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Partnering with You!

We value the role and support that you provide to your student, and we are eager to partner with you in supporting your student while they are here at Oregon Tech.  That said, we encourage the student to take the lead and develop those critical self-advocacy skills when working with our office.

 

Accessing Disability Services at Oregon Tech

To access accommodation, your student will need to self-identify and disclose their qualifying disability to Disability & Testing Services (DTS) to be approved for accommodation at Oregon Tech.  This disclosure of disability is only made to the DTS office and is not shared with Oregon Tech faculty or staff unless they have a legitimate need to know to adequately provide an approved accommodation.  DTS does not discuss or disclose student information to external parties without the expressed, written authorization from the student.  The most significant difference is the role of the school in the provision and implementation of accommodations.

FERPA

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA) is a federal statute which gives students certain rights with regards to their educational records. As a result, your experience and involvement as a parent or guardian will be different than your experience and involvement within the K-12 system. The relationship at Oregon Tech is between our office and the student.

 

IEPs and 504 Plans

Accommodation does not exist in the same way at the post-secondary level that they do at the K-12 level.  Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) and Section 504 Plans (504 Plans) operate under the Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act (IDEA) whereas college and employment accommodation apply under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).  IEPs and 504 Plans do not automatically transfer or "rollover" to college institutions.  Oregon Tech faculty will not accept a K-12 IEP/504 Plan or accommodation from another university, they will only accept approved accommodation communicated from our office.

 

Helping Your Student Get Started

The best advice we can give is to encourage your student to talk with our office.  Even if high school was easy and they did not experience any barriers or use their IEP/504 Plan, their college experience could be very different.  Like insurance: it is better to have accommodation approved through our office and not need it, than to need the accommodation and not have it.  Accommodation at the higher education level is not automatically carried over from high school or retroactively applied, so we invite and encourage students to meet with us.  The first step is to register with our office.

 

Advanced Planning

If your student uses specialized equipment or has specialized needs (ex. Braille materials, need for interpreter/transcription, wheelchair/scooter access, severe allergies or dietary restrictions, etc.) that may require additional organization from DTS to provide adequately, the student should make requests with DTS at least three (3) weeks prior to the start of the academic term.  Requests will always be received by DTS, and we will work our hardest to implement any approved accommodation as quickly as possible, but if requested under 3 weeks before the start of the term, it may result in delays.

 

Importance of Student Communication

We view the college years as one of the best opportunities for students to develop self-advocacy skills that will benefit them the rest of their lives.  It is helpful if student supporters encourage their student to stay in communication with DTS throughout their time at Oregon Tech.  If things are going great: we want to know!  If things are not going well or there is an issue or confusion with their accommodation or a need is not being met: we want and need to know!  Limited communication from students can limit our ability to best serve and support them.

Differences Between K-12 & Higher Ed Accommodation

  • K-12 level: laws are designed to promote student success - example: Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE)
  • Higher ed level: laws are designed to ensure student has equal access - example: Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Section 504, Section 508 - no legal obligation to IDEA or FAPE.

When our staff meet with students, we discuss this difference so that they have an understanding of the lens we are evaluating their request for accommodation and that it may differ from what they experienced in K-12.

Comparison of roles in student self-advocacy:

  • K-12 level: the student is identified by the school/district.  Primary responsibility for arranging accommodations belongs to the school/district.
  • Higher ed level: the student must self-identify at the designated office for disability services.  The primary responsibility for arranging accommodations belongs to the student.

We reinforce with students that our office is here to help support, lend advice/recommendation, but we cannot make decisions or take actions on their behalf.  We have a student resource in Oregon Tech's Canvas LMS that is available to students registered with our office to provide them with the information needed so they can make informed decisions and develop those self-advocacy skills.

  • K-12 level: Parents/guardians are involved in the accommodation decision process, has access to a student's records, and advocates for and on behalf of the student.
  • Higher ed level: Parents/guardians do not have access to the student's records without student's written consent/authorization, and students are responsible for advocating for self

We invite parents/guardians/families to partner with us in supporting your student!  We also believe that college provides the student with an excellent opportunity to develop self-advocacy skills that are going to serve them well throughout life, and we ask that parents/guardians partner with us in supporting their student through encouraging them to talk to us and to ask questions, rather than act on the student's behalf.

  • K-12 Level: Teachers may modify curriculum and/or alter the pace or deadlines of assignments as part of an accommodation plan. Attendance is monitored by the teacher and the school/district.
  • Higher Ed Level: Faculty are not required to modify curriculum, program, or degree requirements as part of an accommodation plan. 
  • K-12 Level: The school/district determines the approved accommodation for the student.  The school/district must prepare an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) or Section 504 Plan.
  • Higher Ed Level: The student engages in the interactive process with Disability Services to determine reasonable, appropriate accommodation to address equal access around the student's unique disability-related barriers.
  • K-12 Level: Housing accommodation is not applicable through the school/district.
  • Higher Ed Level: Housing accommodation, for students living in campus-owned housing, is applicable through the Fair Housing Act (HUD) and goes through the same accommodation evaluation as academic accommodation.

When meeting with students inquiring about Housing Accommodation, we still need documentation from a qualified provider that is able to speak to the student's disability-related need for the accommodation.  Our staff will meet with the student and determine what accommodation is reasonable and appropriate to ensure the student's equal access.