Accessing Accommodations

The Office of Disability Services (ODS), located in the 707 Building, Suite 524, is the designated office at Marquette University for the determination of reasonable accommodations for undergraduate and most graduate students. ODS may collaborate with other entities on campus to determine reasonable student-employee accommodations as well as accommodations for non-staff persons needing modification of policy or procedure related to a disability.

We can be contacted at ODS@marquette.edu or 414-288-1645.

*Students enrolled in Marquette professional schools, i.e. Law and Dentistry, must follow the specific procedure outlined for Law and Dental Students at the bottom of this page.

Students must provide relevant documentation of their disability from an appropriate licensed professional source to ODS that gives a diagnosis of the medical or mental health condition and how it impacts their participation in courses, programs, jobs, activities, and facilities at Marquette. Marquette staff respect a student’s right to privacy, and will only request documentation that is related to a student’s specific need(s) for accommodation. If a student has non-pertinent medical information that they would like withheld from documentation, they should speak with their care provider

All Documentation must:

• Come from care provider licensed to provide a diagnosis in the area of accommodation need,
• Be completed in an individualized manner, within the ethical guidelines of the practitioner, in a way that allows for the appropriate description of the person’s disability related need.
• Establish that the student has a disability (a diagnosed medical or mental health impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activity), and
• Describe how the disability impacts the student's participation in campus activities and/or programs

See additional guidelines for acceptable documentation.

To assist health care providers in completing documentation, they may choose to complete our Disability Documentation form, found on our Forms & Policies webpage. 

Documentation is kept securely, by the Office of Disability Services. The information contained within a student’s documentation is necessary for the determination of reasonable accommodations, but is rarely shared outside of our office unless there is a legal need to do so. Most accommodations are coordinated (after approval) without indicating the diagnosed disability.

The areas of disability law guiding high schools require that students with disabilities receive IEP/504 plans designed by parents, teachers, specialists and other administrators to ensure student success. Postsecondary education is guided by different areas of disability law and these laws empower students to choose whether or not to seek assistance for their disabilities. This means that students are now responsible for deciding when to initiate the accommodations process and communicating their specific needs for each class to the appropriate university personnel. At Marquette, that process begins with the student initiating the accommodations process, first by submitting appropriate documentation or reaching our for guidance, and then engaging each semester in which an accommodation is needed to make specific accommodation requests. To learn more about the differences between high school and college for students with disabilities, visit the Office of Civil Rights (OCR) website

Accommodations must be requested prior to the need for the requested accommodations(s). In order to initially set up accommodations, students must submit appropriate documentation and connect with a representative of the Office of Disability Services explore accommodations to address their needs.

Because accommodations requests are not automatic, be sure to provide the Office of Disability Services sufficient time to review documentation, and work with you to discuss and arrange accommodations. Unfortunately, the Office of Disability Services may be unable to ensure last-minute requests that do not provide a reasonable amount of time for implementation; that timeline may vary based on the accommodation needed.

The broad categories of approved accommodations carry over from semester to semester. Students should contact the Office of Disability Services if they are having any issues with the approved accommodations.

Accommodations are determined through an interactive process with an ODS representative, who takes into consideration the student's documentation, information provided by the student, available resources, and the requirements of each class. When determining appropriate modifications, the Office of Disability Services may need to consult with faculty, staff or, with the consent of the student, may consult with the student’s treatment professional.

Unlike the high school setting, accommodation requests in the post-secondary setting begin with the student. Student’s must identify the barriers presented by their disability and must engage in the interactive process to determine what accommodations may be appropriate. Marquette is not obligated to proactively identify specific accommodations or students in need of accommodations.

A representative of the Office of Disability Services will describe the process for the provision of reasonable and appropriate accommodations both verbally and in writing to the student. The following issues will be considered in the accommodations decision ­making process:

• The institutional and the student's rights and responsibilities.
• What accommodations will be provided,
• Why they will be provided,
• When they will be provided,
• Who is responsible for providing them, and
• How they will be provided.

