Rights and Responsibilities
Every UMass Amherst student with disabilities has rights and responsibilities that it’s important to be aware of, from access to reasonable accommodations to meeting university qualifications. In addition, the institution of UMass has rights and responsibilities as well.
Every qualified student with a disability has the following rights:
- Equal access to educational and co-curricular programs, services, jobs, activities, and facilities available through the university.
- Reasonable and effective accommodations, academic adjustments, and/or auxiliary aids as determined on a case-by-case basis.
- Appropriate confidentiality regarding information pertaining to disability, including choice of disability disclosure except as required by law.
- Information reasonably available in accessible formats (i.e., meets request deadlines to ensure availability).
- To be treated with respect and dignity by all Disability Services staff.
Every student with a disability has the responsibility to:
- Meet the University's qualifications, including essential technical, academic, and institutional standards.
- Identify as an individual with a disability and request accommodations in a timely manner.
- Provide documentation from an appropriate professional source verifying the nature of the disability, functional limitations, and the rationale for specific accommodations being recommended.
- Initiate and maintain communication with Disability Services staff, especially with an Access Coordinator.
- Send accommodations letters to instructors each semester in order to use classroom and testing accommodations.
- Treat Disability Services staff respectfully.
The University of Massachusetts, Amherst (UMass) through Disability Services (DS) has the right and responsibility to:
- Maintain the University academic standards.
- Request qualifying disability documentation in order to verify eligibility for disability accommodations, academic adjustments, and/or auxiliary aids.
- Discuss the student's eligibility with diagnosing professionals when given signed consent.
- Select from among equally effective/appropriate accommodations, adjustments, and/or auxiliary aids in consultation with the student.
- Provide appropriate accommodations, adjustments, and/or auxiliary aids in timely and efficient manner.
- Provide information to people with disabilities in reasonable and accessible formats by request.
- Evaluate each request for accommodation on an individual basis.
- Deny requests for accommodations, academic adjustments, and/or auxiliary aids when disability documentation does not identify a specific disability, fails to verify the need for the requested services, or is not provided in a timely manner.
- Deny requests for accommodations, adjustments, and/or auxiliary aids that are inappropriate or unreasonable based on disability documentation including any that:
- Pose a direct threat to the health and safety of others;
- Constitute a substantial change or alteration of an essential course element/program standard; or
- Pose undue financial or administrative burden on the University.
Privacy & Communication Practices
As part of the transition to college, disabled students are now considered adults, and thus Disability Services’ processes are student-centered and student driven. Our office seeks to promote self-advocacy while connecting students to resources as they navigate their college experience.
Disability Services is committed to maintaining privacy and student confidentiality in accordance with FERPA policies. While our staff are happy to provide parents, families, and other support people with general information about our services and other campus resources, we cannot share information about your student’s academic progress or establish disability accommodations without the student’s direct involvement in such conversations.
We encourage parents and families to subscribe to our monthly newsletter to stay informed about events, reminders, resources, and more.
To maintain student privacy and autonomy while supporting the development of self-determination skills, Disability Services communicates directly with students regarding their accommodations, questions, and next steps. As such:
- Disability Services cannot commit to or enter into agreements to routinely CC parents or support people on email correspondence from our office, regardless of student request or written authorization. All Disability Services email communication is directed to the student; this structure is essential to protecting privacy and promoting independence. Students are welcome and encouraged to forward any message they receive to parents, families, or other support people as they choose. All UMass students, regardless of disability status, should actively monitor their school email inbox.
- If a parent, family member, or support person emails Disability Services directly regarding their student, please be aware that our standard practice is to include the student on our reply in order to protect their privacy and maintain FERPA compliance, even if the student was not included in the original email. Furthermore, our response may be directed to the student themselves, as they are the primary stakeholder in their education and the accommodation process.
Laws and Policies
Below are some relevant laws and policies regarding disability
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a federal civil rights law that was enacted in 1990 and amended in 2008. It is intended to protect qualified persons with disabilities from discrimination in employment, government services and programs, transportation, public accommodations and telecommunications. The ADA supplements and complements other state and federal laws (such as Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973) which protect persons with disabilities.
Accordingly, the University of Massachusetts Amherst must not exclude a qualified person with a disability from participation in or deny the benefits of the services, programs, or activities of the University or otherwise subject that person to discrimination by the University.
The Americans with Disabilities Act requires the University to make all programs and services accessible to and useable by persons with disabilities in the most integrated setting appropriate unless doing so would result in either:
- a fundamental alteration of the program, or
- undue financial or administrative burdens. In making this determination all of the resources available for use in funding the service, program, or activity would be considered. Thus, the fact that a particular department, area, or program of the University does not have sufficient resources in its budget to make particular areas accessible will not be determinative; it is likely the courts would review the resources of the entire University and the Commonwealth.
Policies, practices, and procedures of the University must also be modified when necessary to avoid discrimination against individuals with disabilities unless to do so would fundamentally alter the nature of the service, program, or activity. The University recognizes its obligation to provide access for individuals with disabilities. When requested, reasonable accommodations are provided for qualified individuals with disabilities to enable successful performance in various employment settings.
The University will also provide academic adjustments for qualified students with disabilities when requested and when such adjustments are appropriate.
For more information about the April 2024 updates to Title II of the ADA and UMass' compliance, visit ADA Title II Compliance Date (April 24th, 2026) : Accessibility : UMass Amherst
Disability Services maintains confidentiality of your health and disability information. It will not show up on any academic records that you have registered with our office, and faculty are not aware that you receive accommodations unless you decide to send them your accommodation letters. We only share information about accommodations and access measures with instructors and University staff on a need-to-know basis. We do not share diagnostic information, and if students need us to share information with a support person or health provider, we will ask them to complete a release of information form (see below).
DS employees are mandated reporters. When students report sexual assault/misconduct, relationship violence, stalking, or harm to themselves/others, DS staff has an obligation to report those incidents to the University’s Equal Opportunity and Access (EOA) office. If a report is made, EOA will follow up with students to provide resources/additional support. If students want a confidential place to discuss, DS employees can share campus resources.
Students seeking a release of their information must sign and complete the following form. We encourage you to use DocuSign when possible.