Transitioning to college is an exciting time filled with opportunities and new experiences. For students with disabilities, this transition may also bring unique considerations. The Educational Access Center (EAC) at PLNU is here to support students and families as they navigate this new chapter—ensuring access, inclusion, and a strong sense of belonging from day one.
For Students
Taking the Lead in Your Success
At the college level, students are expected to take an active role in their education and self-advocacy. This includes managing accommodation requests and communicating directly with university staff and faculty. Unlike the K–12 system, where schools and parents often take the lead, post-secondary institutions operate under different legal and practical frameworks.
Your Responsibilities as a Student:
- Initiate Contact: If you have a disability and anticipate needing accommodations for academics or campus life, you must be the one to contact the EAC. Start by emailing eac@pointloma.edu as early as possible.
- Provide Documentation: Submit recent and appropriate documentation (typically from within the last three years) that verifies your disability and outlines any accommodation needs so that our team can determine accommodations that are specific to the higher education environment.
- Understand Your Needs: Have a clear understanding of your disability, the accommodations you benefit from, and the supports that help you thrive.
- Engage in Self-Advocacy: Be ready to communicate with instructors and staff about your accommodation plan. This includes knowing how and when to initiate conversations.
- Stay Informed: Accommodations provided in high school may not automatically apply in college. Work closely with the EAC to learn what is considered a reasonable accommodation at PLNU.
We are here to walk alongside you—but the journey begins with you.
For Parents
Supporting the Shift to Self-Advocacy
As your student steps into adulthood and the college environment, your role also shifts. While your support remains vital, the focus now turns to empowering your student to become their own advocate.
How You Can Support:
- Understand That Your Role Has Changed. Parents are often accustomed to advocating for their child within K-12 special education settings. In college, students hold the primary responsibility for requesting and managing accommodations. You can provide support and information for them, but the responsibility is now up to the student.
- Start Early: Help your student begin the accommodations process early—even before classes start. Avoidance due to stigma or fear is common; help normalize support-seeking behaviors. Encourage them to set up accommodations, try them out, and then decide if they wish to continue or discontinue services.
- Assist with Documentation: Support your student in gathering the necessary documentation from healthcare providers or specialists. Ensure the information is current and meets higher education standards.
- Review Information Together: Go over the documentation with your student. Help them understand their diagnosis, how it affects daily life, recommended accommodations, and areas of strength and challenge.
- Foster Regular Communication: Ask your student how they’re managing and adjusting to college life—not just grades, but how they’re accessing services, building support networks, and more.
- Encourage Self-Advocacy: If concerns arise, guide your student in identifying the right person to contact and help them prepare—but let them take the lead on emails, calls, or appointments. Problem-solve with them, not for them. Note: The EAC communicates directly with students regarding their accommodations and support. In accordance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), the university does not share information about a student’s disability status, accommodations, or academic progress with parents, guardians, or other third parties without the student’s consent. If a student wishes to involve a parent or another individual, they must provide written permission to the EAC. Even in these cases, the EAC emphasizes student self-advocacy and expects students to remain the primary point of contact.
- Step Back with Intention: Growth happens when students try, fail, and learn. Letting go a little is part of fostering independence and confidence.
- Explore Additional Resources and Guidance. The Office for Civil Rights has more information on the transition of students with disabilities to postsecondary education that can be helpful when planning for academic success throughout the college experience. For more detailed guidance, visit:
For PLNU
Our Commitment to Students with Disabilities
PLNU is committed to ensuring equal access and fostering a supportive, inclusive learning environment for all students. Through the EAC, we uphold a holistic, student-centered approach that reflects our mission to create a campus culture rooted in dignity, care, and belonging.
Our Responsibilities:
- Determine Eligibility: Evaluate whether students meet the criteria to receive accommodations through the EAC.
- Maintain Confidentiality: Ensure all disability-related information is handled with the highest level of privacy and shared only with appropriate personnel as needed.
- Ensure Access: Provide equal access to academic programs, services, and campus activities in accordance with federal and state laws, including the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
- Offer Reasonable Accommodations: Make appropriate, individualized adjustments without compromising or fundamentally altering the essential elements of any course or program.
- Provide a Grievance Process: Ensure students have access to a clear and fair process to raise concerns and request a review of accommodation decisions.
- Support Equitable Access: Develop policies and programs that reflect a commitment to inclusion and access for students with disabilities.
- Commitment to Student Self-Advocacy: EAC staff work with students to self-advocate in all PLNU programming.
Our Holistic Approach to Student Support
In addition to accommodations, the EAC offers a range of services designed to support the whole student. These include:
- Inclusive Study Spaces: Designated environments that promote focused, distraction-reduced learning.
- Academic Coaching: THRIVE is an academic coaching program at PLNU designed to empower students with disabilities by providing individualized support that fosters both academic and personal success. Through coaching, students strengthen key executive functioning skills such as organization, time management, and self-advocacy. Each coaching plan is personalized to meet the unique needs and goals of the student, helping them build confidence, independence, and effective strategies for navigating college life.
- Peer Mentoring: Individualized support from trained peer mentors to assist with academic, social, and campus connection. For additional information about the Peer Mentor Program, visit the Student Resources page.
- Self-Advocacy Course: A credit-bearing course, Self-Advocacy in Higher Education, equipping students with the knowledge and confidence to navigate their college experience independently.
- Testing Support Services: Guidance and assistance for students navigating challenges related to testing, including those who may be experiencing academic difficulties due to an undiagnosed disability. These services help students explore potential disability-related needs and determine eligibility for appropriate accommodations.
At PLNU, we believe every student brings unique, God-given strengths to our community (1 Corinthians 12:4–28). Through the EAC, we are committed to honoring those strengths by removing barriers and empowering students to thrive.