Student Handbook
ADA Accommodations

Part I Part II Part III Part IV

Ferris State University maintains the Office of Disabilities Services to provide accommodations for students with special needs. Disabilities Services is the campus office responsible for determining and providing requested academic accommodations for students with disabilities. A variety of support services are provided to students with documented mobility limitations, learning disabilities, hearing and visual disabilities, attention deficit disorders, psychological disabilities, and other types of disabilities. Their mission statement is:

"The mission of Disabilities Services is to serve and advocate for students with disabilities, empowering them for self-reliance and independence while promoting equal access to educational opportunities and programs. Information, reasonable accommodation and counseling are offered to students. Professional development is offered to faculty and staff."

In order for Disabilities Services to determine a student's eligibility for services, all students must complete the Intake Interview Form with the Educational Counselor for Students with Disabilities and present appropriate documentation.

• Students with hearing disabilities must provide a Speech and Hearing Evaluation or a Physician Statement of a Long-Term Disability Form that was completed within three years of the date of application to Ferris State University's Disabilities Services.
  
• Students with functional disabilities (i.e. psychological or emotional impairments) may be requested to submit additional documentation that will assist Disabilities Services in clarifying the services that are most appropriate to the specific disability.
  
• Students with learning disabilities are required to submit documentation to verify their eligibility under Ferris' Policy on Education of Students with Disabilities. For purposes of evaluating requests for accommodations for learning disabilities, Disabilities Services relies upon the following definition: A qualified learning disabled person is a person having average to above average intelligence with a significant discrepancy between IQ (intellectual potential) and achievement (actual performance level) and average to greater achievement scores in at least one academic area as measured by an appropriate diagnostic instrument. (Pierangelo, R., and Guiliano, G., (1998) Special Educator's Complete Guide to 109 Diagnostic Tests, New York, The Center for Applied Research in Education.)
  
• Students with a physical disability must provide a Physician's Statement of Long-Term Disability form.