{"id":956,"date":"2024-12-10T15:24:09","date_gmt":"2024-12-10T15:24:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.smcm.edu\/office-accessibility-services\/?page_id=956"},"modified":"2026-04-13T20:14:27","modified_gmt":"2026-04-13T20:14:27","slug":"eligibility","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.smcm.edu\/office-accessibility-services\/eligibility\/","title":{"rendered":"Eligibility"},"content":{"rendered":"

Determining Eligibility<\/strong><\/h2><\/div><\/div>

Who is eligible to request accommodations?<\/h3><\/i><\/div>

Any student who self-discloses a disability or disabling health condition to our office is eligible to request accommodations.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

Who is eligible to receive accommodations?<\/h3><\/i><\/div>

Though all individuals who self-disclose a disability or disabling health condition are eligible to request accommodations, not all of those individuals may actually receive accommodations at SMCM. Accommodations are offered when it is apparent that the student\u2019s disability has a \u201cmaterial effect\u201d on their functioning (U.S. Department of Education Office of Civil Rights, 2015) in a way that \u201csubstantially limits\u201d their functioning in one or more of the major life activities (28 C.R.F. SS 12102[1][C]).<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

How are decisions made about accommodation requests?<\/h3><\/i><\/div>

In order for SMCM to decide whether to grant accommodations to a student, we need a combination of information: a self-report of how the disability impacts your life, a conversation with personnel in Accessibility Services about your experiences, and third-party documentation of your diagnosis\/needs. That thread of information needs to help us understand the limitations resulting from your disability\/health condition.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

Why does SMCM want supporting documentation?<\/h3><\/i><\/div>

SMCM acknowledges that once a person is diagnosed as having a disability or disabling medical condition, the impact on their lives is often permanent. SMCM\u2019s interest in substantiating documentation is based on the following goals:<\/p>\n