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Students Rights and Responsibilities

What are a Student's Rights?

Any students who have a disability have the right to timely reasonable accommodation of that disability in order to provide them with the same opportunity for success enjoyed by students who do not have disabilities.

Under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (and amendments) "No otherwise qualified person with a disability in the United States...shall, solely by reason of...disability, be denied the benefits of, be excluded participation in, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance."

Students with disabilities at Loyola Marymount University have the right to:

• equal access to courses, programs, services, jobs, activities, and facilities available through the University;

• reasonable and appropriate accommodations, academic adjustments, and/or auxiliary aids determined on an individualized basis;

• appropriate confidentiality in regard to their disability. Any information regarding specific diagnosis or medication information will be released only with the written permission of the student. Students can choose to disclose that information to faculty on their own if they wish, but the DSS office will only release information if the student consents for this to happen in writing;

• information reasonably available in accessible formats.

Should you feel that you have been discriminated against because of a disability, you should review the LMU Grievance Procedures to determine how you should go about bringing it to the attention of the University.

What are a Student's Responsibilities?

Students with disabilities are protected by strong privacy and confidentiality policies. Thus, no accommodations will be arranged or requested unless the student 1) requests the accommodation services, and 2) provide the necessary verifying documentation. Accommodation planning activity can begin only after 1) and 2) above have been provided by the student, and the Disabilities Office has had reasonable time to evaluate the request and documentation.

In addition to requesting accommodation services and providing the verifying documentation, students at Loyola Marymount University are responsible for the following:

• Contact DSS Office prior to campus arrival to schedule intake meeting.

• Download and complete the Student Intake Form , and the applicable

  Request and provide documentation of disability and functional limitations from an appropriate licensed professional and an accompanying statement of how it affects/limits the student?s participation in learning or other university activities.

• Download and complete the Reasonable Accomodation Form from the DSS website for each class you have registered for, and will need accomodations for.

• Meet with the DSS Coordinator before the semester begins or during the first two weeks of each new semester to review requested accommodations. At this time the Coordinator will complete the "non student" section of the Reasonable Accomodation Form for the student to submit to appropriate faculty.

• Meet with your professors – have them sign the accommodation letter, give them their copy and return a copy to the DSS office. At the time of meeting with your professors, discuss with them how your disability affects your learning and ways the two of you can work best to facilitate your learning.

• Maintain the academic and institutional standards required of all Loyola Marymount University students.

• Attend all classes. If you are receiving accommodations for a particular class, you are expected to attend that class. Not attending a class may result in losing particular accommodations for that class. An example would be if you have the accommodation of a note-taker, non-attendance means you do not receive the notes for the days you were not present in class.

• Plan your week for study time and homework preparation. Start by scheduling three hours of homework for each hour you will be in class (figure one hour for each credit unit)

• Contact other agencies for services for which you may be eligible (Social Security, Vocational Rehabilitation, etc.).

• Arrange for personal attendants if needed, whether paid for by an agency or by you or your family (colleges and universities are not required under ADA to provide personal attendants, tutors or personal items such as hearing aids, prostheses, individually designed and fitted special extensions or wands for computer or other resource operation).

• Do not rely on others to do it for you. Students with disabilities should process their own registration, follow through and do the paperwork for add/drops, follow the catalog procedures to request refunds, and when necessary, go to the Registrar's Office to process withdrawals. It is important to keep the Disability Support Services informed of the classes you are enrolled in and of any changes you make.

What are the Rights of the Disability Support Services Office?

The DSS Office has the right to:

• maintain the University's academic standards;

• request current documentation from a student completed by an appropriate professional source to verify the need for reasonable accommodations, academic adjustments, and/or auxiliary aids;

• discuss a student's need for reasonable accommodations, academic adjustments, and/or auxiliary aids with the professional source of his/her documentation with the student's signed consent authorizing such discussion;

• request additional information, with the student's permission, from appropriate professionals if initial information lacks clarity about the need for accommodations.

• select among equally effective and appropriate accommodations, adjustments, and/or auxiliary aids in consultation with students with disabilities;

• deny a request for accommodations, academic adjustments, and/or auxiliary aids if the documentation does not identify a specific disability, the documentation fails to verify the need for the requested service(s), or the documentation is not provided in a timely manner;

• refuse to provide an accommodation, adjustment, and/or auxiliary aids that is inappropriate or unreasonable including any that:

  • pose a direct threat to the health and safety of others;

  • constitute a substantial change or alteration to an essential element of a course program; or

  • pose undue financial or administrative burden on the University.

What are the Responsibilities of the Disability Support Services Office?

The DSS Office has the responsibility to:

• ensure that University courses, programs, services, jobs, activities, and facilities, when viewed in their entirety, are offered in the most integrated and appropriate settings;

• provide reasonable and appropriate accommodations, academic adjustments, and/or auxiliary aids for students with disabilities upon a timely request by a student;

• and, maintain appropriate confidentiality of records and communication concerning students with disabilities except where disclosure is required by law or authorized by the student.