not alter what is being taught, but may change how a student learns and demonstrates their knowledge of the content being taught.
• Disability:According to Nova Scotia’s new Accessibility Legislation, “disability means a physical, mental, intellectual or sensory impairment that, in the interaction with a barrier, hinders an individual’s full and effective participation in society”. (An Act Respecting Accessibility in Nova Scotia, 2017)
• Adaptive & Assistive Technology: Is a term used to describe all of the tools, products, and devices that can make a particular function easier or possible to perform. Some assistive technologies include screen readers, alternate keyboards, head pointing devices, voice recognition software, and screen magnification software

Renewal of old documentation

If your documentation is older than five years and you are in the process of obtaining new documentation, you can register with Accessible Learning Services provided:

1. You submit a copy of the old documentation to Accessible Learning Services.
2. You make immediate arrangements for a new assessment or evaluation. You can access funding for updating psycho-educational assessments through grants or insurance.

Confidentiality

The information that Acadia University collects from you will remain confidential unless:

• You give your consent for information to be released or shared
• The information you share suggests either potential self-harm or harm to others
• The information you share alludes to a potential crime or a violation of university rules or policies 

It is important to note that registering with our services does not appear on your transcript or school record.

What is Considered a Permanent Disability?

The term permanent disability applies to a range of disabilities including physical, psychological, medical or cognitive/learning disorders. Sometimes students associate having a permanent disability with having a visible or physical disability. However, this is a misconception that may prevent students from accessing the services and accommodations which they are eligible for.

• Physical Disabilitiesinclude but are not limited to acquired brain injuries, blindness, visual impairment, deafness*, hearing impairment and mobility impairments.
  *Please note: According to the Canadian Association of the Deaf, “Deaf (with capital D) [is]: A sociological term referring to those individuals who are medically deaf or hard of hearing who identify with and participate in the culture, society, and language of Deaf people, which is based on Sign language. Their preferred mode of communication is Sign”.
• Psychological Disabilitiesinclude but are not limited to autism spectrum disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia.
• Learning Disordersinclude but are not limited to dyscalculia, dysgraphia, and dyslexia.
• Medical Disabilities include but are not limited to chronic health disorders, multiple sclerosis, diabetes, cancers, cystic fibrosis, and epilepsy.

Contact

disability.access@acadiau.ca
Tel: 902.585.1291, 902.585.1520

Rhodes Hall, Rooms 111 — 115