Disability Services

Student Rights and Responsibilities

Students with disabilities have the right to:

• Participate in higher education if they are qualified for admission
• Equal access to academic content and educational opportunities
• Participate in student activities
• Academic adjustments (reasonable accommodation)
• File a formal or informal complaint if discrimination is occurring
• Confidentiality of all disability-related information in compliance with FERPA

Students with disabilities are responsible for:

• Identifying themselves to Disability Services
• Setting up an appointment with the Assistant Director of Student Engagement & Coordinator of Disability Services to discuss the impact of their disability and the reasonable accommodations they require
• Attending scheduled, follow-up meetings with the Assistant Director of Student Engagement & Coordinator of Disabilities

Faculty Rights and Responsibilities

Faculty members have the right to:

• Maintain the rigor and the fundamental nature of their course content
• Require students to demonstrate their knowledge of crucial course content
• Negotiate an accommodation with the student and the Assistant Director of Student Engagement if the accommodation seems unreasonable
• Request an official Disability Notification email from the Assistant Director of Student Engagement & Coordinator of Disability Services before providing requested accommodations. However, faculty should encourage the student to continue communicating about learning challenges while they are in the process of registering with Disability Services.

Faculty members are responsible for:

• Implementing best practices in teaching to reach a diversity of learners
• Including a syllabus statement on how students can access accommodations; see Syllabus Statement section in Faculty/Staff Resources for sample wording
• Meeting as quickly as possible with students who you have received a Disability Notification email from Disability Services in order to discuss and make arrangements for the approved accommodations. This is best done in the instructor’s office to promote an atmosphere of open communication and privacy between student and faculty.
• Providing the accommodations listed in the official Disability Notification email from Disability Services
• Contacting the Assistant Director of Student Engagement & Coordinator of Disabilities if there are any questions or concerns about an approved accommodation or how to best work with a student
• Maintaining appropriate confidentiality of students who disclose their disability or need for accommodation

MSM’s Rights and Responsibilities

Rights of the School:

• Establish and maintain requirements and standards for admission to the School, and for participation in its courses, programs, services and activities.
• Request reasonably current, relevant documentation that verifies a disability and the need for reasonable accommodations.
• Determine reasonable accommodations.
• Deny a request for an accommodation
  • if the student fails to provide current relevant information verifying a disability and need for the requested accommodation,
  • if the request is for a retroactive accommodation,
  • if the request requires a fundamental alteration of a course, program or service,
  • if the request would pose an undue financial burden on the School.

Responsibilities of the School:

• Ensure that admissions policies and procedures are implemented in a non-discriminatory manner with regard to individuals with disabilities.
• Ensure that programs, services and activities when viewed in their entirety are accessible.
• Provide appropriate reasonable accommodations, academic adjustments, auxiliary aids and services in a timely manner.
• Maintain appropriate confidentiality of disability-related information.