Disability Issues in the
Postsecondary Education Setting

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The Team: Roles and Responsibilities of the Student, the Disability Service Provider, and the Faculty Member

It is best to approach the issues of accommodating students with disabilities as a team. The faculty member, the students, and the disability service provider all have the same goal—to enable students to participate and compete equally in the classroom. Each team member has areas of expertise to contribute.

Student Responsibilities

Students with disabilities are not required by law to identify themselves to the disability service provider or faculty member, or to provide documentation of a disability. However, if a student desires accommodations (particularly such things as extended time on exams), the student is obligated to complete necessary forms and provide disability documentation to support accommodation requests. It is reasonable for you to expect the student who states he or she has a disability either to have already gone to the disability services office, or to go to that office at your suggestion, before accommodations are provided. The exception is when a disability and the need for a specific accommodation are very obvious based on your observations.

The student is responsible for letting his or her accommodation needs be known. Since the type of requirements, lecture styles, and exams will vary, the student must find out what your course requires, what activities are planned, and any other information that may be relevant. This is not necessarily resolved in one conversation. A student's needs may vary over time, the student may be learning what his or her needs are through a process of trial and error, or the nature of the assignments/exams may require that adjustments be made throughout the semester. The student should keep communicating with you throughout the semester to give you feedback.