Why Should I Self-Identify?

Answers for Adult Students and Recent High-School Graduates

The short answer for adult students and recent high-school graduates is if you want access to the formal resources offered through the Office of Accessibility Resources and Services, it is your responsibility to self-identify. But, why should you self-identify?

An Answer for Adult Students

Adult students consistently report concerns if they disclose their disability:

• they will be placed in easier courses.
• held to a lower standard than everyone else.
• everyone in their studies will know their business and treat them differently.
• it will appear on their academic transcript

These concerns represent a misunderstanding about what it means to be a student with a disability in higher education. Students who self-identify with the office are not placed into easier courses, are held to the same academic and behavioral standards as all students, and only their mentor, instructors and specific student services staff are notified by the office that they are entitled to certain accommodations. Disability information does not appear on the academic transcript.

The purpose of disclosing with the office is to ensure an equal opportunity for success in your university experience by making sure that reasonable accommodations are determined and implemented in an appropriate manner. Self-Identifying with the office ensures you will be able to access your courses, textbooks and assignments so you have the same opportunity to succeed as any other student.

An Answer for Recent High-School Graduates

Recent high-school graduates are often unaware of how their disabilities are managed in a university setting. The student has more responsibility than there may have been throughout their high school experience. 

• From kindergarten through 12^th-grade, the education of individuals with disabilities is regulated by a law known as IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act). This law places the majority of the responsibility on the school district to identify students with disabilities and to make sure that services which lead to student success are in place.
• Outside of the K-12 system, including in universities and the world of work, services and resources for individuals with disabilities are regulated by Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act. In higher education, these two laws place the responsibility to disclose their disability and ask for accommodations on the student, with the emphasis on providing equal access to campus resources.

Return to Student Handbook or continue to Applicable Laws for Students with Disabilities.