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 a student's family may have handled their accommodation plans, serving as their advocate to ensure that their rights were being met and that they were receiving an appropriate education. Once a student has enrolled in college, the roles become reversed and the student will be expected to serve as their own advocate. As DSS records are confidential, if a student would like DSS to be able to speak to their family, they will need to complete a release.
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.
- Staff will ask the student for information regarding their diagnosed disability and discuss the type of documentation that the student will need to submit to apply for accommodations.
- Once all documentation has been submitted by the student, 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 the review is complete, the DSS Office will email a letter to the student's Lion account detailing the outcome.
- If a student is approved for accommodations, the letter will outline the services that they have been approved to receive. The letter will also inform the student if the accommodations are to be used during the duration of their studies at LMU, or, if they are provided on a temporary basis.
- If the DSS Office does not have enough information to make a decision regarding a student's eligibility for accommodations, a letter will be sent informing the student of the additional information that would be needed in order to re-review of their application.
II. To utilize approved accommodations, students must:
- Login to the DSS Online Services portal during the semester to select the courses in which they want to use their approved accommodations. This will need to be done each semester and for each course that students want to utilize their accommodations. DSS will email faculty making them aware of the selected approved accommodations.
- Meet with faculty to discuss approved accommodations and how best to apply them to the class.
- Arrange for accommodations in a timely manner. This includes, but is not limited to, proctoring and note taking services.