Rights and Responsibilities

Students with disabilities have the right to:

Be treated with respect, consideration and dignity without regard to race, national origin, age, gender, sexual orientation, religion, political belief, or disability
Full and equal participation in the services and activities of the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater
Reasonable accommodations, academic adjustments and/or auxiliary aids and services
Privacy and to not have confidential information freely disseminated throughout the campus
Limit access to confidential records
Information readily available in accessible formats
Service in a timely manner and reasonable responses to requests for services, to offer suggestions for improving services, to file a grievance
Access to their personal confidential file, including disability documentation and VISAs
Participate in decisions regarding your accommodations and services as they relate to UW-Whitewater activities
Refuse any accommodations or services

Students with disabilities have the responsibility to:

Meet qualifications and maintain essential institutional standards for courses, programs, services, jobs and activities
Identify as an individual with a disability when an accommodation or service is needed and to seek information, counsel and assistance as necessary
Demonstrate and/or document (from an appropriate professional) how the disability limits their participation in courses, programs, services, jobs and activities
Follow published procedures for obtaining reasonable accommodations, academic adjustments and/or auxiliary aids and services, or requesting barrier removal

The Center for Students with Disabilities has the right to:

Confirm disability status and request and receive current, relevant documentation that supports requests for accommodations, academic adjustments and/or auxiliary aids and services
Discuss students and their disability accommodations with appropriate faculty and staff in order to implement them
Deny a request for accommodations, academic adjustments or auxiliary aids and services, and/or barrier removal in facilities if the documentation does not demonstrate that the request is warranted, or if the individual fails to provide appropriate documentation.
Select among equally effective accommodations, academic adjustments and/or auxiliary aids and services

The Center for Students with Disabilities has the responsibility to:

Respond to requests on a timely basis
Maintain appropriate confidentiality of records and communication, except where permitted or required by law. CSD employees are mandatory reporters. In order to protect you and the university community, we are required to report any instances of sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, stalking, or harassment. This information will be shared only with parties that have a need to know.

University faculty, staff, departments and units have the right to:

Establish essential functions, abilities, knowledge and standards for courses, programs, services, jobs and activities or facilities and to evaluate students on this basis
Determine the appropriate standards in developing, constructing, remodeling and maintaining facilities
Refuse unreasonable accommodations, academic adjustments or auxiliary aids and services, and/or facility-related barrier removal requests that impose a fundamental alteration on a program or activity of the university

University faculty, staff, departments and units have the responsibility to:

Provide information to faculty, staff, students and guests with disabilities in accessible formats upon request
Ensure that courses, programs, services, jobs, activities and facilities, when viewed in their entirety, are available and usable in the most integrated and appropriate settings
Evaluate students on the basis of their abilities and not their disabilities
Respond to requests on a timely basis
Provide or arrange reasonable accommodations, academic adjustments and/or auxiliary aids and services for students with disabilities in courses, programs, services, jobs, activities and facilities
Maintain appropriate confidentiality of records and communication except where permitted or required by law