UMKC Student Disability Services

Student Disability Services

Welcome

Your success is important to us. We understand the unique challenges you face as a student with a disability and are here to support you in reaching your goals. Your disability does not have to be a barrier to your success. By partnering with you we can ensure you have equal access to all that UMKC offers. Whatever your disability, we are here to help you.

We are here to assist you by working with your professors to provide reasonable accommodations which will allow you to demonstrate your ability, knowledge and skills. We do this while treating any disability related information confidentially.

We are also here to help you get connected with all that UMKC offers. There is a lot to do, learn and experience outside of the classroom. You can experience the arts, see a movie, develop leadership skills, polish your resume, join a student group and just have fun. We can help you get connected. Just ask!


Who is eligible for services?

The Office of Services for Students with Disabilities is available to assist any University of Missouri-Kansas City student with a diagnosed disability that substantially limits them in one or more major life areas. Because each person is unique we ask that you contact us for an appointment so that we can discuss how best we may assist you. We can be reached at (816) 235-5696 or by e-mail at disability@umkc.edu.


Getting started...

During your first visit with OSSD we will get to know you, your strengths and needs, as well as explain to you our procedures. To help us in this process you must provide a written evaluation of your disability. This is usually a letter or a formal evaluation prepared by your physician, psychologist, specialist, etc. who is qualified to diagnose your particular disability and who is not related to you. At a minimum the evaluation should indicate the evaluator’s name, title, address and credentials and should be typed, dated, legible and signed by the professional.

Ideally the evaluation should be no more than three years old. Any evaluation that is more than three years old may be accepted for conditions that are not expected to change over time. This will be assessed on a case by case basis. The evaluation should clearly state the type of disability and provide sufficient information to assist us in understanding the unique way your disability impacts you in an educational setting. It should include all tests performed and all scores obtained. This evaluation will help in determining what accommodations are appropriate and other ways we can support you. General guidelines for documenting a disability can be found here.

The evaluation you provide should meet these general guidelines. If you have Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, a learning disability or a a psychiatric disability additional information will be required. Detailed documentation guidelines are available through the following links: Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, a Learning Disability, or a Psychiatric Disability.


Student Responsibilities
We strive to make your experience at UMKC as welcoming as possible. To help us better serve you and all students with disabilities we ask that you do the following: All students with disabilities 1. Each semester enroll for classes as early as possible and notify us each semester when you enroll for classes. This alerts us to the need to provide accommodations and allows us the time to make appropriate arrangements. 2. The first week of each semester pick up your letters of accommodation to deliver to your professors. This alerts your professors to your accommodation needs and allows them the time necessary to make appropriate arrangements. For students who receive testing accommodations 1. If you receive testing accommodations you must meet with your professor early in the semester and discuss arrangements for testing. In most cases the professor will make their own arrangements for your testing accommodations. 2. In some cases the professor will be unable to arrange the accommodations themselves and will ask you to work with our office to arrange accommodated testing. You should then contact Jane Holland at (816) 235-5672 or hollanddj@umkc.edu to arrange your exams for that class for the entire semester. You must give us no less than 3 business days notice in arranging exam accommodations. 3. In any case it is your responsibility to insure that your testing accommodations are in place well before the exam. For students who use sign language interpreters or captionists 1. If you will be absent from a class or meeting in which an interpreter or captionist has been schedule please notify our office as soon as possible, ideally not less than 24 hours notice so we can cancel the interpreter or captionist. 2. If you have been approved for the accommodation of an interpreter or captionist and would like to schedule an interpreter or captionist for a education related meeting please contact Scott Laurent at (816) 235-5696 or laurentr@umkc.edu not less than 3 business days before the event. Include your name and contact information, the nature of the event, the start and end time of the event and all necessary location information (room number, address, etc.).

Confidentiality

The Association on Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD) has issued guidelines recognizing that discrimination often occurs as a result of attitudinal barriers and misconceptions regarding the potential of persons with disabilities. This comes at a time when students with disabilities are enrolling in institutions of higher education in increasing numbers with protection from discrimination under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. These mandates from the federal government carry within them rules regarding the confidential treatment of disability related information. Among these guidelines are that disability related information:

should be treated as medical information and handled under the same strict rules of confidentiality as is other medical information. This includes the comprehensive documentation from an appropriate source that persons with disabilities must provide to establish the existence of their disability and their need for consideration of accommodation;
should be collected and maintained on separate forms and kept in secure files with limited access;
should be made available only on a limited basis within the University community. It may be shared only when there is a compelling reason for disclosure regarding some specific aspect of the stored confidential information.


Appeals Process

If you not satisfied with any of the accommodations or services you received from OSSD please contact OSSD immediately. If you believe that they have been discriminated against in any program or service of the university because of your disability you may file a grievance with the University by contacting the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management, Room 336, Administrative Center.