Student services
Accessibility
Equal access to every part of your education, supported by individualized, reasonable, and timely accommodations.
About the Accessibility Office
Access designed in, not added on.
APU Global is committed to promoting a welcoming, diverse, and inclusive educational environment for students and visitors with disabilities. We strive to ensure that all students have equal access to every aspect of their educational experience.
The Accessibility Office fulfills these commitments by facilitating individualized, reasonable, and timely accommodations for students with disabilities through an interactive process. We also continue to identify and remove barriers to access through a universal design approach to our learning environment. This page serves as a central resource for all disability and accessibility-related information for APU Global students and visitors.
Steps to apply
Three steps to accommodations.
01
Complete an application
Current students use the online application form. Prospective students can download the PDF application and submit it to the Accessibility Office.
02
Submit documentation
Share anything that helps the office understand the nature of your disability, how it affects your academic experience, and any professional recommendations to consider.
03
Schedule an intake appointment
Once your materials are received and reviewed for completion, you will be contacted within two business days to schedule an intake with the Accessible Education Manager.
About documentation
Documentation is strongly recommended, though not required in all cases, so please do not let a lack of documentation deter you from applying. Options include a letter from a doctor or therapist, treatment records, records of accommodations received at other institutions, IEP or 504 plans, testing center results, disability records from entities such as Veteran Affairs or the Department of Rehabilitation, and records of receiving state or federal disability benefits.
Submit documentation by email to accessibility@apuglobal.edu, by fax to 626-263-1851, or by mail to the APU Global mailing address, attention Accessibility Office.
Frequently asked questions
Accommodations, answered.
According to the ADA, an accommodation is a reasonable modification to a policy, practice, or procedure that allows persons with disabilities access to all programs and activities provided by an educational institution. Accommodations may involve auxiliary aids, assistive technology, or other services that ensure access. The purpose is to mitigate barriers attributed to disability. Accommodations must be reasonable and necessary, and cannot fundamentally alter learning objectives or reduce essential requirements or academic standards of a course or program.
Qualified students with a disability are eligible to request a reasonable accommodation for any APU Global course or activity. A disability is defined as a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, including caring for oneself, performing manual tasks, seeing, hearing, eating, sleeping, standing, walking, lifting, bending, speaking, breathing, learning, reading, concentrating, thinking, communicating, working, and major bodily functions.
Anytime. Please note that accommodations, once approved, are not retroactive and take effect during the academic week in which they are approved and onward. Applicants may apply during the enrollment process, though accommodations are not officially approved until admitted to the university.
Approximately two weeks. The timeline can be faster; it depends primarily on how quickly application materials are submitted and additional steps are completed by the applicant.
- Accessibility staff work directly with students to determine accommodations through an interactive process.
- Approved accommodations can be revisited at any time, especially based on health updates, course-specific barriers, or other circumstances.
- Documentation from a provider or other entity is requested as part of the application, but the office does not want a lack of documentation to be a barrier. Students are welcome to apply either way.
- Students are not required to disclose information regarding their disability, diagnosis, or other health information to staff or faculty outside of the Accessibility Office.
- The Accessibility Office communicates information about approved accommodations only to the individuals implementing them as part of their job-related duties, and never shares confidential disability information without a student’s explicit permission.
If a student contracts COVID-19 or a related variant, the first step is the standard late work policy stated in the academic catalog, arranged with the professor. If symptoms persist beyond one month and the student has sought medical attention for Long-COVID or an ongoing Post-COVID condition, they are eligible to apply for accommodation services. Long-COVID and Post-COVID conditions are considered a disability under the ADA.
If you have concerns about access, about the Accessibility Office’s process or services, about the way accommodations have been provided, or if you feel you have been discriminated against on the basis of disability, follow the Accessibility Grievance Process. The process is a vehicle for communication and decision-making through prescribed procedures, so concerns are investigated and resolved in a timely manner.
Student resources
Support that goes beyond accommodations.
Academic resources and assistive technology
Tools, software, and study supports available to any student.
ViewFinancial resources
Disability-related funding, benefits, and assistance programs.
ViewMental health services and resources
Free virtual counseling and wellbeing support through APU Global Cares.
ViewDisability testing for students
Guidance on obtaining an evaluation and what testing options are available.
ViewMore about accessibility
Designing for everyone from the start.
While APU Global supports reasonable accommodations, our primary goal is to continually create an environment that is accessible to as many individuals as possible without the need for accommodation, adaptation, or modification. When something is accessible, a person with a disability can acquire the same information, engage in the same interactions, and enjoy the same services as a person without a disability, in an equally effective and integrated manner with substantially equivalent ease of use. Our websites and courses are designed with web accessibility industry standards in mind, so elements like captions and alternative text are provided and pages function properly for those using keyboards, screen readers, or other assistive technologies.