Office of Disability Services: Incoming Students

Welcome New Dukes!

Transition Resources for Students

Transition Resources for New Dukes

Disability Accommodation Application Process
Disability Documentation Guidelines
Housing Accommodations
Learning Success Strategies: Free academic coaching
K-12 vs. University: An Educational Journey
JMU 101: An online webinar series that breaks down topics most important to admitted students
Counseling Connections

Disability Accommodation Application Process

If applying for Housing Accommodations and Academic Accommodations, both requests can be entered in one application.

1. Student Applies

Academic Accommodations:

Review the JMU Disability Documentation Guidelines on our website to determine what documentation you need to upload to your application.

Submit the Disability Accommodation Application on our website by our recommended deadline of May 30, 2025**.

Housing Accommodations:

Have your treating clinician complete the Housing Accommodation Request Form. This form may serve as documentation in support of housing accommodations as it relates to all disability-related needs. However, this form may not meet ODS documentation guidelines for certain diagnoses related to academic accommodations. Please refer to our Documentation Guidelines for more information.

Submit the Disability Accommodation Application on our website by our recommended deadline of June 13, 2025**.

Submitting documentation that does not meet our documentation guidelines may result in the application process being delayed.

Submit your Accommodations Application

2. Documentation Review

Academic Accommodations:

Academic accommodations are reviewed by Disability Services Practitioners. Reviews will begin after the December 12 recommended deadline.

Housing Accommodations:

Housing accommodations are reviewed by the Housing Accommodation Request Committee (HARC) as they are received. The committee meets at least bi-weekly.

We strive to review all new applications with documentation within 15 business days. We will be receiving high volumes of applications during this time, so we invite students to contact us if they have questions about the status of their application.

3. ODS Contacts Student

Academic Accommodations

Once the review is complete, our administrative staff will contact you at your @dukes.jmu.edu email account with instructions for next steps.

Housing Accommodations

Once the review is complete, the HARC Committee will contact you at your @dukes.jmu.edu email with the committee's decision.

If your decision to commit to JMU is dependent on knowing what accommodations you would be approved for, you can request that Disability Services complete a review of your current documentation and accommodation request. If you are interested in requesting this, you can email disability-svcs@jmu.edu or call us at 540-568-6705.

*ODS will accept applications for academic accommodations submitted after this date. This recommended deadline is in place to ensure that the application process is completed, any necessary communications occur, and any approved accommodations are set up in time for the start of classes.

**ODS will accept applications for housing accommodations submitted after this date. However, approved accommodations are contingent on 1) the student having a housing contract and 2) availability.

K-12 vs. University: An Educational Journey

K-12 vs. University: An Educational Journey (Word document)

K-12 Experience for Students with Disabilities:

School Responsibilities
- Identify students with disabilities
- Comply with IDEA/504
- Students have a right to free and appropriate education
- Ensure academic success of students
Teacher Responsibilities
- Classroom Experience
  - Formally trained in teaching
  - Adapts materials to student’s learning style
  - Helps student learn and process information
- Course Materials
  - Always checks student’s work
  - Reminds student of incomplete work
  - Reviews assignments and due dates
- Student Support
  - Structures time for students
  - Initiates help sessions
  - Available for talks before and after class
  - Provides support to parents
  - Teacher advocates for student
Student Responsibilities
- Attend classes
- Begin to learn about self (areas of strength & challenge, etc.)
- Begin to learn self-advocacy skills

University Experience for Students with Disabilities:

University Responsibilities
- Comply with ADA/504
- Access is provided
- Accommodations are provided while maintaining the fundamental nature of the curriculum
Possible Professor Characteristics & Behaviors
- An expert in their subject but faculty members vary in their level of specific training for teaching
- Accessible for help during office hours or by appointment
- Expects student to ask for help, if needed
- May not provide reminders of due dates
Student Responsibilities
- Classroom Experience
  - Needs to think about and integrate multiple topics
  - Takes responsibility for absorbing classroom materials
  - Student’s decisions have consequences
- Course Materials
  - Gets course material from syllabus
  - Often gets homework assignments from syllabus
  - Pays attention to due dates as written in the syllabus
  - Manages own time
  - Responsible for notes/material covered in class
- Student Support
  - To be considered for accommodations, students must disclose their disability to Disability Services through appropriate documentation and request accommodations
  - Student is expected to ask for help
  - Attends professor’s office hours, as needed
  - Should provide parents with any appropriate information
  - Advocates for self

**K-12 Experience for Students with Disabilities**
School Responsibilities	Teacher Responsibilities			Student Responsibilities
School Responsibilities	Classroom Experience	Course Materials	Student Support	Student Responsibilities
Identify students with disabilities Comply with IDEA/504 Students have a right to free and appropriate education Ensure academic success of students	Formally trained in teaching Adapts materials to student’s learning style Helps student learn and process information	Always checks student’s work Reminds student of incomplete work Reviews assignments and due dates	Structures time for students Initiates help sessions Available for talks before and after class Provides support to parents Teacher advocates for student	Attend classes Begin to learn about self (areas of strength & challenge, etc.) Begin to learn self-advocacy skills

**University Experience for Students with Disabilities**
University Responsibilities	Possible Professor Characteristics & Behaviors	Student Responsibilities
University Responsibilities	Possible Professor Characteristics & Behaviors	Classroom Experience	Course Materials	Student Support
Comply with ADA/504 Access is provided Accommodations are provided while maintaining the fundamental nature of the curriculum	An expert in their subject but faculty members vary in their level of specific training for teaching Accessible for help during office hours or by appointment Expects student to ask for help, if needed May not provide reminders of due dates	Needs to think about and integrate multiple topics Takes responsibility for absorbing classroom materials Student’s decisions have consequences	Gets course material from syllabus Often gets homework assignments from syllabus Pays attention to due dates as written in the syllabus Manages own time Responsible for notes/material covered in class	To be considered for accommodations, students must disclose their disability to Disability Services through appropriate documentation and request accommodations Student is expected to ask for help Attends professor’s office hours, as needed Should provide parents with any appropriate information Advocates for self

Adapted from An Educational Journey, University of Vermont Student Accessibility Services.

References: Wharton, C. (2022). ADA in the Classroom.

Transition Resources for Parents/Family of Students

Connect With Us!

Questions?

If you have questions, contact us at disability-svcs@jmu.edu or 540-568-6705 to schedule an appointment with a Disability Services Practitioner.

Follow us on social media for announcements and other news!