How Do I Receive Accommodations for My Disability?
- Accommodation requests must be made in advance of the need (preferably at the beginning of each semester). Remember, services are not retroactive. Please schedule an appointment with the Director of Disability Services as soon as
possible.
- It is the student’s responsibility to self-disclose a disability and need for academic
accommodations. Students who are unable to register in person can request accommodations
by contacting Disability Services before classes begin. The meeting with the Director
can be conducted by phone. To initiate contact with Disability Services, please contact
Disability Services in any of these ways to schedule a 1 hour appointment for an intake
interview:
Contact Information:
Email: katherine.meier@gfcmsu.edu
Call (406) 771-4311 (voice, TDD, or Sorenson Video Relay: 406-205-1079)
Stop by the Receptionist’s Desk on the 2nd level at the top of the ramp - When coming to the scheduled appointment. Please submit supporting documentation from
a qualified professional. The documentation must show the functional limitations that
impact the individual in the academic setting and support the request for specific
accommodations.
- During the initial intake appointment, the student will be interviewed by the Director
of Disability Services. Students will need to describe how the disability affects
him/her in and out of the academic setting, and the student will be asked about the
functional limitations that impact the student. After reviewing the documentation,
the Director of Disability Services and the student will discuss and determine appropriate
accommodations. Remember, all accommodation requests must come through Disability
Services.
- Students are responsible for making arrangements for accommodations as needed (for
distance students and instructors, this may be done electronically). Students are
advised to schedule a time to meet with instructors during their office hours. Instructors
should review the accommodation request forms with the student and discuss arrangements.
If the instructor cannot provide the requested accommodation, alternate arrangements
may be discussed with the instructor, student and the Disability Services Director.
Although students are required to disclose the existence of a disability to their
instructors in order to receive accommodations, they are not required to provide them
with a diagnosis or any other details; students are encouraged to develop an open
dialogue with instructors, but it is ultimately the student’s decision to disclose
information; instructors are required to maintain the confidentiality of disability
information except to the extent necessary to implement the accommodations. Students
who are experiencing unresolved problems receiving appropriate accommodations should
contact the Director of Disability Services.
- For students needing extended time for Biology Lab exams, the Director of Disability
Services will proctor the exams at a specific set time designated by the Biology Department.
Biology Lab exam times will be announced at the beginning of each semester.
- Each semester, students must schedule an appointment with the Director of Disability Services in order to continue services and address any unique circumstances for the upcoming semester.
