Equal access is individualized.
Students will meet with a Disability Services staff member to have a conversation about the barriers experienced in the learning and/or living environments. To determine access solutions, additional information about essential standards for courses, programs, services, jobs, activities, and facilities may be requested.
Access and Accommodations
Disability Services offers a variety of services and meets collaboratively with students to determine reasonable and appropriate accommodations. These may include accommodations related to:
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Testing
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Classroom Environment
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Course Materials
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Interpreting
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Notetaking
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Events on campus
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University Housing
This is not an exhaustive list as appropriate accommodations are determined on a case-by-case basis. If you have questions about accommodations, please inquire with our office.
Housing Accommodations
The University of Wisconsin-Stout Disability Services works to provide inclusion for disabled students, which includes the required residential experience. (2-year Board of Regents campus live-on requirement). Disability Services reviews requests to determine reasonable housing accommodations and evaluates the need for the accommodation as it relates to access. All housing accommodation requests are considered on a case-by-case basis according to documented need and prevailing standards for reasonable accommodations. There is a separate and comprehensive process in place for all housing-related requests.
Deadlines
We request that students seeking to make a housing request submit all required components by the following dates:
- June 1 for the Fall Semester
- October 1 for the Spring Semester
It is essential to contact Disability Services as soon as you believe you will need a housing accommodation. Students who miss the above deadlines will have their requests reviewed by Disability Services on a rolling basis. Accommodation requests made outside the established deadlines, even if approved by Disability Services, may be based on housing availability. Students who miss the above deadlines may have their request reviewed for the following semester (i.e. a request made in December for the upcoming spring semester may instead be considered for the next fall semester). Students should be aware that the timeframe for consideration and determination of housing requests are based on bimonthly scheduled committee meetings and requests are reviewed after all required components have been submitted.
Process Information
Only complete requests will be considered so students are advised to start the process early to allow adequate time to obtain the required documentation from their healthcare provider. The steps below are the general process for making a housing accommodation request through Disability Services:
1. Create an AIM profile, which is Disability Services’ student portal. Link to AIM: https://sierra.accessiblelearning.com/UWStout/. For exemption requests, students will also need to complete the exemption request form in their Housing Gateway. For ESA requests, please inquire with Disability Services for complete information about this process.
2. Provide documentation that meets the guidelines for housing requests. To properly evaluate the student’s request for housing and dining accommodations, UW-Stout Disability Services requires specific diagnostic information from a licensed clinical professional or healthcare provider who is directly responsible for the treatment of the student’s diagnosed disability, including the intentional use of housing/dining accommodations to address the functional limitations that result from the student’s physical or psychological condition(s). Incomplete request materials may delay the eligibility determination. When reviewing our Documentation Guidelines, please review the specific section that details what is needed for a housing request. Please be aware that a diagnosis of a medical condition in and of itself and/or a provider recommendation alone does not automatically qualify a student for disability accommodations.
3. Disability Services staff will reach out to assist in scheduling a meeting to discuss the request upon receipt of the AIM profile and documentation.
4. Housing requests will be considered through the Disability Services office by the Disability Services/University Housing (DS/UH) Accommodation Committee after ALL requirements are completed as outlined above. The submitted documentation and the student’s self-reported information are used to evaluate the request. The DS/UH Accommodation Committee completes a holistic review of the provider’s recommendations, current nature of the student’s symptoms, student’s self-report, the appropriateness and essential nature of the requested accommodations, and all available accommodations and college support resources when making final decisions and recommendations.
Appeals Process
Students who have received an accommodation denial decision may initially attempt to resolve matters by contacting the Disability Services office to discuss the nature of the complaint, factors to consider as part of the interactive process, and whether an alternative resolution process with the individual or program that denied the accommodation could be engaged.
When an alternative resolution process is not successful, students may formally appeal an accommodation denial or modification. To do so, the student must address in writing within 10 days upon receipt of the denial one or more of the following bases for appeal to Disability Services:
Identify new facts that were unknown to you and could not have been discovered during the interactive process and state how these new facts would change the analysis and decision.*
Reasons that describe how you were not provided with due process.
Identify the facts in the record which do not support the accommodation denial and explain why those facts warrant a different outcome.
Upon receipt of the appeal, all relevant information will be reviewed, and students will be provided with a written response generally within 14 days (about 2 weeks), either granting the appeal and modifying the initial decision, or denying the appeal and maintaining the initial decision.
*Understand that if you have new documentation that was unavailable at the time of the original request, please submit it to Disability Services for a reevaluation of your request.
