New SAS Students
Applying for services
Interested students are welcome to contact Student Accessibility Services for an appointment. We request that students bring documentation of disability from a qualified professional to the initial appointment. Our priority is to get to know each student individually. Students with temporary disabilities such as broken bones and recent surgeries may also apply.
Eligibility for Services
To receive services from UTRGV Student Accessibility Services (SAS), the student, according to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), must have a physical or mental disability that substantially limits one or more major life activities. These disabilities can include, but are not limited to learning, hearing, visual, psychiatric, psychological, health and physical disabilities. Students who suffer a broken bone, severe injury or undergo surgery during the semester are eligible for temporary services. Temporary services may be provided for weeks, months or the remainder of the semester depending on the severity of the impairment.
Students registering for services must first complete a Student Accessibility Services Registration packet, either in person or online, before initial appointment with a SAS counselor. The student may also submit documentation supporting his/her disability at that time.
Registering for Services
To register for services, students must first complete the SAS Registration packet either in the office or online. Campus-based students then meet with the SAS staff member for an initial interview. Online students may be interviewed via Skype, phone or other technology. In either case, the student should provide documentation at this time.
During the intake interview, the SAS counselor begins to gather information about the student’s educational concerns and needs. The counselor explains the student’s rights as well as the general purpose of the meeting. The intake process can include the gathering of data such as a brief history of the student’s social, cultural and family background and a brief psychosocial assessment. Most importantly, this is the time to discuss the barriers the student might be experiencing or anticipating in the classroom.
What accommodations, if any, does the student think he/she needs? What adjustments have worked in the past? What does the staff member suggest? Is the accommodation needed in all courses, or just in certain subjects? The conversation may yield one or more accommodation recommendations that will be reviewed and finalized during the next meeting of the Departmental Review Committee (DRC).
Once the initial interview has been completed, it is the staff member’s responsibility to enter the student’s information, including case notes related to the meeting and the documentation, into the SAS database. However, if additional documentation is needed, the file can be held while SAS and/or the student makes efforts to obtain it. Later, once the DRC reviews the intake summary, the accommodations must be entered into the database and the student will receive his/her letter of accommodation from SAS.
To submit registration form online: New Student Registration
To submit Documentation:
- Fax: 956-665-3840
- Email: abilitydocs@utrgv.edu
Documentation Requirements
Each student, prior to or on the date of the initial intake, is asked to provide documentation of his/her disability. Preferred documentation states the type of disability, the date of the evaluation, functional limitations the student might have, and suggested campus accommodations and is provided by a qualified professional. Recent documentation (within the last three years) is preferred.
Some examples of documentation students can provide are Full and Individual Evaluation (FIE), recent evaluations, hospital reports, letter from doctors or psychologists, reports from the VA or Social Security, and Texas certifications of deafness or blindness. Additional documentation may be requested to support provision of accommodations and services. Important: A note written on a prescription pad is not sufficient. SAS uses the information obtained through an interactive interview, conversations, observations, and documentation of disability to help determine what accommodations or assistance may be needed.
Departmental Review Committee (DRC)
The DRC, which meets weekly, is composed of SAS staff members and, when appropriate, staff from other departments may participate. To prepare for the meeting, the counselor compiles a DRC summary sheet listing each new registrant’s diagnosis and provisional accommodations and noting documentation status. The committee’s role is to become acquainted with each student’s intake summary, to suggest changes/additions to the recommended accommodations if necessary, and to make supplementary recommendations.
Once the committee reviews the summary and its recommendations are considered, accommodation letters can be generated for the student which will also be distributed to each professor.
Once professors receive the student’s letter, accommodations may begin. Accommodations are not retroactive. Good communication between student, faculty, and SAS can ensure that the accommodations process goes smoothly.