Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Functions of the Office of Disability Support Services
Disability Support Services (DSS) provides services to students with disabilities to ensure accessibility to university classes and programs. DSS offers information and services related to accommodations and disabilities, Assistive Technology (AT) and interpreter/captioning services for academic purposes.
DSS does not offer evaluation testing, tutoring, help with class scheduling (these questions go to Academic Advisors) or student financials (those questions go to Student Financial Services). Tutoring services are offered through Academic Coaching and Tutoring.
If you suspect you have a disability and have been previously documented as an individual with a disability, or if you have a disability that is impacting your academic performance, you will need to apply and provide documentation of that disability to DSS. This documentation must be supplied by a qualified professional who is licensed or certified to diagnose the disability in question. See How to Register for details.
Once you submit your application in the DSS Portal and upload your documentation, you should call the DSS office to schedule a registration meeting with an Accommodation Coordinator.
No, the fact that a student is registered with our office does not appear on student academic records. Accommodations are designed to mitigate the limitations that a disability may have upon the student’s ability to have the same access as other students. Students who receive accommodations earn the same degree as all other graduates of the University of Delaware.
No, DSS does not provide academic advising services and cannot make changes to a student’s schedule. Questions about your course schedule and degree requirements should be directed to your Academic Advisor and/or Academic Department.
Information related to a student’s diagnosis is not shared with instructors. It is the student’s responsibility to send their Faculty Notification Letters, which do not include diagnoses, to instructors using the DSS Portal.
DSS focuses on accommodations and access, and does not share disability-specific information. It is up to students to decide what information they feel comfortable sharing. A student is never required to share information regarding their disability.
DSS serves any qualified student at the University of Delaware regardless of enrollment status.
Yes, we do! These conditions may fall under the same guidelines as long-term or permanent disabilities. We will work with you and your instructors to make sure you are able to attend class, to assist with classroom or test-taking needs and to provide information on other resources.
College students are regarded as adults once they turn 18 years old or enroll in a postsecondary institution. Therefore, students are responsible for their own accommodation requests and other disability-related decisions. However, students may want to have an open dialogue with their parents or family for a source of support.
Accommodations - Eligibility and Execution
A disability is defined in the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as a physical or mental impairment which substantially limits one or more major life activities. If you currently have a physical or mental condition, a history of such a condition or a condition that may be considered substantially limiting, you may have a legally defined disability.
All academic accommodations are based on the student’s documentation and an initial registration meeting with a DSS accommodation coordinator. Examples of some accommodations include: distraction-reduced testing at the Test Accommodation Center (TAC), extended time for testing, audio recording lectures, housing accommodations, text-to-speech software and other Assistive Technology.
Yes, after registering with DSS, the student requests Faculty Notification Letters be sent via email to the faculty for each class in which the student is requesting accommodations. This process is reviewed during the initial registration meeting. Students must send Faculty Notification Letters each semester for courses in which the student would like to use accommodations. Students are expected to communicate with faculty individually to discuss how each accommodation will be implemented in each course.
Once students are approved to record lectures as a reasonable accommodation, they sign an agreement on the appropriate use of a recording device in the classroom. Instructors generally permit students to record the lecture when a reasonable accommodation has been approved. Recording is generally for the faculty lectures and not necessarily for discussion or questions asked by other students in the course.
Start by sending your Faculty Notification Letters through the DSS Portal. Next, reach out to your professor at the beginning of the semester to discuss how your testing accommodations will be implemented in your course. Students must schedule exams in the DSS Portal a minimum of one week prior to the scheduled test day. DSS strongly recommends signing up for all scheduled exams early.
Your reasonable approved accommodations will still be provided through the online platform. Please reach out to your professors to discuss how the accommodations will be implemented. The DSS office is available to support any student and/or instructor to address specific questions or concerns.
Students can register for academic accommodations at any time. Students can schedule registration and follow-up appointments either in person or virtually by contacting the DSS office. If you have questions or concerns about how specific accommodations will be implemented, please contact our office.
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