Disability Support Services (DSS) provides reasonable accommodations to students with disabilities that impact their ability to access their education. Reasonable accommodations are tools used by students with disabilities to show that they are capable of learning the same class content as their classmates.

What is Considered a Disability?

A disability is a mental or physical impairment that substantially impacts one or more major life activity. Examples of major life activities may include: moving yourself physically from one place to the other, using your senses, communicating with others, learning new things, and understanding your own thoughts and feelings.

26% of the world’s population is estimated to have a disability, and among them 19% of college students. Having a disability is part of the human experience for many, and it is not uncommon to have more than one at a time.

Many disabilities are invisible, some only impacting an individual episodically, instead of all the time.

What are Some Examples of Disabilities?

deaf, hearing loss, amputee, brace/crutch user, arthritis, wheelchair user, spinal cord injury, stutter, ADHD, ADD, learning disabilities, visual impairment, cancer, cardiac disease, hypertension, asthma, emphysema, arthritis, osteoporosis, degenerative disc, fractures, renal disease, diabetes, lupus, HIV/AIDS, anemia, chrohn’s disease, fibromyalgia, Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, cerebral palsy, peripheral neuropathy, seizures, Tourette syndrome, Parkinson’s, migraine, polio, muscular dystrophy, traumatic brain injury, developmental disability, schizophrenia, bi-polar, depression, anxiety, schizoaffective disorder, eating disorder, autism, chiari malformation, Friedereich’s ataxia, Hashimoto’s, narcolepsy, Long COVID, and many more………

What Accommodations May be Available?

Accommodations are decided on a case-by-case basis and may include:

Braile, tactile and image enhancers
Text-to-speech (screen readers)
Speech-to-text (voice recognition)
Electronic materials
Extended testing time
Preferential seating in classes
Note takers
Audio books