Disability Services: Requesting Academic and Environmental
Accommodations
Fitchburg State College encourages students with disabilities to
participate fully in all academic programs and student activities.
The Office of Disability Services works with students, faculty,
and staff to remove barriers to access and encourage universal design.
Our primary objective is to promote independence, build skills,
and facilitate achievement of educational goals for individuals
with disabilities. Disability Services also serves the campus community
as a resource center for medical and legal advocacy, information,
and referrals.
Disability Services is responsible for verifying student eligibility
for accommodations and for coordinating accommodations across campus.
Students must request services themselves and must provide appropriate
documentation to support the need for such services.
To obtain academic and/or environmental accommodations, please do
the following:
Step 1 Obtain up to date copies of your medical
documentation and complete the Office of Disability Services forms.
Once you have obtained copies of your disability documentation from
your high school (or from the medical provider who is most familiar
with your needs and your disability) complete and sign the Statement
of Learning Needs and Release of Information
forms . Documentation must clearly state your diagnosis, describe the symptoms which impact your ability to function in the educational environment and provide specific recommendations for accommodations. All documentation received by the college is strictly confidential and is held in accordance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and related regulations.
Step 2 Meet with the director and make a plan.
Bring forms, along with copies of your medical documentation, to
Disability Services for processing. Based on information provided
by you, in combination with information from your medical documentation,
we will draft an Accommodation Agreement (ADA/504 Plan) that outlines
what specific accommodations you are eligible for. You can then
present this plan to your course instructors each semester to advise
them of your needs.
Please be aware that some accommodations may take up to 12 weeks
to obtain, so students are strongly advised to meet with the director
and establish eligibility well before the semester begins. If you
have any questions about disability
documentation guidelines or this process, please do not hesitate
to contact us for support.
We are glad you are here and look forward to working with you!
Forms
Statement of Learning Needs, Student
Checklist, Release of Information Word
| PDF
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