Legal Requirements
The University of Wisconsin has a legal responsibility to accommodate and provide access to students with disabilities under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA). Pursuant to these federal laws, no otherwise qualified individual with a disability shall, on the basis of disability, be excluded from participation in or be denied the benefits of services, programs or activities of the University or be subject to discrimination.
To meet this mandate, the University provides physical and programmatic access to students with disabilities. Furthermore, as a requirement of the law, faculty must make accommodations or reasonable modifications in the instructional process to ensure full educational opportunity to students with disabilities. The complete Universities of Wisconsin Policy pertaining to Individuals with Disabilities can be downloaded from the web site.
Providing written documentation of a disability and requesting accommodations is the responsibility of the student. Neither the University nor instructional staff has the responsibility to provide any accommodation which is not requested. Should you believe that accommodations have been inappropriately denied, you should bring this matter to the attention of the Director of Services for Students with Disabilities immediately. A formal grievance policy statement can be found in the Student Academic Grievance Procedures.
Additional information regarding your rights and responsibilities in reference to students with disabilities at the postsecondary education level is provided by the U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights on the Know Your Rights website.
