Disability Services Resource Guide

Accessing Disability Resources for Students at Carnegie Mellon Accommodations and Services Campus Resources Contact Information

Accessing Disability Resources for Students at Carnegie Mellon Transitioning From Secondary School to University Students' Responsibilities in Accessing Accommodations Voluntary Disclosure of a Disability Form Intake Form/Database Documentation Transitioning From Secondary School to University Because both school districts and postsecondary schools must comply with the same laws, you and your parents might believe that postsecondary schools and school districts have the same responsibilities. This is not true; the responsibilities of postsecondary schools are significantly different from those of school districts. Moreover, you will have responsibilities as a postsecondary student that you do not have as a high school student. It is strongly encouraged that you know your responsibilities and those of postsecondary schools under Section 504 and Title II. Doing so will improve your opportunity to succeed as you enter postsecondary education. The following questions and answers provide more specific information to help you succeed. As a student with a disability leaving high school and entering postsecondary education, will I see differences in my rights and how they are addressed? Yes. Section 504 and Title II protect elementary, secondary and postsecondary students from discrimination. Nevertheless, several of the requirements that apply through high school are different from the requirements that apply beyond high school. For instance, Section 504 requires a school district to provide a free appropriate public education (FAPE) to each child with a disability in the district's jurisdiction. Whatever the disability, a school district must identify an individual's educational needs and provide any regular or special education and related aids and services necessary to meet those needs as well as it is meeting the needs of students without disabilities. Unlike your high school, your postsecondary school is not required to provide FAPE. Rather, your postsecondary school is required to provide appropriate academic adjustments as necessary to ensure that it does not discriminate on the basis of disability. May a postsecondary school deny my admission because I have a disability? No. If you meet the essential requirements for admission, a postsecondary school may not deny your admission simply because you have a disability. Do I have to inform a postsecondary school that I have a disability? No. However, if you want the school to provide an academic adjustment, you must identify yourself as having a disability before the adjustment can be granted. Likewise, you should let the school know about your disability if you want to ensure that you are assigned to accessible facilities. In any event, your disclosure of a disability is always voluntary, and may be done at any time. What academic adjustments must a postsecondary school provide? The appropriate academic adjustment must be determined based on your disability and individual needs. Academic adjustments include reasonable modifications to non-fundamental academic requirements and auxiliary aids and services. Examples of adjustments that may be made include arranging for recording devices, sign language interpreters, extended time for testing, voice recognition or other adaptive software or hardware. In providing an academic adjustment, your postsecondary school is not required to lower or effect substantial modifications to essential requirements. For example, although your program may be required to provide extended testing time, it is not required to change the substantive content of the test. In addition, your postsecondary school does not have to make modifications that would fundamentally alter the nature of a service, program or activity or would result in undue financial or administrative burdens. Finally, your postsecondary school does not have to provide personal attendants, individually prescribed devices, readers for personal use or study, or other devices or services of a personal nature, such as tutoring and typing. Do I have to prove that I have a disability to obtain an academic adjustment? Generally, yes. Your school probably will require you to provide documentation that shows you have a current disability and need an academic adjustment. What documentation should I provide? Schools may set reasonable standards for documentation. Some schools require more documentation than others. They may require you to provide documentation prepared by an appropriate professional, such as a medical doctor, psychologist or other qualified diagnostician. The required documentation may include one or more of the following: a diagnosis of your current disability; the date of the diagnosis; how the diagnosis was reached; the credentials of the professional; how your disability affects a major life activity; and how the disability affects your academic performance. The documentation should be current (within the last three years) and provide enough information for you and your school to decide what is an appropriate academic adjustment. Although an Individualized Education Program (IEP) or Section 504 plan, if you have one, may help identify services that have been effective for you, it generally is not sufficient documentation. This is because postsecondary education presents different demands than high school education, and what you need to meet these new demands may be different. Also in some cases, the nature of a disability may change. If your documentation does not meet the postsecondary school's requirements, a school official must tell you in a timely manner what additional documentation you need to provide. You may need a new evaluation in order to provide the required documentation. Who has to pay for a new evaluation? Neither your high school nor your postsecondary school is required to conduct or pay for a new evaluation to document your disability and need for an academic adjustment. This may mean that you have to pay or find funding to pay an appropriate professional to do it. If you are eligible for services through your state vocational rehabilitation agency, you may qualify for an evaluation at no cost to you. You may locate your state vocational rehabilitation agency through this Department of Education Web page: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/osers/rsa/index.html. Once the school has received the necessary documentation from me, what should I expect? The school will review your request in light of the essential requirements for the