Academic Accommodations

The Law School endeavors to assist students with disabilities to complete law school successfully, and will permit students with documented disabilities reasonable accommodations necessary to enable students to undertake the prescribed course of study.

Students requesting accommodations and/or support services under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and/or Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 must provide documentation of the disability which substantially limits a major life activity. All requests for accommodations must be filed with the Associate Dean of Student Life and Operations no less than thirty (30) days in advance of the date for which accommodations are requested. In order to accurately determine the appropriate accommodations, the documentation should be current and reflective of the student's current functioning. In all cases, the documentation should be appropriate to the anticipated setting. Accommodations provided for individuals with temporary disabling conditions may be subject to periodic review.

For more information, please contact Associate Dean of Student Life and Operations Lorraine Lalli and refer to Article VIII of the Student Handbook.

Documentation must include, but not be limited to the following:

  1. Name and Professional Credentials of the Evaluator 
    The evaluator should have training and experience in the evaluation of adolescent/adult psychiatric disorders, specifically with ADHD.
  2. Diagnosis 
    Based upon the information from the assessment and utilizing DSM-V criteria, the student has been identified as having ADHD. There must be clear evidence of clinically significant impairment in social, academic, or occupational functioning and symptoms are not better accounted for by another disorder (e.g. Pervasive Development Disorder, Schizophrenia, Mood Disorder, Anxiety Disorder, Dissociative Disorder, or a Personality Disorder). The diagnosis must indicate level of severity and reasonable accommodations specific to the diagnosed disability.
  3. DSM-V Diagnosis 
    To facilitate the gathering of such critical information, the qualified professional must submit a full diagnostic report and respond to the following questions.
    • Date of diagnosis and last contact with student.
    • Current Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) Scale Score.
    • What instruments/procedures were used to diagnose the ADD/ADHD?
    • Describe symptoms which meet the criteria for this diagnosis with the approximate date of onset.
    • In order for to determine the impact of this student's disorder on academic activities such as exam-taking, note-taking and concentrating, please describe what major life activities is impacted by this disorder as well as how significant this impact is. Please identify if you've observed this directly or would anticipate it occurring in an educational setting.
    • What measures (formal or informal) were used to assess the educational impact of the ADD/ADHD?
    • Recommendations regarding effective academic accommodations to equalize this student's educational opportunities at the post-secondary level.
    • Is this student currently taking medication? If so, what is the medication?
    • Does this medication need to be monitored locally?
    • With appropriate treatment (e.g., counseling, medication, etc.), does this student continue to need the above services and accommodations? If so, why?
    • In addition to the diagnostic report and educational assessment, please attach any other information relevant to this student's academic needs.

Please forward this information, marked confidential, to: 
Lorraine N. Lalli
Associate Dean of Student Life and Operations
Roger Williams University School of Law
10 Metacom Avenue
Bristol, RI 02809
Phone: 401-254-4593
Fax:  401-254-3525

Documentation must include, but not be limited to the following:

  1. Name and Professional Credentials of the Evaluator
    The evaluator should have training and experience in the evaluation of learning disabilities.

    The testing should include the following components, and the report should include all scores from these instruments as well as the evaluator's narrative description.

  2. Aptitude Testing (IQ & Information Processing Testing)
    Accepted examples of these instruments include, but are not limited to:
    • Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale- Third Edition (WAIS-III)
    • Woodcock-Johnson Psychoeducational Battery-Revised: Tests of Cognitive Ability (WJ-R)
    • Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale (4th Edition)(for intelligence testing)
    • Detroit Tests of Learning Aptitude-3 (DTLA-3) (for information processing)
  3. Academic Achievement Testing (when available)
    Accepted examples of these instruments include, but are not limited to:
    • Woodcock-Johnson Psychoeducational Battery-Revised: Tests of Achievement (WJ-R)
    • Wechsler Individual Achievement Test (WIAT)
  4. Recommendations for Academic Accommodations
    Recommendations for academic accommodations must be based on both #2 and #3 above. Academic accommodations which are recommended must be related to the diagnostic information and its impact upon student functioning.