ODS respects students' privacy regarding dissemination of information about their disabilities. Information is shared only with those with a demonstrated need to know, but rarely includes all of the information that ODS may know about a student.

Example: an instructor in a course that a student has requested accommodations in has a right to discuss those accommodations with ODS, but does not have a right to know what the student has been diagnosed with. Academic program administrators may be included in a discussion of a novel accommodation request directly related to their department, but do not have a right to know about every other accommodation request a student has made.

Students with disabilities always have the right to decide when to identify themselves as a student with a disability and when to request accommodations. Privacy rights, however, do not change the requirement that no matter when students with disabilities choose to identify themselves, they must still follow the published procedures for requesting accommodations in a timely manner. This means, regardless of when a student requests accommodations, they must provide the Office of Disability Services a reasonable amount of time to implement the process.

Further, retroactive accommodations are not permitted (i.e. those requested after an event has passed, as in the case of requests for attendance consideration for classes already missed, or opportunities to retake exams or change previously awarded grades). If such events as poor performance on exams or missed classes result in students seeking accommodations, ODS will:

• Work with the student to accommodations future needs, and
• Refer requests for assistance addressing issues of past performance to the college office and relevant college policies and procedures.

There are two steps in this process:

1. During the Accommodation Meeting (where the student meets with an ODS staff member to officially arrange accommodations), the student will be provided with information about how provide instructors with access to their Accommodation Letter. The Accommodation Letter verifies that the student has a documented disability but does not list the specific diagnosis/es, and will include a listing of the accommodations(s) which has/have been determined appropriate and reasonable, and
2. Once the student has given their instructors access to their Accommodation Letter, students are required to contact their instructors personally to discuss their accommodations needs based upon their disabilities and the course expectations. Though an accommodation may be the same across courses, individual instructors often coordinate them in different ways. A student has not fully engaged in the accommodations process if they have not discussed their accommodations directly with their instructor.

The letter stating the accommodations to which students are entitled will also invite faculty to contact the Office of Disability Services if there are concerns or questions about the accommodations. If an initial accommodations decision has been found to be unworkable for legitimate reasons or another type of accommodations is brought to light that would be more effective for a particular course, the ODS representative will reconsider the accommodations decision. Instructors are not required to compromise essential elements of their courses or evaluation standards when accommodations are recommended.

Yes, but with some restrictions, depending on the student's unique situation. A class-attendance rule may be considered for modification if recommended by the accommodations letter, when attendance is not academically essential to meet course requirements. However, instructors have the right to determine that class attendance is essential when:

• Class activities include interaction between students and instructor or among students.
• Student contributions constitute a significant component of the learning process.
• The fundamental nature of the course relies upon student participation as an essential method for learning.
• The student's failure to attend class constitutes a significant educational loss to other students.
• Class participation is considered in the assignment of the course grade.

Decisions on whether or not attendance requirements should be modified are made on a case-by-case, course­-by-course basis between the student and the instructor.

Yes. However, when a disability factors into delayed completion, consideration of reasonable extensions may be appropriate. When determining whether an extension is reasonable, the ODS asks students and instructors, on a case-by­-case, course-by-course basis to review the following:

• Published due dates for projects, papers, and other graded activities in the syllabus. The longer students have to complete assignments, the less likelihood of an extension.
• Whether or not the extension is requested as a result of disability related issues. Students who fall significantly behind due to other factors may be denied an extension request.
• The length of time requested for making up work or exams. Extensions may not be granted that create an undue administrative burden on the instructor, or if extending the deadline removes the student from timely feedback or from the ability to apply current feedback to time-sensitive tasks that follow.
• Whether the extension is due to an exacerbation of a disability. Students in these cases may be required to produce additional documentation supporting that request.

Because some courses are less amenable to delays than others, accommodations requests in these cases may be denied. In effect, the inability to meet the published deadline may make the student unqualified to complete the course.

