Accessibility Services - Students

Obtaining Accessibility Services

It is the responsibility of the student to self-identify as having a qualifying disability and to seek and obtain specific accommodations, aids and services. Fairmont State University cannot assume responsibility for providing accommodations or services to students who have not identified themselves to the Office of Accessibility Services as having a qualifying disability.

To register for accessibility services, students must complete the online registration form and provide staff with documentation of their disabilities (statement/documentation of diagnosis and the problem(s) created by the disability). Through individual consultation, accommodation, and service, the Accessibility Services staff will:

• Engage in an interactive process with each student to understand how his/her/their disability intersects with the institutional environment and how accommodation(s) would reduce barriers.
• Ensure that accommodations do not fundamentally alter essential components of the course, program, activity, or experience.
• Monitor the utilization and effectiveness of individual accommodations and consult with students, faculty, and staff as needed.

Next Steps after Registering

The established method for informing faculty members and other identified institutional personnel of students’ rights to specific identified accommodation(s), and to determine the reasonableness of identified accommodations is as follows:

• Upon review of the registration and documentation, staff will contact the student to schedule an intake or request additional information.
• Students are provided with letters outlining reasonable accommodations during their intake and are required to discuss these letters with their faculty members.
• As the needs for each class may differ, the determination of applicable accommodations is a collaborative effort between students and each of their faculty.
• The student and faculty will determine how each accommodation will be implemented in the class. 
• When necessary, follow-up appointments and/or referrals to other support services are scheduled.
• Should the student later decide that other accommodations are necessary for their success, the student must schedule an appointment with the Office of Accessibility Services to discuss the possibility of additional accommodations.
• Students must request their accommodations each semester in order to receive accommodation letters for that semester.

If the student encounters any problems related to their accommodations and/or disability, it is the student’s responsibility to contact the Office of Accessibility Services promptly to initiate the resolution of problems. Faculty and staff are not responsible for the provision of accommodations that have not been requested in a timely manner (e.g., five (5) business days for testing accommodations).