To receive accommodations you must complete the registration process with the Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities (RCPD).
Typically, Accommodation Letters are created to last through graduation so you can use the same copy throughout your time at MSU.
Accommodation Letters can have an expiration date that is listed at the top right corner of the document. If an Accommodation Letter is expired, a new one can be requested by:
Here is an email template you can use to distribute your Accommodation Letter. Fill in the bolded parentheses with your personal information:
Dear Professor,
My name is (your name) and I am in your (course and section number) class this semester. I have an Accommodation Letter through RCPD and would like to request accommodations for your class. My Accommodation Letter is attached to this email. I will plan to attend office hours (today/tomorrow/etc.) to discuss our plan for accommodations in your class.
For reference, I plan to use the following accommodations in your class:
I'm looking forward to meeting you!
Sincerely,
(your name)
Meet with instructors 1-on-1 to discuss your Accommodation Letter during office hours or a scheduled appointment time. Go through each accommodation you are requesting and discuss a plan for implementation.
It is strongly encouraged for you to follow up with your professor via email after your meeting to outline and summarize your discussed plan for accommodations, including communication expectations. This is beneficial because…
Continue communication throughout the semester to notify your professor of needed accommodations.
Faculty are responsible for maintaining confidentiality and for facilitating accommodations outlined on the Accommodation Letter. The Accommodation Letter is a confidential document and should only be shared with need-to-know individuals who are part of the accommodations implementation process. If discussing student accommodations with others is necessary, keep students' identities confidential as often as possible. Students' disability statuses must also be kept confidential from other students in the class.
An Accommodation Letter Addendum is used for students who need accommodations in clinical rotations, field placements, or other practical settings that don’t fit well on our general Accommodation Letter form.
While RCPD specialists often have enough information about classroom settings to approve accommodations immediately, clinical/field placements typically require your specialist to reach out to the placement site for a thorough investigation.Because each practical setting and experience varies, the specialist must determine what is available in each individual situation. This means the process for determining accommodations for these settings is more in-depth than for academic accommodations.
First, you will share your accommodation requests with your RCPD specialist in writing. They are more than happy to help you brainstorm ideas for accommodations. AskJAN.org is a great resource for ideas for accommodation requests for the workplace.
Second, the RCPD specialist must determine whether an accommodation request is reasonable based on specific information about the requirements of your placement. Your specialist will reach out to your supervisor, course director, or other appropriate contact to learn more.
After they have been able to gather information from both the student and the program, the specialist makes a determination whether the accommodation request is “reasonable” according to the ADA.
Each determination will be determined “granted,” “granted as modified,”, “denied”, or "not applicable." Under each determination, there will be an explanation as to how RCPD reached its determination for the accommodation.
Students and programs are both able to dispute a determination made through the Addendum process.
Your Access Specialist will tell you who to send your Addendum to once completed.
Clinical/medical students can find more details on our website.
Under both the Americans with Disabilities Act, as recently amended, and Section 504 of the 1973 Rehabilitation Act, a reasonable accommodation is considered to be a modification or adjustment to a course, program, service, or facility, which ensures that a qualified student with a disability is not excluded, segregated, or otherwise treated differently.
An accommodation would not be considered reasonable if it:
Temporary Adjustment Letters are created for students with temporary conditions and/or conditions requiring additional documentation. Instructors should treat these the same as permanent Accommodation Letter accommodations during the time the adjustments are valid.
Sometimes, temporary adjustments will later become permanent, and an Accommodation Letter will be created for the student. Other times, when the Temporary Adjustment Letter expires the student no longer needs academic adjustments and services cease. There is an expiration date at the top right corner of the form; if an instructor receives an expired Temporary Adjustment Letter, they should reach out to the student and specialist, who are listed on the form.
Permanently registered RCPD students automatically receive priority in the course enrollment process each semester via a priority enrollment appointment assignment. Students should work with their academic advisor to determine which classes to take, then take advantage of the RCPD priority enrollment date which is typically within the first day or two of the enrollment period. Enrollment by appointment dates are listed in the MSU academic calendar and students are notified by the Office of the Registrar. RCPD cannot assist with overrides into full classes.