Although students with disabilities are always encouraged to discuss their concerns directly with their instructors, students are responsible for contacting the Office of Disability Services if agreed-upon accommodations are not implemented in an effective or timely way, or if they are experiencing other difficulties related to their accommodations. A representative of ODS will work with University personnel and and the student to resolve disagreements or problems regarding recommended accommodations or other disability-related issues.

Not all class difficulties may be a result of problems with accommodations. Depending upon the issues or concerns, the ODS representative may refer students who have concerns about classroom performance to other campus resources to address the difficulties experienced in courses and coursework. For example, a student reporting that their supplemental class notes are not helpful may be referred to a study skills specialist to address specific strategies for more effective ways of studying from their notes.

For accommodations pertaining to access to the non­academic aspects of the campus community, such as housing, recreation, safety, counseling, financial aid, transportation, health services, employment, insurance and other co-curricular activities, ODS will work with students and appropriate university administrators and staff in making these arrangements.

Students may be referred to ODS to discuss if they should be tested for a disability that has not been previously documented. Formal testing for a disability is not provided by ODS, but ODS, in conjunction with the Counseling Center, the Center for Psychological Services, the MU Medical Clinic or other campus/community resources may offer free screenings and consultations for students to explore whether testing is an appropriate next step. If interested in this option, schedule an appointment with a representative of the Office of Disability Services at (414) 288-1645, 707 Building Suite 524.

During the admissions process, students with disabilities and their parents are welcome and encouraged to meet with a representative of the Office of Disability Services to discuss both the services provided by ODS and the new role students must play in determining and monitoring their accommodations. However, once classes begin, it becomes the student's responsibility to come forward to ODS each semester to request specific accommodations for that semester. Unlike high school, the Office of Disability Services does not provide automatic accommodations, and will only provide specifically requested accommodations for those courses requested by the student for that semester.

Furthermore, once the student begins attending classes, under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), ODS cannot disclose student information to parents without the student's written consent. If students with disabilities wish to permit ODS staff to discuss their accommodations with their parents, they must sign a release permitting the ODS to do so. It remains the student’s responsibility to communicate accommodations requests and any other concerns with the accommodations process to a representative of ODS. The Office of Disability Services will consider accommodations requests or complaints/concerns only from the affected students, not from their parents/ advocate, though advocacy support may help the student in communicating their needs to our staff.

ODS will send students’ files to the University Archives upon their graduation where they will be stored for seven years. After the seven-year period, the records will be destroyed. If students require a copy of their documentation or other information from their ODS file within that seven-year period, they must make their request in writing to the Office of Disability Services. ODS will retrieve the student’s file and forward a copy of the requested information to the student within 45 days of the request.

Due to the unique nature of the Law School, the process for providing and monitoring appropriate accommodations for students with disabilities enrolled in this program involves separate procedures and policies. Because programs of this type must adhere closely to external certifying boards that define and test for specific professional and technical requirements, accommodations must be based upon clear and current understanding of the professional standards of these certifying organizations. For more information regarding the specific process for Law School, go to the Law School website.

The Law School is housed in it's own facility, creating separate, closed academic communities where all relevant lectures for legal education occur. It has its own staff in place to serve the needs of that particular student body. Included in that staff is an individual charged to coordinate academic support services for all students in the respective schools.

Determining appropriate accommodations for students with disabilities enrolled in this specialized setting requires direct involvement of and collaboration with these academic service providers or administrators described above who are familiar with and responsible for assuring completion of the essential academic  requirements of this program. Throughout enrollment in this program, the student will work with  program liaisons who will follow the published procedures established by these programs to implement, finalize, and/or modify accommodations as necessary. ODS will continue to serve in both an advisory and resource role with these liaisons and with the student and will maintain the student's documentation. Students in Law School will abide by the procedures for academic accommodations as specified. However, the policy items pertaining to all students with disabilities, i.e., the grievance procedure, disability documentation, confidentiality, student rights and responsibilities and institutional rights and responsibilities will similarly apply to Law students with disabilities.