Who is eligible?

Accessibility Services serves students with permanent disabilities and those experiencing temporary medical conditions by providing academic accommodations and addressing disability-related accessibility barriers. Our goal is to facilitate equitable access to education and services.

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How to register

To register with Accessibility Services, you must:

• be an admitted Athabasca University student with an AU student ID and have a disability
• provide a complete Verification of Accommodation Form, including documentation from a registered health practitioner to verify the impact and recommended accommodations required in online education.

Accommodation is the process of adapting the way in which services are provided to eliminate or reduce the barriers that certain individuals experience when attempting to access services at Athabasca University.

Accommodation does not:

• require that post-secondary institutions lower academic or non-academic standards to accommodate students with disabilities
• relieve the student of the responsibility to develop the essential skills and competencies expected of all students.

Accordingly, there are programs and courses where it will not be possible to accommodate students with disabilities. For more information on these limitations, consult the section titled "How does a postsecondary institution determine that an accommodation is not possible?" in the Alberta Human Rights Duty to Accommodate.

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Disability

The Alberta Human Rights Commission (AHRC) defines disability broadly under the Human Rights Act, including physical disabilities (any infirmity, malformation, disfigurement from injury, illness, birth defect, or reliance on aids like service dogs/wheelchairs) and mental disabilities (any mental, developmental, or learning disorder, regardless of cause/duration). It protects against discrimination for actual, perceived, or past disabilities, covering conditions with "certain measure(s) of severity, permanence and persistence" that hinder full participation, requiring reasonable accommodation to the point of undue hardship.

Physical disability

• Definition: Any degree of infirmity, malformation, or disfigurement from injury, birth defect, or illness.
• Examples: Epilepsy, vision/hearing loss, heart conditions, cancer, arthritis, cerebral palsy, asthma, or reliance on a service dog or wheelchair.
• Exclusions: Minor/seasonal illnesses (colds/flus) usually aren't included.

Mental disability

• Definition: Any mental disorder, developmental disorder, or learning disorder.

It is not possible to provide a complete list of conditions that typically fit these definitions. The disabilities listed are examples only.

Medical professional verification of the impact on academic activities is required to develop an appropriate accommodation plan.

If you are unsure about eligibility and need more information, please contact Accessibility Services.