The University of Puget Sound is committed to providing all, otherwise qualified, students equal access to programs and activities by having non-discriminatory standards in all academic areas and by providing reasonable accommodations on a case by case basis. Reasonable accommodations are adjustments or minor changes that remove barriers. They do not involve lowering academic standards or alterations to a program. Some examples of accommodations are extended periods for exams, note-takers, accessible books, readers, interpreters, scribes, flexibility in attendance, assistance with class registration, and accessible campus housing.

Student Accessibility and Accommodation (SAA) is the university designated office that determines if a student qualifies for a disability-related accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. To begin the process, a student needs to submit documentation from a qualified, licensed professional that includes a diagnosis, how the diagnosis was established, the functional impairments, and a rationale for requested accommodations to the Director of Student Accessibility and Accommodation, SAA@pugetsound.edu. Please see the SAA website for more detailed instructions and to download intake and documentation forms. Or call 253.879.3399 for assistance. Accommodations are determined on a case by case basis and depend on documentation, students' needs, requested accommodations, and what is reasonable under the law. Once a student is registered, they will be able to formally request academic accommodation each semester by meeting with an SAA staff member to receive a signed accommodation form brought by the student to their professors and returned to SAA with each professor’s signature. The nature of the disability is confidential. Professors are informed of the accommodations, not the diagnosis. University transcripts will not reflect any involvement with SAA.

A student who disagrees with an accommodation decision made by the Director of SAA may appeal that decision to the Dean of Faculty Affairs.

At any time in a grievance process, students may file a complaint with the responsible state or federal agencies. The right of a student to prompt an equitable resolution of a complaint shall not be impaired by this action. These agencies are:

Washington State Human Rights Commission
https://www.hum.wa.gov/
Third Avenue
Seattle, Washington 98101
206.464.6500

Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division
https://www.justice.gov/crt/disability-rights-sect
1424 New York Avenue, Room 5041
Washington, D.C. 20005
800.514.0383

Office for Civil Rights Region X
https://www.seattle.gov/civilrights 
915 Second Avenue, Room 3310
Seattle, Washington 98174
206.220.7900