Mar 29, 2024  
2015-2016 Catalog 
    
2015-2016 Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Disability Services


Return to: About UC Merced  

Phone: 209-228-6996
TTY: 209-228-TTY0 (8890)
Fax: 209-228-4542
Email: disabilityservices@ucmerced.edu
Web: disability.ucmerced.edu

The Disability Services Office, located in the Student Services Building, SSB 230, supports students with disabilities by providing them with opportunities to participate fully in the academic community at UC Merced. Students with varying types of disabilities, including (but not limited to) those with mobility, visual, hearing, learning, psychological and other medical conditions may be eligible for the provision of reasonable disability accommodations through this program.

Students must take the initiative and contact Disability Services (DS) for a student intake appointment to begin the DS registration process. It also is recommended that students be prepared to provide documentation of disability in support of their request for DS accommodation services. Guidelines for documentation can be found on the UC Merced website under Disability Services.

Documentation provided to the office is confidential and is used solely for purposes of determining the student’s eligibility and the appropriate accommodations to be made. It is the responsibility of the student to provide this documentation and, if necessary, to pay for the cost of the documentation provided, including the cost for professional assessments for disabilities. Academic accommodations are developed with the student and Disability Services as part of the interactive services planning process.

Accommodation ensures that students have a fair and equal access to the academic learning environment. Accommodations are individualized and are determined on a case by case basis, based on the specific individual needs and recommendations included in each student’s documentation. An appropriate accommodation does not provide an unfair advantage, but rather minimizes the barriers caused by the disability.

The most common types of accommodation services accessed by eligible students with disabilities may be one or a combination of alternative media services, communication services, mobility services, note taking services, proctoring and/or priority registration.

The provision or use of a disability accommodation does not guarantee or ensure a certain level of academic achievement for the students. Students with disabilities must meet the same standards as all other students. Depending on the type of academic accommodation requested by the student, the approval of the appropriate School Dean may be required.

Students with disabilities who need alternative media services, sign-language interpreting or CART should contact the Disability Services Office as soon as possible to make necessary arrangements for these services. It is the student’s responsibility to see that such notification occurs in a timely fashion.