• Student and Employee Accessibility Services Home
• Registering
• Documentation Requirements
• Services
• For Students with a learning disability or ADHD or ADHD
• For Students with a mobility disability
• For Students with psychiatric disabilities
• For Students who are deaf or hard of hearing
• For Students who are blind or have a visual disability
• For Students recovering from alcoholism and/or drug addiction
• For Students with chronic illness
• Qualifying for General Services
• Disability Emergency Evacuations
• Program Housing Accommodations and Process
• SEAS Student Grievance/Appeal Procedure
• Temporary Disabilities & Injuries
• SEAS Shuttle Service FAQ
• Forms
• FAQ
• Resources
• Resources for Faculty
• Student Responsibilities
• General Procedures
• Appropriate Terminology
• Interacting with Students with Disabilities
• Essential Components of a Course or Program
• Teaching Students with Disabilities
• Visual Disabilities
• Hearing Disabilities
• Speech Impairments
• Mobility or Medical Disabilities
• Manual Disabilities
• Learning Disabilities
• Attention Deficit Disorder
• Psychological Disabilities
• Other Disabilities
• Where to Get More Help
• Links
• Assistive Technology
• Software
• Computers
• Report an Access Concern
• Contact

Qualifying for General Services

Brown University has as its primary aim the education of a highly qualified and diverse student body. The University respects each student's dignity, capacity to contribute, and desire for personal growth and accomplishment. Brown's commitment to students with disabilities is based on awareness of what students require for success and seeks to foster an environment in which that success may be achieved. As part of the commitment to help all students reach their full potential, the University offers equal educational opportunities and reasonable accommodations for the needs of qualified students with disabilities, in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990.

Allergies and Non-Qualifying Disabilities

Due to the number of students that suffer from allergies and chronic respiratory illnesses, Brown University cannot provide disability/special accommodations unless a major life activity is substantially limited. Registration materials should be submitted to SEAS for review and decisions will be made on a case-by-case basis. If a student's condition is determined to not be a qualifying disability, SEAS will make referrals to other on-campus providers for additional support and resources.

An "individual with a disability" is someone with a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities. A person is considered to be a person with a disability if he/she has the disability, has a record of the disability, or is regarded as having the disability.

Physical or Mental impairment

A physical or mental impairment is any physiological disorder or condition, cosmetic disfigurement, or anatomical loss affecting one or more of the following body systems: neurological, musculoskeletal, special sense organs, respiratory (including speech organs), cardiovascular, reproductive, digestive, genito-urinary, hemic and lymphatic, skin and endocrine. "Mental impairment" means any psychological disorder, such as mental retardation, organic brain syndrome, emotional or mental illness, and specific learning disabilities.

"Substantially limits": Unable to perform a major life activity or significantly restricted as to the condition, manner, or duration under which a major life activity can be performed, in comparison to the average person or to most people; the availability of some mitigating measure (such as a hearing aid for someone with a hearing loss that brings hearing acuity within normal limits) is not to be considered when determining if the disability substantially limits the individual.

"Major life activity": Functions such as caring for oneself, performing manual tasks, walking, seeing, hearing, speaking, breathing, learning, and working.