Rights & Responsibilities for Students With Disabilities

Students have the right to have equal access to courses, programs, services, jobs, activities and facilities available through Saginaw Valley State University.

Students have the right to have reasonable, appropriate and effective accommodations, academic adjustments and/or auxiliary aids determined on an individual basis.

Students have the right to appropriate confidentiality of all information pertaining to their disability. They have the right not to disclose their disability information with anyone except if there is a threat to an individual’s safety, an emergency or otherwise as required by law.

Students have the right to receive university information in accessible formats.

Students should understand that it is their responsibility to consult with their faculty members at the start of each term and provide the faculty members with their Faculty Notification Letter found via AIMS. This will ensure that the faculty member understands the student’s accommodation needs.

Each semester, students are responsible for scheduling an appointment with an ARA Representative, to review and renew their accommodations or to request services and discuss any additional accommodation(s) needed, such as special equipment or books.

It is the student’s responsibility to remain updated on the policies and procedures of Saginaw Valley State University and ARA. This includes the process to withdraw from courses, the advisement and registration process, financial aid eligibility, student code of conduct and so on.

Students must understand that accommodations cannot compromise the academic integrity of a course. Each student must meet the qualifications and essential technical, academic and institutional standards of each course, as decided by their faculty members.

Each student is required to follow the Student Code of Conduct, as established by Saginaw Valley State University.

It is necessary to request accommodations each semester. To do so, please follow these directions:

1. Student(s) log into AIMs using their SVSU username and password.
2. In the ribbon on the left side of the screen select List Accommodations.
3. Under Step 1: Select Class(es), select each class for which the student would like to request accommodations.
4. Under Step 2: Continue to Customize Your Accommodations.
5. Below each class there is an area labeled Select Accommodations. Check the accommodations the student would like to request for each class. If the students is eligible for alternative format textbooks, the student must check the format they wish to receive their texts. Also, if the student is hearing impaired, they will need to indicate whether they will need to use C-print or have an interpreter.
6. Next click the Submit Your Accommodation Request button.
7. Scroll up the page to the area titled, Printing Faculty Notification Letter in PDF. Select each course in order to generate the letters as PDFs. Finally print the letters. Students should hand deliver these letters to each of their faculty members during the first two weeks of the semester preferably during office hours.

Should students need additional help please call the office at (989) 964-7000, email us at accessibility@svsu.edu or stop in at Wickes 260B.

Check their contact information in AIMS to make certain it is up to date.

Make an appointment with one of the ARA Professionals to ensure that their documentation approval hasn’t expired. If it has, they must make an appointment to update their accommodations. If their “Overview” indicates that their services have expired, they must contact the ARA to set up an update meeting.

Bring any updated documentation to the ARA.

Print their accommodation(s) letters in advance and meet with their instructors during the first week of class. They will have access to their Faculty Notification Letter via AIMS one week prior to the beginning of the semester.

Select which accommodations they require for each class.

If they plan to use the ARA area for testing, they must contact the office to schedule their exam as soon as they get their syllabus and know what their test dates are.