The DRC maintains a list of qualified professionals who can work with you to determine if you have a learning disability.

Students are responsible for any costs incurred in documenting a disability.

Texas A&M University - Kingsville must provide reasonable accommodation to students with documented disabilities. The DRC staff uses your documentation as a guideline for determining appropriate accommodations. While doctors may suggest possible accommodations, we are not required to follow the doctor's recommendations. In addition to ensuring access for students, DRC must also ensure that accommodations do not interfere with the integrity of the class or academic standards of the University. In addition to ensuring access for students, DRC must also ensure that accommodations do not interfere with the integrity of the class or academic standards of the University and do not cause the institution to incur a financial hardship.

Accommodations take effect when you have been approved for services, signed the student responsibility statement, and delivered your letters to the professors. We strongly recommend that you make an appointment or visit during an office hour with each professor to go over your letter together. This ensures that everyone is clear on how the accommodations will be implemented in each particular class once the details are worked out and your accommodations are in place. If you or your professors have concerns regarding any of the accommodations, contact DRC immediately at 361-593-3024. Accommodations are not retroactive.

Yes. You need to register with the DRC each semester that you are enrolled and requesting accommodations. Accommodation letters are specific to each class, so anytime you have a schedule change (new semester or you add a class after a semester starts) you will need to make an appointment to get your letters of accommodation.

Any student who feels s/he may need accommodations based on the impact of a disability should contact me privately to discuss your specific needs. You will also need to contact the Disability Resource Center at 361-593-3024 in the Student Health & Wellness, room 102 to meet with the DRC Staff.

Yes. While we strongly encourage students to set up accommodations at the beginning of the semester, a student might choose to try the class without accommodation. Also, some students find out mid to late semester that they have a disability or that services are available. Please refer to the home page for Disability Registration Deadline Dates.
Accommodations begin when you and the student have discussed the accommodations and each has signed the letter--accommodations are not retroactive.

We strongly recommend that you and the student sit down and review the accommodation letter together. This allows the student and faculty to discuss the particulars of how each accommodation will be implemented.

Accommodations give students with disabilities equal access to the classroom. For example, a student who has a learning disability and processes written material slower could benefit from extra time on tests. The extra time allows the student to read and re-read the test questions, process the content of the question, and develop an answer to the question. A student with limited mobility might have extra time on exams plus use of a computer for essay tests. This gives the student time to type out or use dictation software to generate the answer and be graded on the content of the answer, not how quickly the answer was produced.

Students with disabilities might need to use auxiliary aids to access material in the classroom. One such type of auxiliary aid specified in Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act is a tape recorder. A student who processes information slowly might have a recorder as an accommodation. Recording the class allows the student to focus on listening during class and not divide her/his concentration trying to take notes. After class, the student can re-listen to the lecture as many times as necessary and take notes from the recording. If you are covering sensitive material, reviewing a recently given test, or other situation where you do not wish students to record (either on tape or in writing), you may request all students to put down pencils and turn off recording devices. However, if you allow students with out accommodations to take notes, you must allow a student whose accommodation includes recording lectures to do so.

Typically in such cases, the phrase "temporary disability" more accurately means a "temporary impairment" such as the inability to take notes, write out test answers, or participate in a field trip requiring walking because of a broken are, hand surgery, or a sprained ankle. Unless the impairment has a substantial impact on a major life function, DRC does not provide official accommodations for such situations. However, DRC can discuss with the professor possible solutions to the students dilemma including what assistive technology is available on campus for student use.
In the Amendments Act, Congress clarified that an individual is not “regarded as” an individual with a disability if the impairment is transitory and minor.  A transitory impairment is an impairment with an actual or expected duration of 6 months or less.(http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/504faq.html)

When entering the University, fundamental changes occur regarding students with disabilities. All students attending public school have a legal entitlement to an education and the right to a high school diploma, regardless of a disability (IDEA). The student must also receive an education in the least restrictive environment possible. But a student with a disability might sometimes be separated from peers for special attention. And sometimes parents and teachers must work together, sharing in the responsibility of helping the student achieve academic success.

In higher education, your student has a civil right to access to education, and an equal opportunity to obtain a college degree (see Disability Law). The fundamental principle at work is the assumption of integration and that the student is solely responsible for her/his own actions--achieving success or experiencing failure.

Reasonable accommodations are made to provide equal access for qualified individuals with disabilities. Accommodations are designed to the functional limitations of an individual on a given task. Students with disabilities must, with or without accommodation, meet the academic standards of the University. They must demonstrate mastery of material.

Students with disabilities are required to demonstrate, with or without reasonable accommodation, that they meet all the admissions standards.

Students with disabilities are expected to perform at the same level that their academic and professional programs expect of all students. Students with disabilities might meet that level by using reasonable academic accommodations. Civil rights laws do not mandate a safety net. The University will strive to "level the playing field," but, ultimately, the student's work must be their own and of satisfactory quality.

At the University level, students manage their educational services. Students have the right to seek out or refuse services. Parents can help students develop the necessary self advocacy skill while still in high school. Encourage your student to be an active participant in her/his IEP meetings. Process the outcome of the IEP meeting with your student. Your student should know her/his specific diagnosis, how it affects her/his ability to learn, and how accommodations help her/him access the classroom.

Under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1976 (FERPA), only the student has the right to access his/her records upon request. This means that parents or guardians do not have a legal right to access their student's grades, transcripts, or any information concerning the student's provided through the DRC.

Although records are confidential, students may sign a release of information form that gives the institution permission to disclose information to the parent or guardian. The only time a student's record may be disclosed with out written consent would be to comply with a subpoena, or in an emergency situation that threatens the health and safety of the student or another individual.