Disability Services

Philosophy & Mission Statement

The Learning Center provides reasonable and appropriate accommodations to students with psychological, medical, physical, and learning disabilities, and ensures legal compliance with state and federal disability law. We advocate for students and facilitate with other departments across campus on the students’ behalf.

How to Obtain Accommodations

• Provide necessary documentation to the Learning Center from the appropriate diagnostician, containing the following pieces of information:
    ◊ A diagnostic statement identifying the disability
    ◊ A description of the diagnostic methodology used
    ◊ A description of the current functional limitation
    ◊ A description of the expected progression or stability of the disability
    ◊ A description of current and past accommodations, services and or/medications
    ◊ Recommendations for accommodations
    ◊ For more details, see the Documentation Guidelines PDF.
• Print out your class schedule, either from my.Biola Class List or emailed class list. Must include instructors' names.
• Make an appointment with LC Staff to talk over desired and appropriate accommodations
• Complete registration:
    ◊ To complete registration, students will need to complete the Learning Center’s registration form in order to receive accommodations. This can be picked up from the Learning Center office or request via email at learning.center@biola.edu
• Faculty notification letters will be generated and given to the student upon completion of registration. These contain the recommended accommodations and should be delivered by the student to their instructors.

Who is Eligible?

◊ Students with documented and qualifying learning disabilities
◊ Students with psychological and/or emotional disabilities
◊ Students with physical disabilities
◊ Students with medical conditions or incidents (i.e., hospitalization, severe injury, etc.) that impact their academics.

Prospective Students

• The Admissions process is the same for students with disabilities as for any other students. If a student is denied admission and wishes to make an appeal based on their disability, they may at that point submit documentation to the Learning Center for review.
• There are differences in how disability accommodations work, between high school and college. Read this PDF for additional information.
• See "How to Obtain Accommodations" (above)
• The Learning Center is glad to discuss a prospective student's situation prior to enrollment; please contact us!

Student FAQs

What are some examples of accommodations students have received?
  ◊ Reduced distraction testing
  ◊ Extended exam time
  ◊ Usage of word processor for essay exams
  ◊ Note taking assistance
  ◊ Digitally recorded books

What if I think I have a disability and wish to be assessed?
  ◊ Please stop by the Learning Center and tell us your story. We will be glad to listen and give you direction. The Learning Center does not provide testing or assessment for disabilities; we recommend students to the Biola Counseling Center for formalized testing. For current Biola students, there are reduced student rates for such testing.