Your Rights as a Student

A student with a disability has the right to obtain timely, reasonable accommodation of his/her disability in order to have the same opportunity for success enjoyed by students who do not have disabilities.

The Americans with Disabilities Act (1990) defines a person with a disability as:

A person who has any physical or mental impairment that substantially limits a major life activity (walking, standing, seeing, hearing, speaking, breathing, learning, working, or taking care of one’s self), has a record of such impairment, or is regarded as having such an impairment.

Under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (and amendments)

No otherwise qualified person with a disability in the United States…shall, solely by reason of…disability, be denied the benefits of, be excluded from participation in, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.”

Cleveland State University, as a public institution, is subject to these laws. In addition, since 1976 the Board of Trustees has maintained an equal opportunity and affirmative action policy for the education and employment of persons with disabilities, disabled veterans, and Vietnam Era veterans. The University’s goal is to provide full access to education for all students and persons with disabilities, and to create a fully accessible campus.

Students have the right to confidentiality in regard to their disability. Information will be disclosed to relevant campus personnel from the ODS office only on an as-needed basis. Typically, this would be in order to provide a needed accommodation (see the Confidentiality section of this handbook for further information). Students can choose to disclose information to faculty on his/her own if they wish, but should not be asked by faculty, staff, or administration the exact nature or diagnosis of their condition.

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