Below are frequently asked questions of Disability Resources for Students (DRS). There are general questions that are asked of multiple audiences (students, staff, faculty, families, administrators, etc…). We also\u00a0identified\u00a0some questions applicable to specific\u00a0audiences.<\/p>\n
According to the Americans with Disabilities Act and Washington State Law, a disability is a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities. Major life activities related to education include, but are not limited to: walking, sleeping, eating, learning, reading, writing, processing, hearing, etc.<\/p>\n
Tip:<\/strong>\u00a0For more information, please refer to DRS’s Law & Policy page<\/a>. Questions are welcomed; you can call or email the DRS front desk or contact a student’s DRS Coordinator directly.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n An accommodation is an adjustment made to a policy and\/or academic\u00a0environment to ensure students with temporary or permanent disabilities have equal access to course material, information, activities, programs, housing, and other campus facilities.<\/p>\n Tip:<\/strong>\u00a0For more information, please refer to\u00a0the DRS Accommodations page<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n First, a student must complete the DRS new student application and submit documentation from a qualified healthcare professional. Then, DRS engages the student in the interactive process to determine reasonable accommodations<\/p>\n For more information, please refer to\u00a0the DRS Getting Started page.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n The University of Washington (UW)\u00a0requires students seeking services to provide documentation from a qualified healthcare professional that describes the disability\/health condition as well as shares the functional impact on the student\u2019s academic experiences. DRS has specific documentation guidelines to provide an outline of the information necessary to establish that a student has a disability and\/or temporary health condition.<\/p>\n For more detailed information about required documentation, including guidelines for specific conditions, please refer to\u00a0the Documentation Guidelines<\/a> outlined on our website.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) of 1974 (20 U.S.C. \u00a7 1232g; 34 CFR Part 99) is a federal law that protects the privacy of student education records. All information and documentation submitted to the DRS office is kept separate from an academic record and is considered private under FERPA. It is an individual\u2019s choice whether to disclose the nature of their disability to faculty. Asking a student for more details regarding their disability is not permitted as the confidentiality of medical information must be maintained. DRS can and will discuss student information with Faculty related to the facilitation of accommodations.<\/p>\n Resources:\u00a0<\/strong>Some resources about FERPA are found at\u00a0Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) for Students<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0FERPA Training for Staff & Faculty<\/a>.\u00a0For more information about confidentiality for faculty and staff, please visit the Faculty Responsibilities<\/a> page.\u00a0Students may also authorize DRS to release information about their disability accommodations with a family member, healthcare provider, or other non UW staff. The student would need to complete the Release of Information Form<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n A service animal is an animal that is trained to work or perform active tasks for an individual with a disability. If it is unclear whether an animal is a service animal, anyone can ask following questions: (1) is\u00a0the service animal required because of a disability? and (2) what work or task the animal has been trained to perform?\u00a0If you are unsure whether these questions have been answered satisfactorily, allow the person and animal to proceed, and contact DRS.<\/p>\n Resource:<\/strong>\u00a0For UW-specific information, visit the\u00a0University of Washington Service Animals page<\/a>.\u00a0For more general information, visit U.S. Department of Justice Frequently Asked Questions about Service Animals and the ADA<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Coaching focuses on addressing impacts to executive functioning for DRS students. Working one-on-one\u00a0with an academic coach will help students identify and utilize new learning tools and strategies in order to help students meet their academic and personal goals.\u00a0Students and coach develop working relationships through meetings and follow up email communications. In the meetings, coaches use a variety of tools to help students improve their time management, study strategies, issues related to attention, focus, and motivation.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Watch this 3 min YouTube video for a short\u00a0explanation about social model of disability<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973<\/em> requires recipients of federal funding to afford individuals with disabilities equal access to all services.\u00a0 In 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)<\/em> spelled out in greater detail the obligations not only of recipients of federal funds but also private businesses and public spaces. Details like door sizes, toilet and grab bar heights, parking spaces, and many others were clearly defined. In 2008, after a series of court decisions eroded congress\u2019s intent with the ADA, Congress passed the amendments act. The ADA Amendments Act<\/em> reaffirms congress\u2019s intention that the ADA applies to individuals with all types of disabilities including those suffering from long-term illnesses such as cancer\u00a0or impairments to bodily systems and made clear that mitigating measures should not be taken into effect when determining whether an individual has a disability. The intent and effect of the amendments act was to significantly expand the number of people covered by the ADA.<\/p>\n Resources<\/strong>: For more information about\u00a0law and UW policy, refer to the DRS Law & Policy page<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n DRS serves students in academic and housing environments. There are several ways to connect with DRS. One method is to peruse the\u00a0Supporting Students with Disabilities. <\/a>Another is to call or\u00a0visit during our daily drop-in hours, to speak with a Coordinator on Duty (COD)<\/a>.