Student Rights & Responsibilities

Student Rights

Students with a disability have the right to accommodation in order to provide them with the same opportunities and access as other students. This includes:

  • Equal access to courses, programs, services, jobs, activities, information, and facilities available throughout the University.
  • Appropriate accommodations, academic adjustments, and/or auxiliary aids defined on an individualized basis.
  • Appropriate confidentiality in regard to their disability. Any information regarding specific diagnosis or medication will be released only with the written permission of the student.

Here at the DSS Office, we understand that transitioning to college can be a difficult process. Up until now your parents may have handled your accommodation plans, serving as your advocate to ensure that your rights were being met and that you were receiving an appropriate education. Now that you are enrolling in college, the roles become reversed and you will be expected to serve as your own advocate. It is time now for you to take the lead.

Student Responsibilities

I. To request accommodations at LMU, students must:

  • Contact the DSS Office by phone or email to get more information about the application process or to schedule an appointment with someone from the DSS staff.
  • When you contact DSS by phone, through email, or during an appointment, staff will ask you for some more information regarding your diagnosed disability and discuss with you the type of documentation that you would need to submit to apply for accommodations.
  • Submit appropriate documentation.
  • Once all of your documentation has been submitted, the review process will begin. Reviews may take up to 15 business days to complete, although during peak times it may take longer to receive notification from the DSS Office. When your review is complete, the DSS Office will send you a letter by email detailing the outcome.
    • If you are approved for accommodations, your letter will outline the services that you have been approved to receive. The letter will also inform you if these accommodations are to be used during the duration of your studies at LMU, or, are provided on a temporary basis.
    • If the DSS Office does not have enough information to make a decision regarding your eligibility for accommodations, a letter will be sent to you informing you of the additional information that would be helpful for you to submit for re-review of your application.

II. To utilize approved accommodations, students must:

  • Login to the DSS Online Services website during the semester to select the courses in which you want to use your accommodations. This will need to be done each semester and for each course that you want to utilize your accommodations. Upon verification, DSS will email your faculty with your approved accommodations.
  • Meet with your faculty to discuss your approved accommodations.
  • Arrange for accommodations in a timely manner. This includes, but is not limited to, proctoring and note taking services.