Accessing Services

What is a Disability?
What is a Reasonable Accommodation?
What is a Functional Limitation?
How to Apply

What is a Disability?

A disability is a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits a major life activity, such as hearing, seeing, speaking, breathing, performing manual tasks, walking, caring for oneself, learning or working.

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What is a Reasonable Accommodation?

An accommodation is a modification or adjustment to a course, program, service, activity or facility that makes that entity accessible to the person with a disability. (See "Auxiliary Aids and Services for Postsecondary Students with Disabilities" ) Reasonable accommodations are decided on a case-by-case basis and compensate for the functional limitations of the disability. In order for an accommodation to be considered "reasonable," there must be a logical link between the functional limitations and the accommodation.

Reasonable accommodations provide a qualified student with a disability the same opportunity to participate as a student without a disability. Accommodations do not give the student with a disability an advantage over other students but rather "level the playing field." For example, a student who can see uses a printed test. A student who is blind uses a test reader, braille or audio tape. Both students have the same opportunity to take the test, but in different ways.
Reasonable accommodations do not jeopardize the academic standards or integrity of the course.

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What is a Functional Limitation?

The presence of a disability does not necessarily mean the student will be eligible to use accommodations. It is the functional limitations of a disability that justify the provision of an accommodation.

A functional limitation is how the disability interferes with the person's physical, mental or cognitive ability. For example, a learning disability in reading can cause the student to skip lines so they have to spend extra time rereading several times in order to comprehend the text. Or, the student reads some of the words incorrectly or skips words, so the meaning is distorted. The results or functional limitations in these cases are slow reading rate and incomplete comprehension. These functional limitations could interfere significantly with a student's ability to demonstrate what she/he knows on a timed test.

DSS identifies the functional limitations by talking with the student and reviewing the disability documentation. There must be a logical connection between the functional limitation and the reasonable accommodation identified.

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How to Apply

Students wanting to use accommodations at the University of North Dakota must apply at Disability Services for Students. To be eligible for reasonable accommodations, the student must have a documented disability that significantly interferes with access to the curriculum, services or programs at UND.

• Complete and print the DSS Application Form send to

  Disability Services for Students
  PO Box 9040
  Grand Forks, ND 58202
  

  or DSS will send an application upon request


• Print and submit current documentation of disability. The student may use either the DSS Request for Documentation form or a letter/report on letterhead from the professional who diagnosed or is treating the student or from the student's Vocational Rehabilitation counselor. (See Guidelines for Disability Documentation.)


• Meet with a DSS Disability Specialist to identify the functional limitations of the disability and discuss the possible accommodations needed. The specific accommodations may not be decided until the student has attended classes and determines there is a disability related barrier which prevents equal access.


• Students are encouraged to apply to DSS immediately after being admitted to the University to facilitate our ability to provide accommodations in a timely manner.