Students have responsibilities for requesting their accommodations and for being the primary participant* in interactive discussions with Disability Services staff and their professors at the college level. This may be different from the accommodation experience in K-12, so you can support your student in the following ways:
- Help your student be prepared to independently discuss key points with ODS staff, including:
- Their diagnoses
- Their current functional limitations
- Their related need for accommodations
- The accommodations that have been helpful to them in the past
- You can also help by ensuring that your student has copies of essential documentation that is current, including reports of evaluations and information from current treating clinicians. Copies of IEP/504 plans will also be helpful in documenting the history of supports that have been effective in other schools.
If you sense that your student needs additional support for disability concerns, remind them of the need to contact us with questions. They are also welcome to request an informal informational meeting** with one of our staff about the process of applying for accommodations!
We are looking forward to working with your student and seeing them thrive at JMU!
*We understand that the accommodation experience for families and students may have looked very different in the K-12 educational environment and we want to see your student succeed in the college environment! One of the main factors that we consistently see contributing to the success of students with accommodations is if they feel personal ownership of the process of applying for and using accommodations. Students who are the primary participant in initiating and completing the process form a rapport with our staff earlier in their time at JMU, they are more likely to utilize their accommodations once they begin classes and ask questions when they need assistance from our staff! This is why we encourage families to equip their students to be the primary participant in the accommodation process.
**Please note that we will not be able to review documentation in the informational meeting. Documentation should be submitted by the student with the application for accommodations in our online application system.
