Here at Duquesne, Equity & Opportunity Begin at Home

Audriana Michrina and friends on A-walkComing to college with a disability can be challenging—Audriana Michrina, A'23, knows. While getting around campus in a wheelchair can be cumbersome, she was compassionately relieved by helpful classmates and friends, accommodating teachers and support from the University's Disability Services team. 

At Duquesne, we have a diverse student body, with over a thousand students registered with our Office of Disability Services. Our team will help you receive the support you need while you are attaining your educational goals. If you need accommodations due to a documented condition, we are happy to assist you with navigating the registration process. 

Register for accommodations (DU login required)

Commitment to Equality, Inclusion and Compassion

Disability services staff members left to right: Mari Jean Kocinski, Maggie Allen and Tiana Brophy
Duquesne University Disability Services staff
Motivated by its Catholic identity, Duquesne University values equality of opportunity, human dignity, and racial, cultural and ethnic diversity, both as an educational institution and as an employer. Accordingly, the University prohibits and does not engage in discrimination or harassment on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability or status as a veteran. Further, Duquesne University will continue to take affirmative steps to support and advance these values consistent with the University's mission statement.

This policy applies to all educational programs and activities of the University, including, but not limited to, employment practices, admission, educational policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic or other University-sponsored programs. This is a commitment by the University in accordance with its religious values and applicable federal, state and local laws and regulations including Title IX of the Education Amendment Acts of 1972. Nothing herein, however, should be interpreted as a waiver by the University of its own Constitutional and legal rights based upon its religious affiliation.

We're Here for You

Disability Accommodations

Students with disabilities who qualify under the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 may request reasonable accommodations for conditions such as learning, psychiatric, and physical disabilities, as well as chronic health disorders. 

Our Office of Disability Services also provides temporary accommodations to students when medical situations arise that affect their academic performance such as a concussion.

Register for Accommodations (DU login required)

 

Emotional Support & Service Animals

Emotional support and service animals provide a unique and helpful service for students. Emotional support animals provide comfort to students, while service animals are trained to do work or perform tasks for a person with a disability. 

Learn about our policies and accommodations regarding emotional support animals and service animals.

Medical Hardship

Reach out to our Office of Disabilities team to assist you in navigating the best options for your academic success. Medical documentation is needed; view our documentation guidelines.

Should you experience medical hardship like extreme illness, serious injury or extended hospitalization, we'll help you remain enrolled while navigating the best options for your academic success. In the case that a medical withdrawal is what you need, here's what you need to know.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion is seen every day in our community of nearly 8,500 students, representing every state, 80+ countries and a broad range of diverse backgrounds and experiences. At the same time, we are small enough that students, faculty and staff know one another by name and are invested in each other's success.

Disability Discrimination Grievance Procedure

It is the policy of Duquesne University not to discriminate based upon disability. Duquesne University has adopted the following Grievance Procedure for addressing complaints of disability discrimination and harassment under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act. 

Duquesne University ADA Rehab Grievance Process

Academic Accommodations

Whether your disability is physical, psychological or a learning disability, we'll provide appropriate and reasonable accommodations to help you through your academic courses and reach your greatest potential.

Students who are registered with our office may register early for courses. To utilize this service, the student must be registered with the Office of Disability Services and the file must include documentation of the student’s disability.
Depending on an individual’s needs, the University offers testing accommodations. The most common testing accommodations include extended time for exams and quizzes, proctors to read questions aloud, and distraction-reduced environments for test-taking.
During the intake appointment, students will work with the Office of Disability Services staff to create the Letter of Accommodations (LOA), which will be sent to professors as appropriate. The LOA will list the approved, reasonable accommodations for the student. Reasonable accommodations for a student with a documented learning disability may include extended-time testing, proctors to read exams aloud, and access to lecture notes or recordings.
Our office can assist students with blindness or visual impairments with academic and housing accommodations. Reasonable accommodations for a student with blindness or visual impairments may include proctors to read exams aloud, access to lecture notes or recordings, and use of assistive technology in class. We frequently work with outside agencies or organizations, such as Blind & Visual Services (BVS), to further assist the student.
Our office works closely with various state and non-profit agencies to coordinate the services of interpreters or CART services for students with hearing impairments. Students must provide medical documentation to support these requests. Additional reasonable accommodations may include access to lecture notes or recordings and use of assistive technology in class.

