The ODA serves a large number of students each semester who have psychiatric diagnoses, including Major Depression, Bipolar Disorder, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Social Phobias, and many others. If you have a diagnosis that falls into this category and you feel it is creating problems for you academically, we encourage you to meet with an ODA student services coordinator to discuss your options. If you feel our you may be eligible for and benefit from reasonable accommodations, submit documentation of your disability and an ODA registration form. Make sure your counselor, psychologist or psychiatrist thoroughly completes the documentation requirements. Due to the changing nature of these conditions, it may be necessary for you to obtain updated documentation. If you have an exacerbation of your symptoms, especially those involving hospitalizations, it is a good idea to provide the ODA with updated documentation at that point.
After you have submitted the Psychiatric Condition Documentation Form and the ODA Registration Form, you will meet with a student services coordinator for a registration appointment.
Common reasonable accommodations for psychiatric disabilities include; extended time for in-class assignments, tests, and quizzes, testing in a distraction reduced environment, and use of a tape recorder. Of course, all adjustmants are individualized, based upon the student's situation. Your reasonable accommodations may include but are not limited to the examples described above.
Please remember that our office is here to help. Psychiatric disabilities can become extremely serious, especially if you find yourself withdrawing from support systems and the people that can help. If you sense that is happening, please don't hesitate to contact your ODA student services coordinator as soon as possible. Or, make contact with anyone who can help.