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ODS Procedures

For Students, the steps to obtain services through the Office of Disability Services include:

1. Admission to UIS
2. Application for Services
3. Documentation
4. Interview and Accommodation Determination
5. Request For Accommodations (RFA)
6. First week of class responsibilities
7. Continuing Enrollment
8. Grievance Procedure

For Faculty and Staff the steps to obtain services through the Office of Disability Services include:

1.  Application and Request for Employment Accommodation
2.  Documentation
3.  Interview and Accommodation Determination

** Note: Accommodations may be requested at anytime during the semester as long as the individual follows the procedure of meeting with the ODS directors, filling out application form and supplying documentation. 
 

1. Admission to UIS

A student must meet all prerequisites for admission to UIS before receiving services through ODS. See the current UIS Undergraduate/Graduate catalog for required admission standards. Before selecting and finalizing courses, students with disabilities may want to consult with ODS staff to review distances, locations, transportation, physical tolerances, accessibility issues and other disability-related factors that could come into account in final scheduling.

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2. Application for Services

The student is responsible for disclosing a disability and requesting accommodations. An "Application for Services" is available in the ODS, this form needs to be completed and returned to ODS promptly. In addition, students must provide ODS with information that documents the disability AND supports the request for accommodations. The application form and instruction sheet lists the required documentation.

Students should meet with the Director of ODS six weeks prior to the student's initial semester at UIS to determine reasonable accommodations. Additional time may be needed for some modifications, so please allow ample time for accommodations to be activated. A student can not receive any services unless the student is registered with ODS. This ensures that the student is qualified under the law as having a disability and that the accommodations are reasonable for the disability.

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3. Documentation

As previously stated, the student is responsible for disclosing the disability and requesting reasonable accommodations. Documentation is required specifying the disability, its impact, and severity, as well as substantiating the need for accommodations. A licensed clinical professional, familiar with the history and functional implications of the disability, must provide the required documentation. If the initial documentation is incomplete or inadequate to determine the extent or needs of the student, ODS has the discretion to require additional documentation. 

Documentation is required for permanent and/or temporary disabilities. In addition, students requesting accommodations for multiple disabilities must provide documentation of all such conditions. The documentation must substantiate current functional limitations. It is the student's responsibility for the financial cost involved in obtaining documentation of a disability. 

Any additional documentation required or any re-evaluation to substantiate the nature of the disability is also the financial responsibility of the student. ODS can refer a student to a diagnostician who may reduce the fees; however, ODS can not pay any fees for documentation purposes. 

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4. Interview and Accommodation Determination

After completing the Application for Services and acquiring the necessary documentation, contact ODS and set-up an appointment with the Director to determine reasonable accommodations. Together the student and the Director will determine what accommodations are reasonable based on the severity and functional limitations of the documented disability. This initial intake also allows the student to become acquainted with the University prior to starting class. 

Determining Reasonable Accommodations:
A reasonable accommodation is a modification or academic adjustment to a course, program, service, activity, or facility, which allows students with disabilities to achieve the same level of functioning as a student without a disability.  There are three primary concerns when determining reasonable accommodations. First, the academic accommodation cannot pose a direct threat to the health or safety of others. Second, an accommodation is not reasonable if it substantially alters an essential element of the course or program. Lastly, an accommodation is not reasonable if it poses an undue hardship on the institution. 

Direct Threat to Health/Safety:
Accommodations are not required if it is found that a direct threat to the safety of others exists. A direct threat is a significant risk to the health or safety of others that cannot be eliminated or reduced to an acceptable level by the public entity's modifications of its policies, practices, or procedures or by the provision of auxiliary aids or services.

A final word on accommodations:
ODS believes that the student is the most valuable resource for determining effective accommodations. ODS assists students in becoming self-advocating while supporting their essential needs. ODS assists faculty by providing information, validating and providing necessary accommodations. Older students or those who have recently discovered a disability may not know what accommodations are available or what will serve them best. If you, the student, feel you are experiencing problems in the University setting, contact ODS as soon as possible.

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5. Request For Accommodations (RFA)

When the appropriate accommodations have been mutually decided upon, the student and the faculty member will receive a Request For Accommodation (RFA) letter. This letter indicates what accommodations would benefit the student for that class. The RFA letter is provided to break any embarrassing barriers a student with a disability may feel or have about discussing accommodations with a professor. It will also provide legitimacy to the requested accommodations.

Prior to ODS distributing the RFA, students must have a complete file. The file must include the Application for Services, appropriate documentation, and a signed Release of Information Waiver. Only after these steps, and with approval from the student, can ODS discuss with faculty members academic accommodation concerns of any kind.

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6. First Week of Class Responsibilities

The student needs to meet with each of their scheduled class professors during the first week of the semester. Together the professor and the student should review, discuss and sign the RFA. The student must return the signed RFA to ODS within the first week of the semester or immediately after the RFA has been provided to the instructor(s).

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7. Continuing Enrollment

Continuing students can priority register for an upcoming semester. Prior to the beginning of the semester, students need to make an appointment to meet with the Director to discuss the adequacy of accommodations received from the previous semester. If any changes need to be made to accommodations notify the Director as soon as possible. 

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8. Grievance Procedures

If efforts to provide reasonable accommodations are not successful, then individuals will be informed of their right to file a grievance under the UIS Human Rights policy. Students with disabilities who wish to express a grievance about the application of UIS campus policy, academic or non-academic, should first attempt to seek informal resolution of the matter with the ODS Director. If the informal procedures fail to resolve the matter in an equitable manner, the student may initiate a formal grievance procedure. 

Necessary forms and information are available to all UIS students from the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs.

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