Access Services recognizes the important role parents play in a student’s life. In the K-12 public education setting in the United States, schools are legally obligated to provide a free and appropriate public education through the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). In college, students seek accommodations through the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA); therefore, students must self-identify as having a disability. Employees of Minot State are also bound by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), which prevents the sharing of academic and financial information with parties other than the student. To protect student privacy and promote self-advocacy in students, Access Services will not discuss student accommodations with a parent without the student present. However, students are welcome to have support people at the meeting. If you would like to help your student prepare for an accommodation meeting, consider the following:
Access Services assists any Minot State University student with a disability requesting academic accommodations. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) defines an individual with a disability as:
Documentation can come from a variety of sources, such as a medical provider, mental health professional, or vocational rehabilitation counselor. For more information regarding documentation, please contact the Access Services coordinator at access.services@minotstateu.edu.
Minot State University recognizes that many conditions are life-long and do not change over time. In these circumstances, current documentation is not required. Recent documentation may be required if a student’s condition has worsened or changed to further substantiate reasonable accommodation.
No. While students may use them in some cases as supporting documentation, they do not automatically transfer over. Accommodations at the college level are based on self-disclosure. Students must be able to articulate their need for accommodation. Although students may request their high schools to send their documentation regarding disability, schools send very little student information due to privacy regulations. In addition, the student may not be eligible for the same accommodations. A student having a meeting to determine what accommodations are necessary is imperative.
In the United States, K-12 schools are required to provide a free and appropriate education. This means schools can modify the curriculum to suit the student's needs including removing content. In college, however, reasonable accommodations must be provided. Schools cannot provide accommodations that would fundamentally alter the curriculum. More information on the differences between K-12 and college is available here.
Minot State partners with parents to mentor students toward achieving their educational goals. Because the student is recognized as an adult at the age of 18, the ultimate goal is to have the student develop awareness of their needs and grow advocacy skills to communicate effectively. Privacy laws such as FERPA promote student-led decision making. Access Services welcomes to accompany their students to meetings, as long as the student feels comfortable with discussing disability-related information with the parent present. Access Services practice is to make sure students are present when discussing accommodations.
Students with allergies and/or intolerances that they wish to have accommodated by Sodexo, Minot State's Dining Services Provider, should fill out the form HERE. Students will then be contacted by Access Services to determine what accommodations will be needed. Sodexo will collaborate with Access Services as needed.
Students that have met with the Access Services Coordinator and do not feel that their needs have been accommodated are asked to contact the Director of the Academic Support Center, who is responsible for supervising Access Services. If you do not feel satisfied after that meeting, you can contact the Vice President for Academic Affairs.