relevant program to help determine an appropriate academic adjustment. It is important to remember that the school is not required to lower or waive essential requirements. If you have requested a specific academic adjustment, the school may offer that academic adjustment or an alternative one if the alternative would also be effective. You should expect your school to work with you in an interactive process to identify an appropriate academic adjustment. Unlike the experience you may have had in high school, however, do not expect your postsecondary school to invite your parents to participate in the process or to develop an IEP for you. What if the academic adjustment we identified is not working? Let the school know as soon as you become aware that the results are not what you expected. It may be too late to correct the problem if you wait until the course or activity is completed. You and your school should work together to resolve the problem. May a postsecondary school charge me for providing an academic adjustment? No - there are no additional fees for services. Furthermore, it may not charge students with disabilities more for participating in its programs or activities than it charges other students. What can I do if I believe the school is discriminating against me? Practically every postsecondary school must have a person--frequently called the Section 504 Coordinator, ADA Coordinator, or Disability Services Coordinator-- who coordinates the school's compliance with Section 504 or Title II or both laws. You may contact this person for information about how to address your concerns. The school also must have grievance procedures. These procedures are not the same as the due process procedures with which you may be familiar from high school. However, the postsecondary school's grievance procedures must include steps to ensure that you may raise your concerns fully and fairly and must provide for the prompt and equitable resolution of complaints. School publications, such as student handbooks and catalogs, usually describe the steps you must take to start the grievance process. Often, schools have both formal and informal processes. If you decide to use a grievance process, you should be prepared to present all the reasons that support your request. If you are dissatisfied with the outcome from using the school's grievance procedures or you wish to pursue an alternative to using the grievance procedures, you may file a complaint against the school with OCR or in a court.   Source: U.S. Department of Education, Office of Civil Rights Date: July 2002 IDEA, Section 504, and ADA Information Students’ Responsibilities in Accessing Accommodations Contact Equal Opportunity Services (EOS), Disability Resources prior to campus arrival to schedule intake meeting Provide documentation of disability and functional limitations Meet with Disability Resources at least once per semester to review accommodations and Instructor Memorandums/Accommodation Plans Meet with faculty to review accommodation requests in relation to each class Notify Disability Resources, in writing, of any additional needs as soon as they arise Voluntary Disclosure of a Disability Form The first step in this process is to complete and return the Voluntary Disclosure of a Disability Form (See Forms). Once the completed form is returned, the student will be contacted by EOS, Disability Resources via e-mail, letter or phone to discuss disability issues and assist in determining the appropriate documentation. Once the appropriate documentation is determined, it is the responsibility of the student to forward a copy of the documentation to EOS, Disability Resources. On receipt of the documentation, two plans will be developed: an Individualized Accommodation Plan and an Accommodation Memorandum. The Individualized Accommodation Plan details specific physical and learning issues. Generally, a copy is given to the student to share with the campus community as the individual sees fit. The accommodation memorandum is a document that lists specific student accommodations. It is the student's responsibility to share this document with each instructor that the student plans to request accommodations from. Student Voluntary Disclosure of a Disability Form Intake Form/database This form is used to put contact information about individuals in our Disability Resources Database. This in turn assists us in providing individuals with relevant Carnegie Mellon University Community information about special events, disability information and accommodation issues and concerns. Intake/Accommodations Request Form Documentation Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, individuals with disabilities are protected from discrimination and assured services. To establish that an individual is covered under the ADA, the documentation must indicate that the disability substantially limits some major life activity, including learning and working. The following documentation requirements are provided in the interest of assuring that documentation does the following: demonstrates an impact on a major life activity, is appropriate to verify eligibility, and supports the request for accommodations, academic adjustments, and/or auxiliary aids. The required documentation will vary based on the nature of the disability and each student. Below are the suggested guidelines for the most common disabilities: ADHD Documentation Guidelines Chronic Health Orthopedic Documentation Guidelines Hearing Documentation Guidelines Learning Disability Documentation Guidelines Psychiatric Documentation Guidelines Vision Documentation Guidelines To access services, individuals must first refer themselves to EOS, Disability Resources and provide adequate documentation of the disability. The documentation must come from an outside source and should follow the suggested guidelines stated above. EOS, Disability Resources does not perform any testing but can provide a list of agencies that perform such evaluations. The purpose of requiring documentation is to verify eligibility and to assist Carnegie Mellon in determining whether any requested academic adjustments or reasonable accommodations are indicated. The cost of obtaining documentation is borne by the student. If the initial documentation is incomplete or inadequate to determine the extent of the disability and reasonable accommodations, EOS, Disability Resources has the discretion to require additional documentation. Any cost of obtaining additional documentation is also borne by the student. If EOS, Disability Resources desires a second professional opinion, EOS, Disability Resources bears the cost.