About the Office of Disability Services

The Office of Disability Services at Fordham University helps to ensure equal educational access and opportunity for all members of our community. In the Jesuit tradition of cura personalis, our staff works individually with each student to understand his or her strengths and limitations in order to develop his/her most effective and comprehensive accommodation plan.

Our office collaborates with administrators, faculty, and staff to ensure that reasonable and appropriate accommodations for students with disabilities are provided. As a University, we will offer the appropriate auxiliary aids and services to assist otherwise qualified persons in achieving access to its programs, services, and facilities.

Students seeking services should meet with our staff for an initial intake meeting to develop an accommodation plan directly with the student in accordance with Section 504 of the Federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Additionally, graduate students seeking accommodations for a grad/teaching assistantship or a for credit internship should contact ODS to arrange these accommodations.

We believe that our policies and mission carry out the intent of Section 504 of the Federal Rehabilitation Act, which states:

"No otherwise qualified individual with a disability in the United States, as defined in section 7(20), shall solely by reason of his or her disability, be excluded from the participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance."
Please contact us for guidelines for the types of documentation that may be requested according to the type of disability you have.

Accommodation Request Forms
When registering for classes, please submit accommodation letters requests at that time via our online system, AIM. All online accommodation request forms for letters for each semester must be submitted by as soon as possible. There are instructions on how to do this under AIM Instructions.

Ram Van Accessibility
If you use a wheelchair you are planning to take a class at either the Lincoln Center or Rose Hill campus and need Ram Van transportation for class, you should contact us three weeks before the end of the prior semester, so we can arrange this with Ram Van for the next semester.

Change in Course Schedule
As always, if you make any changes to your class schedule, please notify our office to request a new letter when that change is made. Please do this through AIM. The instructions on how to do this are located under AIM instructions.

Test Proctoring Forms
In order to take a test with The Office of Disability Services, you must fill out an online test proctoring form via our online system and submit it to our office:

• 3 business days prior for day classes
• 5 business days prior for evening classes

If no proctors are available for exam time requested, we will discuss alternate options with each student regarding accommodations for exams.