Accommodations

1. Students are required to self-identify as a person with a disability with the Disability Support Services Office (DSS Office).

2. When a student is ready to request an accommodation, they will need to contact the DSS Office and schedule an appointment. Ideally, this will happen before the beginning or at the beginning of the semester.

3. The process, from the time of a student's initial request for accommodation to the final determination of what accommodation, if any, will be provided, will be coordinated and led by the DSS Office and will include input from the student. The DSS Office will consult with other University departments or employees as deemed appropriate or necessary by the DSS Office.

4. Accommodations are not retroactive and only begin once approval has been given by the DSS Office and the student has addressed the accommodations with each professor.

5. Students must provide medical documentation of their disability. At any time during the accommodation process, the DSS Office may ask for additional medical documentation of the disability and the need for an accommodation.

6. After an initial meeting and documentation of disability has been provided, requested accommodations or modifications, including Academic Adjustments, are determined on a case-bycase basis and will vary depending on the circumstances of each case.

7. Oakland University is not required to provide personal attendants, individually prescribed devices, readers or tutors for personal use or study, or other devices or services of a personal nature.

8. Once an accommodation is approved, the DSS Office will provide the student with a Faculty Notification Letter (FNL).

9. The FNL includes instructions on how to contact DSS should the faculty disagree with the provision of a listed adjustment or service. Additionally, the FNL indicates that no individual instructor will have unilateral authority to deny an academic adjustment and/or auxiliary aids or service approved by DSS.

10. Students are responsible for providing the FNL to their professors. Ideally, this should happen during the first week of class, or as soon as possible. Students should also maintain proactive dialogue with their professors during the semester regarding their accommodations. The FNL will instruct the faculty member to contact the DSS Office if the faculty member disagrees with the accommodation relative to their course. No individual instructor will have unilateral authority to deny a student a requested accommodation that was approved by the DSS Office. Any faculty objections regarding accommodations approved by the DSS Office relative to their course will be forwarded first to the Associate Dean of the faculty's college or school and, if necessary, then to the University's Office of the Provost for resolution in consultation with the DSS Office.

11. Faculty are responsible for maintaining confidentiality and for facilitating accommodations outlined in the FNL. Faculty should direct any questions about the FNL or the implementation of the accommodations to the DSS Office.

12. Each semester, the student can request FNLs by filling out a request form in person at the DSS Office, OR students can fill out the request form online at the DSS website by clicking on the Accommodation Request Form button.

13. The DSS Office will notify students in a reasonably timely manner in writing of any denial of a requested accommodation. The notice will contain the reason(s) for the denial and inform the student that the denial can be appealed to the University's Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

14. The DSS Office will notify students in a reasonably timely manner of all adjustments that have been agreed to.

15. The DSS Office will maintain a file containing the dates of a student's request for accommodation, the nature of the student's request, any supporting documentation, the reason(s) for any denial of the student's request, and a description of the interactive process that occurred between the University and the student.

If you wish to receive a hard copy of these policies and procedures, please contact the DSS Office at 248-370-3266 or by email at [email protected].

Documentation of a disability is evaluated on a case-by-case basis and approved through the office of Disability Support Services. Documentation must validate the presence of a disability as noted under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disability Act and provide sufficient information for the provision of reasonable accommodations and services based upon the impact of the student's disability in either the academic or living environment on campus.

Documentation submitted to the office of Disability Support Services must provide the following information:

1. Evaluation is to be conducted by a qualified professional:
   1. Professionals conducting assessments, rendering diagnoses, offering clinical judgments specific to the disability and/or making recommendations for accommodations must be qualified to do so. Evaluator qualifications must include appropriate licensure/certification, as well as comprehensive training and relevant expertise in the area for which accommodations are being requested.
   2. A diagnosis of a physical/mental disability or health condition documented by a family member will not be accepted because of professional and ethical considerations, even when the family member is otherwise qualified by virtue of training and licensure or certification.
   3. Documentation is to be typed or printed on official letterhead with original signature signed by an evaluator qualified to make the diagnosis (include information about licensure or certification and area of specialization).
2. Documentation is to include a specific diagnosis:
   1. Documentation is to include a diagnostic statement clearly identifying the disability.
   2. Documentation is to include diagnostic codes from the Diagnostic Statistical Manual (DSM - most current edition)
   3. Documentation is to describe how the condition was diagnosed, noting the individual's functional limitations due to the condition/disability, and detail the typical progression or prognosis of the condition.
3. Documentation is to be current.
   1. Because the provision of reasonable accommodations and services is based upon the assessment of the current impact of the disability on a student in the academic or living environment, it is in the student's best interest to provide recent and appropriate documentation.
   2. Requests for accommodations or services due to a condition that is fluctuating, is to be supported with documentation written within the past year.
4. Documentation is to be comprehensive to substantiate the diagnosis.
   1. Documentation is to include educational, developmental and medical history relevant to the disability for which accommodations are being requested.
   2. Documentation is to include a description of the diagnostic methodology used to document and diagnose the stated disability - information on the evaluation methods, procedures, tests, dates of administration, as well as clinical narratives, observations and specific results.
   3. Documentation is to include a description of the current functional limitations resulting from the disability - information on how the disabling condition currently impacts the individual in the environment for which accommodations are recommended. Information is to be thorough enough to demonstrate whether and how a major life activity is substantially limited by providing a clear sense of the severity, frequency, and pervasiveness of the condition.
   4. A description of the expected progression or stability of the disability is to be provided - information on expected changes in the functional impact of the disability over time and context. Information on the cyclical or episodic nature of the disability and known or suspected environmental triggers to episodes provides opportunities to anticipate and plan for varying functional impacts.
   5. Information on both current and past medications including side effects, auxiliary aids, assistive devices, support services, and accommodations, including their effectiveness in ameliorating functional impacts of the disability.
   6. Prior IEP/504 Plan. Will be considered if it includes:
      1. The testing scores used to diagnosis the disability.
      2. Includes data from high school.