Rights and Responsibilities
Wesleyan University is committed to ensuring equal opportunity for students with disabilities to access the university's programs and services. Students who have, or suspect they may have, a disability for which they would like to request accommodations can contact Accessibility Services to discuss their needs any time.This process is a collaborative effort between the individual student and the university and understanding student and university rights and responsibilities is essential to the process.
Students
The rights and responsibilities of students with disabilities at Wesleyan University.
Right to:
- Equal access to programs, activities, facilities, and services at Wesleyan University
- Information that is reasonably available in accessible formats
- Reasonable and effective accommodations, modifications, and/or auxiliary aids and services that are determined on an individual basis
- Appropriate confidentiality of records and communication relating to disability issues
- Appeal decisions regarding the determination or provisions of accommodations, modifications, and/or auxiliary aids and services
- Report when a faculty or staff member, or another student has violated their rights
Responsibility to:
- Meet the university's academic and institutional standards
- Self-identity to Accessibility Services when accommodations, modifications, and/or auxiliary aids and services are needed
- Provide supporting documentation, as outlined in the documentation guidelines, if the student is requesting accommodations
- Follow the process outlined for requesting reasonable accommodations in a timely manner (meeting any established deadlines)
- Adhere to the expectations, policies, and procedures outlined in the Student Handbook
Wesleyan University
The rights and responsibilities of Wesleyan University when providing support to students with disabilities.
Right to:
- Maintain the university's academic and institutional standards
- Request and receive, through Accessibility Services, documentation to verify the need for reasonable accommodations, modifications, and/or auxiliary aids and services
- Determine effective reasonable accommodations, modifications, and/or auxiliary aids and services through an interactive process between the individual student and Accessibility Services
- Deny a request for reasonable accommodations, modifications, and/or auxiliary aids and services if the documentation which has been submitted does not contain sufficient information to support the request
- Determine that an accommodation, modification, and/or auxiliary aid or service is inappropriate or unreasonable when it poses a direct threat to the health and safety of others, constitutes an alteration to an essential element of a course or program, or poses an undue financial or administrative burden on the university
- Hold students accountable to university policies and procedures, including any established deadlines
Responsibility to:
- Provide information in accessible formats to students with disabilities in a timely manner upon request
- Provide or arrange approved reasonable accommodations, modifications, and/or auxiliary aids and services in a timely manner for students with disabilities
- Maintain appropriate confidentiality of records and communication regarding student disability issues, except as permitted/required by law
- Practice non-discrimination in accordance with applicable state and federal laws
- Inform students with disabilities of the process for filing an appeal or grievance if they feel their rights have been violated
Additional Information
- The rights and responsibilities for faculty in providing accommodations to students with disabilities can be found in the Faculty Guide to Accessibility Services
- Additional information on the rights and responsibilities of students with disabilities who are preparing to attend postsecondary schools, as well as the obligations of a postsecondary school, is provided by the Office for Civil Rights in the U. S. Department of Education
- Accessibility Services is always ready to work in partnership with students, faculty, staff, and other departments, in order to provide access to students with disabilities. Please contact us with any questions or concerns that you may have regarding disability or accessibility issues.