Eligibility and Registration

All students with documented disabilities, even those who do not predict that they will need services while at school, are strongly encouraged to register with the office. College-level academic work is challenging and it can be difficult for incoming students to anticipate problems and stresses that can arise. Should an unexpected need for accommodations arise during the student's career at the University, the staff of Disability Services can begin assisting the student without delay if the office already has the appropriate documentation on file.

As part of the registration process, the staff at Disability Services will request that the student submit documentation of disability (such as diagnostic evaluations and psychological evaluations). After evaluating the documentation, the staff at Disability Services will inform the student if they are eligible for services. Students then schedule an appointment to meet with a Consumer Manager. Please note that specific accommodations are not put into place until the student meets with a Consumer Manager (once the semester begins) and fills out the appropriate paperwork.

Consumer Managers are professionally trained and have relevant experience. The Consumer Manager will assist the student in securing both academic and non-academic accommodations (housing, transportation, etc.). The intent of the Consumer Management model is for students to work with the same Consumer Manager for the entire time they are students at the University.

A primary goal of Consumer Management is for students to become independent self-advocates by the time they graduate. As students move forward in their academic career, we encourage them to take more responsibility for contacting instructors, monitoring progress, and arranging accommodations.