Disability Services

The Learning Center

The Learning Center is committed to ensuring equal treatment, educational opportunity, academic freedom, and human dignity for students with learning, physical and psychological disabilities. The Learning Center actuates this commitment by providing reasonable and appropriate accommodations to students with disabilities, assisting students with disabilities in advocacy, educating the Biola community about disabilities, and by ensuring legal compliance with state and federal disability laws, the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act.

Student's disabilities can be conceptualized to be included in one of three categories:

• Physical or Medical Disability
• Psychological Disability
• Learning Disability

An example of a physical or medical disability could include chronic physical impairments that are long standing in nature, an illness, or even a recent injury. Examples of a psychological disability could include depression, anxiety, or a serious disorder such as depression. Examples of a Learning Disability could include difficulties with math, reading, or even a diagnosis of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

Accommodations for a disability are designed to help the student function well in areas that their disability might otherwise impair their performance, without fundamentally altering the nature of the student's classes. To receive accommodations, a student must request the services of the ODS, and provide documentation supporting the nature and limitations of a disability. Accommodations cannot be granted unless the student provides documentation that reasonably supports the requested accommodations.

For more information, visit the Disability Services page at http://biola.edu/offices/disability/.