Q: What is the Office of Disability Services (ODS)?

A: The Disability Services Office coordinates and ensures services and accommodations for registered students with disabilities as mandated by the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. ODS also acts as a gateway for disability-related information and guidance. These services provide equal educational opportunities to students by minimizing the impact of functional limitations upon their academic and non-academic lives.

Q: Who is responsible for determining reasonable accommodations?

A: ODS is the only office on campus that determines appropriate accommodations. Decisions regarding accommodations are based on documentation provided by the student with a disability, as well as the student's functional limitations.

Q: Are all students with disabilities registered with ODS?

A: No. It is possible that a student with a disability has chosen not to register with ODS, or may not have met the eligibility criteria for services. In either instance, faculty do not need to provide accommodations for those students.

Q: How do I know if a student is registered with ODS?

A: Students registered with ODS will present you with a current Letter of Accommodations provided by ODS that will state what accommodations the student is allowed.

Q: When is a student required to notify me of a need for accommodations?

A: ODS encourages but does not require registered students to meet with you at the beginning of each semester to discuss his Letter of Accommodations. However, a student can register with ODS or present their Letter of Accommodations to you at any time during the semester.

Q: Do I need to be presented with a Letter of Accommodations each semester for the same student if I have him in another class or another semester? Can't I just assume that once I am notified of a student's need for accommodations the first time that he's registered for subsequent semesters?

A: The student is required to present to you a current Letter of Accommodations each semester for each class. You cannot assume that once a student is registered the first time, he is registered the next time. Also, a student's accommodation needs may alter from semester to semester depending upon new or existing documentation. Each Letter must be reviewed carefully.

Q: Am I allowed to request documentation from the student for any reason?

A: No. Documentation stating and describing a student's disability is confidential information. Documentation for students registered with ODS is kept at ODS.

Q: Do I have any recourse if I disagree with the requested accommodations?

A: Yes. You should contact ODS to discuss your concerns and ask for the Coordinator who works with that student.

Q: I have a student in class who provided me with a letter regarding accommodations but has since never used them. What is my responsibility in this situation?

A: It is up to the student to determine and to communicate when and under what circumstances accommodations are needed.

Q: A student provides me with a Letter asking for accommodations but he never uses them. The student then comes to me at the end of the semester right before Finals, and tells me he's failing and asks for the requested accommodations now. What do I do?

A: The student has ultimate responsibility to make use of the accommodations that have been identified as reasonable. You are not expected to retroactively make adjustments on any prior assignments or testing. You are able to provide accommodations from that point on.

Q: If a student informs me that he has a disability and would like an accommodation such as extra time for an exam but does not have a letter from ODS stating his accommodations, am I required to provide accommodations?

A: No, you are not required to provide any requested accommodation unless you have been presented with a current Letter of Accommodations provided by the Office of Disability Services. A student must be registered with ODS before accommodations will be provided.

Q: Am I required to lower the standards of a required assignment because the student has a disability?

A: No. The standards should be the same for all students. However, some students with disabilities may exhibit their knowledge, production or other course expectations differently than their peers. Accommodations are designed to address those differences, but the quality of the end result should be the same.

Q: I have a student who is having difficulty in my class. I think this student may have a disability. What should I do to help the student?

A: Talk privately with the student to discuss your observations. Do not assume that the student's difficulties are a result of a disability, but if, through discussion with the student, it appears appropriate to refer the student to one or more campus resources. Offer options to the student, such as the Learning Center, Counseling Center, as well as Disability Services. If the student discloses that he or she does have a disability, suggest that the student contact ODS to explore options for accommodations.

Q: I have a student with a disability who is getting behind in his schoolwork. The student is missing a number of classes and has not handed in several assignments. Although he has taken a midterm and used accommodations, his grade is about a D. At this point he is not passing the class. Do I have a right to fail a student with a disability?

A: The student with a disability has the same right to fail as anyone else. Work produced by the student should be equivalent to his peers. Provision of accommodations is no guarantee of academic success.

Q: How is a course substitution determined and granted for a student?

A: Course substitutions are determined and granted on an individual basis. The student's Coordinator at ODS determines whether or not a substitution request is valid based on evaluator recommendations and evaluator accuracy scores identified under math/reading/foreign language. All documentation for the student is carefully reviewed, including the student's past performances in related post-secondary courses. e.g. Has the student previously taken this course? Did the student pass or fail this course? The student is also interviewed to determine whether or not every option for improvement has been exhausted i.e. use of tutoring services, etc. A course substitution is granted or denied upon completion of this process. This recommendation or denial is then forwarded to the Vice-Provost for Undergraduate and Graduate Studies who will work with the appropriate dean to identify a reasonable course substitution.

Q: If students need in-class academic accommodations to be successful, what will they do when they get out in the "real world"?

A: ODS strives to promote independence within each of our students, providing means through which students excel in the present and prepare themselves for the future. For some individuals accommodations will be essential in both the academic environment and the work force. Accommodations for sensory disabilities, such as hearing loss, low vision or blindness, may be the responsibility of an employer. For many students, however, the greatest need for accommodations is in academically-related pursuits, such as test-taking or notetaking in class.