Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

Scope

1. All academic appointees, including faculty; staff; hourly employees; students; and volunteers at Indiana University. All university units.
2. Any questions regarding interpretation of this policy or procedures may be referred to the University ADA Coordinator.
3. A foundational principle of Indiana University is its enduring partnership across its units, including faculty and librarians, to collectively advance the institution's mission. The establishment, revision, and retirement of academic policies will occur with consultation and input from the University Faculty Council. 
4. Pursuant to Indiana Code (IC) 21-38-11, faculty governance organization actions are advisory only. 
5. This policy shall supersede all campus, school and college, program, department, center, institute, and unit policies on any core or regional campuses of Indiana University.

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Policy Statement

1. Indiana University is committed to maintaining an inclusive and accessible environment across all of its campuses. Ensuring that all members of the university community have access to facilities, information, and information technology associated with administration and services, coursework and instruction, programs, and university-sponsored activities is critical to the university's educational mission and is among its highest priorities. Federal and state law including the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Indiana Civil Rights Act, as well as Indiana University policy prohibit discrimination against qualified individuals with disabilities in employment and educational programs.
2. Indiana University provides reasonable accommodations in the form of reasonable modifications to policies, practices, or procedures in order to make its services, programs, and activities accessible to qualified individuals with disabilities unless the modification would fundamentally alter the nature of a university service, program, or activity. These accommodations and adjustments must be made in a timely manner and on an individualized and flexible basis.
3. Individual students, staff, and faculty members are responsible for identifying themselves as an individual with a disability when seeking an accommodation or, specifically in the case of students, a modification to an academic program. Individual students, staff, and faculty members are also responsible for documenting their disability (from an appropriately licensed professional) and demonstrating how the disability limits their ability to complete the essential functions of their job or limits the student's participation in services, programs, or activities of the university. Medical documentation will be kept confidential.
4. Students, staff, and faculty members must maintain institutional standards of performance.

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Procedures

The standard procedures for accommodation requests allow for an interactive process whereby the following occur:

1. A request for accommodation is made;
2. The appropriate documentation is provided to support the disability and the requested accommodation; and
3. A reasonable accommodation is made, if appropriate.

More detailed procedural steps based on the role of the individual seeking the accommodation are below.

1. Employees
   1. To request an accommodation under the ADA, employees must make a request to the designated accommodation specialist(s) on their campus. Employees should include documentation of their functional limitations. Documentation of the disability should be timely and from an appropriate professional licensed to diagnose the type of disability the employee has and who has treated the employee. An initial request may be made through a departmental chair, Human Resources representative, dean, directly with academic affairs, or via an online form, but the requester should keep in mind that requests made are ultimately elevated to the designated office identified. Supervisors who receive a request for accommodation should refer the request to the designated office identified on the accessibility.iu.edu website.
   2. After reviewing the documentation and the facts of each request, the accommodation specialist will determine if the employee is eligible for accommodations under the ADA.
      1. The accommodation specialist reserves the right to deny documentation of the disability that is not from an appropriate professional who is licensed to diagnose the type of disability the employee has or is from an illegitimate source in which the employee does not directly interact with a provider. 
   3. An accommodation specialist will then engage in an interactive process with the employee and the employee's unit to facilitate a plan of reasonable accommodation. The accommodation specialist will:
      