Please forward this information, marked confidential, to:
Lorraine N. Lalli
Associate Dean of Student Life and Operations
Roger Williams University School of Law
10 Metacom Avenue
Bristol, RI 02809
Phone: 401-254-4593
Fax:  401-254-3525

Students requesting accommodations and/or support services under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and/or Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 must provide documentation of the disability which substantially limits a major life activity. In order to accurately determine the appropriate accommodations, the documentation should be current and reflective of the student’s current functioning. In all cases, the documentation should be appropriate to the anticipated setting.

Accommodations provided for individuals with temporary disabling conditions may be subject to periodic review.

Documentation must include, but not be limited to the following:

Name, Title, and Professional Credentials of the Evaluator
The evaluator should have training and expertise with the particular medical condition identified. The area of specialization as well as the state in which the individual practices must be included. All reports must be signed and dated.

  1. Diagnosis/Assessment
    A current medical diagnosis including appropriate medical reports, relevant medical history, and a clinical summary should be provided. These assessments should validate the need for services based on the impact of the student's disability and level of functioning in an educational setting.
  2. Evaluation of Impact
    Documentation should indicate a substantial limitation and should include any prior history of accommodations needed.
  3. Recommendations for Academic Accommodations
    Documentation should indicate reasonable accommodations specific to the diagnosed disability with an explanation as to why each accommodation is recommended.

Please forward this information, marked confidential, to:
Lorraine N. Lalli
Associate Dean of Student Life and Operations
Roger Williams University School of Law
10 Metacom Avenue
Bristol, RI 02809
Phone: 401-254-4593
Fax:  401-254-3525

Students requesting accommodations under the American with Disabilities Act (ADA) and/or Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 must provide documentation of the existence of a psychiatric disability which substantially limits a major life activity. Documentation must include, but is not limited to the following:

Currency of Documentation
Documentation must be current, provided within the past year, by a licensed psychiatrist, psychologist or social worker with appropriate competencies related to the student's diagnosis(es). The name and professional credentials of the evaluator must be indicated including license number.

  1. DSM-V Diagnosis
    A complete DSM-V diagnosis must be provided with an accompanying description of the specific symptoms the student experiences. This diagnosis should be based upon a comprehensive clinical interview and psychological testing (when testing is clinically appropriate). A comprehensive clinical interview meets mental health service provider standards of care in length (50 min.) and focus (complete developmental, family, psychiatric, medical history, mental status exam).
  2. Impact on Academic Functioning
    A complete description of the impact on academic functioning of the student's psychiatric symptoms must be provided. Descriptions of impact upon study skills, classroom behavior, test-taking, and organizing research would be examples of academic functioning.
  3. Recommendations for Academic Accommodations
    Recommendations for academic accommodations must be based on both #2 and #3 above. Academic accommodations which are recommended must be related to the diagnostic information and its impact upon student functioning.

Please forward this information, marked confidential, to:
Lorraine N. Lalli
Associate Dean of Student Life and Operations
Roger Williams University School of Law
10 Metacom Avenue
Bristol, RI 02809
Phone: 401-254-4593
Fax:  401-254-3525

Close Course Type Descriptions

Course Types

We have classified RWU Law classes under the following headers. One of the following course types will be attached to each course which will allow students to narrow down their search while looking for classes.

Core Course

Students in the first and second year are required to take classes covering the following aspects of the law—contracts, torts, property, criminal law, civil procedure, and constitutional law, evidence, and professional responsibility.  Along with these aspects, the core curriculum will develop legal reasoning skills.

Elective

After finishing the core curriculum the remaining coursework toward the degree is completed through upper level elective courses.  Students can choose courses that peak their interests or courses that go along with the track they are following.

Seminar

Seminars are classes where teachers and small groups of students focus on a specific topic and the students complete a substantial research paper.

Clinics/Externships

Inhouse Clinics and Clinical Externships legal education is law school training in which students participate in client representation under the supervision of a practicing attorney or law professor.  RWU Law's Clinical Programs offer unique and effective learning opportunities and the opportunity for practical experience while still in law school.