Accessibility + Disability Services: What is a Disability?

MSU–Great Falls College of Technology uses the definition of disability set forth by Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments act of 2008 (The DHAAA), which states:

An individual with a disability is defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act as “a person who has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major activities, a person who has a history or record of such an impairment, or a person who is perceived by others as having such an impairment.”

Exceptions

Students with diagnosed alcohol or drug abuse qualify for services only when not actively engaged in the use of those substances. Individuals with temporary injuries or impairments (e.g. broken arm) should discuss course modifications directly with their instructor.

Eligibility for Services

In order to receive accommodations, students must meet the following criteria:

Have a documented disability (documentation must be supplied) that presents a significant barrier to the educational process, and the student must request services from the Disability Services Office

Provisional eligibility, which allows students to receive limited services and accommodations, may be granted in the following situations

The student provides documentation that is outdated or incomplete and is in the process of obtaining updated documentation, or
The student does not have ready access to required documentation, but provides some other form of legitimate evidence of disability and the subsequent limitations and agrees to provide the required documentation in a timely fashion
Students who are being served with disability services under provisional eligibility will be served for one semester pending documentation of their disability. If adequate documentation of a disability that warrants services is not provided at that time, accommodations will be discontinued.

Individuals with temporary disabilities (e.g. broken arm, recovering from surgery) do not qualify under the law as someone with a disability, and as such, are not entitled to reasonable accommodations. However, students may make temporary arrangements with instructors for classroom modifications, and may utilize Disability Services resources to assist with those modifications as available. For example, a student with a broken arm may request a scribe for their exam, and if Disability Services has someone available, they will provide the scribe and a room for testing.

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