\u00a0Lastly, DRS Coordinators are assigned to serve specific\u00a0academic colleges and schools. The list of liaisons can be access through the\u00a0Meet Our Staff<\/a>.<\/p>\n Tip:<\/strong>\u00a0COD hours are an opportunity to meet and greet, learn about DRS and ask questions about specific student situations.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n In your syllabus, include a DRS statement explaining that students with disabilities needing accommodations in your class should connect with DRS. Including this information in your syllabus helps inform students, especially first-year students, about the DRS office and the appropriate process for requesting accommodations.<\/p>\n Tip<\/strong>: For more information review this link for a sample syllabus statement<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n You can find our sample syllabus statement<\/a><\/b> in our faculty resource area<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Asking a student for more details regarding their disability is not permitted<\/b> as the confidentiality of medical information must be maintained. It is an individual\u2019s choice whether to disclose the nature of their\u00a0disability.<\/p>\n Tip:<\/strong>\u00a0Focus your discussion on the student’s access needs or approved accommodations\u00a0versus the disability. View the Supporting Students with Disabilities <\/a>page for more details and information.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n While each student\u00a0is unique, start from a “people-first” perspective. Below is a link to some general themes of how to engage with students.<\/p>\n Tip:<\/strong> Check out our website on tips for working with different disabilities<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Relevant academic faculty and staff will be asked to implement approved accommodations and maintain student’s confidentiality. DRS will send the\u00a0Faculty Notification Letter for more information about an individual student. Contact DRS if you\u00a0are not\u00a0sure what you need to do.<\/p>\n Resources:\u00a0<\/strong>Some resources about FERPA are found at\u00a0Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) for Students<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0FERPA Training for Staff & Faculty<\/a>.\u00a0For more information about\u00a0law and UW policy, refer to the DRS Law & Policy page<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The UW is responsible for making all of its programs and facilities accessible to people with disabilities.\u00a0 Purchasing accessible products helps the university meet this responsibility. Vendors should be able to provide accessibility information about the products they sell, so be sure to ask.\u00a0 More information about procuring accessible products can be found on the UW Accessibility webpage<\/a>.<\/p>\n Tip<\/strong>:\u00a0 Make accessibility audits a mandatory part of your department\u2019s procurement process.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Technical standards are meant to identify learning outcomes critical for a given program.\u00a0 These should be regularly reviewed by faculty to ensure they are representative of the current demands in a given field. The ADA regulations state: \u201c[schools] shall not impose or apply eligibility criteria that screen out or tend to screen out an individual with a disability or any class of individuals with disabilities\u2026unless such criteria can be shown to be necessary for the provision of the service, program, or activity being offered. (28 C.F.R. 35.130(b)(8); 28 C.F.R. 36.301(a).)\u00a0 This means that a school\u2019s technical standards must focus on the skill required, not on characteristics of a student.<\/p>\n Tip<\/strong>: Review technical standards for common pitfalls, such as unnecessarily associating a task with a specific sense.\u00a0 For example, students in a nursing program may be required to detect a heartbeat, but it\u2019s not necessary to hear a heartbeat.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Yes.\u00a0Accessible technologies, advances in healthcare, better resources in K-12, broadening of the term disability under the ADA Amendments Act, and a social model of disability have all contributed to both the reduction in stigma of a disability as well as the creation of or more opportunities for students with disabilities in higher education.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Below are frequently asked questions of Disability Resources for Students (DRS). There are general questions that are asked of multiple audiences (students, staff, faculty, families, administrators, etc…). We also\u00a0identified\u00a0some questions applicable to specific\u00a0audiences. Program Specific FAQs Access Text and Technology (Textbooks, Files, Technology) Alternative Testing Services Deaf and Hard of Hearing <\/p>\nWhat is an accommodation?<\/h2>\n
How does a student get started with DRS?<\/h2>\n
Does a student need to provide medical documentation to be approved for accommodations?<\/h2>\n
Does DRS adhere to any privacy laws?<\/h2>\n
What is a service animal?<\/h2>\n
What is academic coaching?<\/h2>\n
What is the social model of disability?<\/h2>\n
What laws protect the rights of students with disabilities?<\/h2>\n
How do I refer someone to DRS?<\/h2>\n
Faculty and Staff FAQs<\/h3>\n
How do I let students know about the DRS office?<\/h2>\n
Where can I find the sample Syllabus Statement?<\/h2>\n
How do I ask a student about their disability?<\/h2>\n
What are suggestions for working with students with disabilities?<\/h2>\n
What is my legal obligation?<\/h2>\n
My department is purchasing a new software program or piece of equipment. How can I make sure it\u2019s accessible to students with disabilities?<\/h2>\n
My department has technical standards for a profession. How can I make sure these are not discriminatory?<\/h2>\n
Are there more students with disabilities in college now than ever before?<\/h2>\n
Program Specific FAQs<\/h2>\n
Access Text and Technology (Textbooks, Files, Technology)<\/a><\/h3>\n
Alternative Testing Services<\/a><\/h3>\n
Deaf and Hard of Hearing<\/a><\/h3>\n