      1. Determine what documentation is needed to support the employee's request for accommodation;
      2. Clarify the responsibilities of the university and the employee throughout the process;
      3. Identify the essential and marginal functions of the position (if not already done);
      4. Discuss the employee’s specific physical or mental abilities or limitations as they relate to the essential functions along with potential reasonable accommodations;
      5. Identify the accommodation that best serves the needs of the employee and the university.
   4. It is the responsibility of the accommodation specialist to determine the reasonable accommodation in a particular situation and coordinate with the appropriate parties as necessary.
   5. The accommodation and any related documentation will be maintained by the designated office responsible for managing accommodations. Information will be shared only with those having an official need to know.
   6. The employee is responsible for contacting the accommodation specialist if reasonable accommodations are not implemented in an effective and timely manner. The accommodation specialist will work with the employee, and other parties as needed, to resolve disagreements regarding the recommended accommodation.
2. Students
   1. To request an accommodation under the ADA, students must file an application with the office serving students with disabilities on their campus. 
      1. Requests for accommodations should be made far enough in advance to allow staff adequate time to coordinate needed services. Generally, it is best to request needed services before a semester begins or as soon as a disability becomes known. 
      2. Students must provide documentation of their disability and how it limits their participation in the university’s services, programs, or activities. Documentation of the disability should be timely and from appropriate professionals licensed to diagnose the type of disability the student has. Medical documentation will be retained by only the office serving students with disabilities and will be kept confidential. 
         1. The designated office reserves the right to deny documentation of the disability that is not from an appropriate professional who is licensed to diagnose the type of disability the student has or is from an illegitimate source in which the student does not directly interact with a provider. Documentation from a professional that is related to the student is not accepted. 
   2. The office serving students with disabilities makes the determination of whether the student is eligible for accommodations under the ADA. The office serving students with disabilities and the student will then discuss what assistance is needed and, if requested, will provide information to relevant faculty members, information technology personnel, and/or the academic unit indicating the nature of the accommodation required. Common examples of reasonable academic adjustments include but are not limited to extension of time for tests, private test settings, priority registration, etc. A modification of the academic program may require additional review by the academic unit in consultation with the accommodation specialist, and the academic unit will consider whether the requested program modification constitutes an unallowable fundamental alteration to the academic program, which includes lowering its academic standards or compromising the rigor of the program. 
   3. If there is a discrepancy regarding requested accommodations, the office serving students with disabilities will facilitate discussions between the student and faculty member(s) and/or academic unit(s). It is the responsibility of the office serving students with disabilities to determine the reasonable accommodation in a particular case, taking into account the content of the course, the student's disability, and the documentation from an appropriately credentialed professional. Nothing in these procedures requires an academic unit to make accommodations that would fundamentally alter the nature of its academic program. 
   4. Students are expected to discuss with their instructors the need for accommodations in their respective course. Faculty members are expected to discuss such matters privately and maintain confidentiality. 
   5. Students are responsible for notifying the office serving students with disabilities if reasonable accommodations are not implemented in an effective and timely way. In the event that an accommodation is not implemented in a test-taking or similar situation, the student should address that with the faculty member, associate instructor, or proctor immediately and the amount of time necessary to implement the accommodation (e.g., to print a test paper with enlarged print or move the student to a quiet room) should be added back to the test time such that the student is not disadvantaged.
3. Digital Accessibility 
   1. All materials published on university websites or mobile apps are required to meet the current accessibility standards as defined by University Information Technology Services (UITS).
   2. The responsibility for assuring that University digital content meets the requirement above rests with the unit(s) and individual(s) who publish the content. This includes faculty who publish course materials, Library Collections materials, units that purchase technology assets covered by this section, etc.
   3. Training and other resources have been made available by UITS and OCRC to support different user groups in meeting the university’s accessibility requirements.  Targeted training for employees performing work in key areas will be mandatory.  A list of current offerings and training requirements may be found here.
   4. To purchase software or software services, including renewals of existing software/services, a Software and Services Selection Process (SSSP) form must be submitted prior to making a purchase. This approval is required regardless of the payment method that will be used when making the purchase. IU departments making purchases directly from UITS or through IUware are exempt from this process. Further detail on the IT purchasing process can be found on the Knowledge Base article KB0025079. 
   5. All exceptions to the requirements of this section must be approved in advance, in writing, by UITS, in consultation with the Office of Civil Rights Compliance (OCRC), University Compliance Office (UCO), and the Office of the Vice President and General Counsel (OVPGC).   
4. Physical Accessibility
   1. Addressing issues related to physical accessibility on university property must be through processes set forth by the Office of the Vice President for Capital Planning and Facilities including accessibility reviews of facilities and buildings; reviewing construction plans and designs for building code compliance; and reviewing concerns or requests in consultation with the University ADA Coordinator, OVPGC, and any relevant campus offices.  
   2. Accessible parking and permits are managed by parking operations on each campus.
5. Complaint Procedures
   1. Students or employees who disagree with the determination of their reasonable accommodations by the accommodation specialist may appeal that determination to the University ADA Coordinator.
   2. Students or employees who have concerns about the implementation of their accommodations or who believe the university has not met its obligations under the ADA should first work with their accommodation specialist who will consult with the relevant unit. Then if no resolution is reached, the student or employee should be referred to the University ADA Coordinator who serves all IU campuses. 
   3. Students or employees who wish to report discrimination or harassment on the basis of disability should submit their report to the Office of Civil Rights Compliance who will assess and/or investigate the complaint under UA-03: Discrimination, Harassment, and Sexual Misconduct Policy.  
   4. Visitors with concerns about accessibility may contact the relevant facility manager or the Office of Civil Rights Compliance.

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Definitions

University Community: Consists of the members of the Board of Trustees, any employee of the university, including administrators, faculty, staff, part time, and student employees, any individual using the university’s resources or facilities or receiving funds administered by the university, and volunteers and other representatives when speaking or acting on behalf of the university. 

University ADA Coordinator: Serves all IU campuses and programs and has overall responsibility for coordinating the efforts of the university to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and other related laws and regulations. 

University Digital Content: Includes all University web content and mobile apps through which the university makes its services, programs, and activities available, including digital course materials and sites. 

University Property: Buildings, grounds, and land that are owned by Indiana University or controlled by Indiana University via leases or other formal contractual arrangements to house ongoing IU operations. 

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Sanctions

Any violations of university policies by an individual will be addressed in accordance with applicable university policies and procedures.

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Additional Contacts

Employee Accommodations and Resources by Campus

Employees may navigate to the following pages to identify the designated offices on their campus:
Employee Accommodations and Resources by Campus

Student Accommodations and Resources by Campus

Students may navigate to the following pages to identify the designated offices on their campus:
Student Accommodations and Resources by Campus

University ADA Coordinator
Cara Reader
Office of Civil Rights Compliance
420 Walnut Street
Bloomington, IN 4704
812-855-7759

Office for Civil Rights
U.S. Department of Education
Office for Civil Rights
Lyndon Baines Johnson Department of Education Bldg
400 Maryland Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20202-1100

Telephone: 800-421-3481
FAX: 202-453-6012; TDD: 800-877-8339
Email: OCR@ed.gov
Website: http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/index.html

University EIT Coordinator
Chief Compliance Officer
Office of the Vice President and General Counsel
420 N. Walnut Street
Bloomington, IN 47404
317-274-2667
comply@iu.edu

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History

Effective Date 01-01-2007
Contacts Added 03-31-2016
Updated 12-22-2016
Updated in 2018.
June 2025- Update Responsible Office
March 2025- Substantive revisions

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