Our office is committed to reasonably accommodating students under the Americans with Disabilities Act. As a part of this process, we work with each student individually to discuss their specific needs and reasonable accommodations based their unique situation. We encourage students to stay engaged with our office throughout their educational journey so we can provide support along the way.

The Office of Disability Services can assist each student in procuring reasonable accommodations in the Living Learning Centers and classroom facilities. Each of the Living Learning Centers is configured differently and offers a variety of accommodations. We work in partnership with the Office of Student Housing and Residence Life to determine appropriate, reasonable accommodations on a case-by-case basis. Accessible classroom relocations and accommodations can be made through the Office of Disability Services on an as-needed basis.

Accessible Parking

Students who have a disability parking placard can purchase a standard parking permit. Spaces for persons with disabilities are designated throughout standard parking areas. For additional information on parking, call the University’s Parking Office at (412) 396-5267.

It is always a student's right, and personal choice, to determine if they chose to disclose their disability to the Office of Disability Services. Disclosing your disability can be done at any point in the semester.

Accommodations cannot be given retroactively if a student makes the choice not to disclose their disability. If a student does disclose their disability but does not request that letters of accommodations be sent to their professor, accommodations will not be granted, even in the case that the students feels work submitted or exam scores received do not accurately reflect their abilities.

Achieving a More Inclusive Classroom

 
Dr. Tiffany Hatcher teaching in the classroom

Dr. Tiffany Hatcher

Providing Proactive, Considerate Accommodations

Dr. Tiffany Hatcher, clinical assistant professor in the School of Pharmacy, strives to ensure that students with disabilities feel comfortable speaking up and seeking accommodations, and are alleviated of any additional inconveniences or stresses. "It's a conscious decision to take personal responsibility to make sure your content is accessible to everyone."

Learn How We're Increasing Inclusivity
Dr. Stephanie Gray teaching in the classroom

Dr. Stephanie Gray

New Strategies to Help Students Thrive

Dr. Stephanie Gray, assistant professor of public history in the McAnulty College and Graduate School of Liberal Arts, jumps on the opportunity to learn about students’ challenges and ways she can help them succeed. "I want Duquesne classrooms to be a safe environment. As an instructor, you have to be interested in and invested in your students; an empathetic teacher who wants students to learn and achieve academic success, and who also cares about the physical and mental wellbeing of each individual student.”

See How Equity & Opportunity Begin at Home

Disability Services FAQs

To be protected by the ADA, the student must have a condition that meets the definition of disability and be otherwise qualified to participate in the educational program. In order to be otherwise qualified, the individual must be able to meet the academic and technical standards requisite to participate in the educational program.

A wide variety of disabilities are covered including, but not limited to the following:

  • Physical: mobility conditions, blindness, low vision, D/deaf, hard of hearing and Cerebral Palsy
  • Medical: health conditions that impact a major life activity, some examples may include ADHD, migraines, Crohn’s disease, Fibromyalgia, and Lupus
  • Psychological: mental health conditions such as Anxiety Disorder, Depressive Disorder and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
  • Learning Disabilities: Dyslexia, Dysgraphia and Dyscalculia
  1. Submit an initial request for accommodations by logging into Accommodate and uploading supporting documentation that meet our documentation guidelines.

  2. Our office will be notified of your request and we will reach out to you to discuss your next steps.
Over 1,000 students are registered with the Office of Disability Services.
The most common accommodations are extra time for exams and testing in a separate, distraction reduced environment.

We have several resources on campus to support students including:

Contact Us

Visit us in Room 309 in the Duquesne Student Union. We're here and ready to help you.

Tiana Brophy

Director of Disability Services

Tiana Brophy headshot

Maggie Allen

Assistant Director of Disability Services

Maggie Allen headshot

Mari Jean Kocinski

Administrative Assistant for Disability Services

Mari Jean Kocinski headshot