Every student who requests accommodations or adjustments due to a disability will be invited to participate in the interactive process. Below is a general outline of the interactive process:
1. Request Accommodations
2. Submit Documentation
Diagnoses of disabilities documented by family members are unacceptable. For additional information regarding documentation guidelines, refer to the Educational Testing Services (ETS) guidelines at www.ets.org or www.eeoc.gov.
3. Discussion With SDS Professionals About:
- How your condition impacts a major life function.
- Subject areas or times that are particularly difficult for you.
- Expectations of higher education including anticipated work load, program technical standards, attendance, code of conduct, standards, etc.
4. Determination of Reasonable Accommodations
- Staff at SDS will then determine what accommodations are best for each individual student.
- This process can take up to 2-3 weeks.
5. Notification of Faculty
- SDS will e-mail PDF copies
of the Faculty Notification Letters to the student’s CMU email account.
- It is the STUDENT’S responsibility to distribute, in person
or by e-mail, the Notification Letters to their instructors to notify them of
eligibility and desire to use accommodations.
- SDS highly recommends that students meet with instructors
early in the semester to discuss particulars of their accommodations and how they
will work in individual classes.
6. Continued Interaction
- Students are encouraged to work with SDS at any
point, but especially if they are experiencing any difficulty with their
academic accommodations, have a new diagnosis to share, are experiencing
different impacts due to medication changes or ongoing disability-related
treatment or progression, or wish to discuss support resources that may
be available to aid in their success.
