• Self-identify concerning their disability status to DSR in a timely manner.
• Provide disability documentation that is not more than five years old.
• Request necessary accommodations from DSR.

Once the student is approved for accommodations, DSR will issue a memo document. The student must meet face-to-face (such as during office hours) with their professors to provide them with a printed copy of the memo document and discuss the listed accommodations.

If eligible for alternative testing (extended time and/or alternative format), the student must ask the professor if they are able to provide their test accommodations or if they need to schedule to take the test with DSR.

All DSR test request(s) must be submitted in the online DSR portal (https://www.gvsu.edu/accessibility/accommodations-login.htm) for each course that a professor request they may be scheduled with DSR.

Students with disabilities have the first responsibility to report their needs to the faculty in a timely manner as faculty are not required to anticipate special student needs.

Faculty/staff members should keep students in mind when making special class arrangements such as field trips.

Faculty/staff should state on the syllabus that students inform them of their special needs to ensure that those needs are met in a timely manner:

This approach demonstrates to students that you are someone who is sensitive to and concerned about meeting the needs of ALL the students you teach. Such an invitation to discuss individual needs can go a long way toward encouraging the student with a disability to approach the instructor early.

If a student waits until the day of an exam to ask for their eligible extended time as listed on their memo,  or a separate testing area, the student has failed to make the request in a timely manner. If the student fails to ask for extended time until late in the semester, the instructor is only required to provide accommodations from that time and does not need to offer makeup exams.

When a student discloses a disability, faculty/staff members should ask for what they can do to facilitate learning. Often it is as simple as allowing the student to sit in front of the class.

Faculty/staff members may not discourage students from specific fields of study if the student meets the admission requirements and maintains the appropriate grades and is otherwise qualified. We recommend students review and understand all technical standards for their chosen program (i.e., OT, PT, NUR) and ask their program director any clarifying questions.

Faculty/staff members are responsible for providing an education and the student is responsible for maintaining the academic requirements.