University Responsibilities

Postsecondary institutions are not required to lower academic standards to accommodate a student with a disability.

• Students are eligible for academic adjustments, program modifications and auxiliary aids/services, but are not eligible for specially designed instruction.
  
  
• Ferris State University has no obligation to identify students with disabilities, but only to inform applicants of the availability of disabilities services.
  
  
• Students must self-identify, by providing documentation of their disability and the recommendations for the academic accommodations and services they request.
  
  
• The categories of disability, the type of documentation required and who is qualified to conduct the assessment(s) may be different than K-12. Secondary I.E.P's and 504 plans are not sufficient at the college or university level for disability accommodations.
  
  
• Documentation varies depending on the disability; generally it must be current and include the testing on which the accommodation recommendations are based.
  
  
• Students must be evaluated at their own expense. Students usually are not required to be retested after initial documentation is approved.
  
  
• Students only receive the necessary accommodations to provide equal opportunity for them to access education.
  
  
• Any alteration in course or program requirements (i.e., extended time to complete program, substitution or waiver of program requirements) usually requires the approval from the college and/or program and must be directly related to needs identified in a student's documentation of disability.
  
  

Student Responsibilities

• Provide current documentation supporting the disability
  
  
• Schedule Student Request Appointment (SRA) every semester immediately following registration.
  
  
• Meet with professors during the first week of classes to discuss accommodations.
  
  
• If using the quiet room for testing, schedule the test time with Disabilities Services at least 48 hours in advance.
  
  
• If special accommodations, such as a scribe, will be used for testing, the student should bring in syllabi during the first two weeks of class and schedule test/exams for the entire semester.
  
  
• Notify Disabilities Services if accommodations are denied or not adequate.