St. Louis Hall

Welcome to the Office of Student Accessibility Services

The office of Student Accessibility Services (SAS) supports equal access of qualifying individuals with documented disabilities and certain medical conditions to all educational opportunities, programs, services and activities. The department strives to foster students’ active participation in the accommodation process.

The student is given the opportunity to engage in identifying reasonable accommodations to assist with eliminating barriers to the learning experience. A barrier refers to any obstacle that prevents a qualified individual with a disability from having equal access to programs, services or activities. Barriers can be physical, programmatic, attitudinal or communicative.

Types of Barriers

  • Physical Barriers

    These include inaccessible buildings, lack of ramps or elevators, inadequate parking and other physical obstacles that prevent people with disabilities from accessing facilities.

  • Programmatic Barriers

    These are policies, practices or procedures that exclude individuals with disabilities from participating in or benefiting from programs or services.

  • Attitudinal Barriers

    These are negative attitudes, stereotypes or biases that prevent individuals with disabilities from being treated with dignity and respect or being given equal opportunities.

  • Communication Barriers

    These include a lack of accessible formats like braille, sign language interpreters or accessible digital content.

Our Calling

Students in a classroom.

The Office of Student Accessibility Services strives to empower students with disabilities and certain medical conditions to gain success and access to the educational, professional and personal opportunities afforded with the skills of self-reliance and self-advocacy on campus and in the community.

St. Mary’s University policy prohibits discrimination on the basis of age, disability, gender, race, color, sexual orientation, national origin, religion and protected veteran status. The student’s confidentiality is protected under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).

Accommodation Support and Services

Student Accessibility Services offers a variety of services and resources to students with documented disabilities including:

  • Academic
  • Housing/Dining
  • Emotional Support Animals
  • Service Animals
  • Title IX Pregnancy Adjustments
  • Temporary Accommodations
  • Transport Services

Dual Credit Courses

Three students sitting at a round table working on their assignments.

Dual credit courses are offered through an agreement between high schools and universities whereby a high school junior or senior enrolls in a college course and simultaneously earns college credits and high school credits for selected courses.

Because these courses offer university credits, students with disabilities must register for accommodations through the university following the university’s guidelines, which differ from Texas Education Agency’s guidelines for high schools.

Requesting Accommodations

A high school student with a disability requesting accommodations for dual credit courses will need to contact Student Accessibility Services. Any student who is a minor will need their parent or guardian to participate in the request for accommodations process with Student Accessibility Services.

Hannah Cramer participates in a Summer Fellowship with Disability Rights Texas.

The Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act protects a student with a disability registered in a dual credit course. Provisions of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and a student’s Individualized Education Plan (IEP) used in high schools do not apply to post-secondary schools. IDEA does not apply when a high school student takes a dual credit course. Some accommodations at the university level differ from those given in high school.

Student Accessibility Services strives to provide access to educational opportunities for students with disabilities. Student Accessibility Services is designated to receive and maintain documents, certify eligibility of the student for accommodations, identify reasonable accommodations and develop plans for providing accommodations. All accommodations or services being requested must be supported by appropriate documentation. Accommodations are identified with each student on an individual basis each semester.

Nondiscrimination Compliance

St. Mary’s University is committed to compliance with the statutes and regulations of nondiscrimination due to disability conditions, in admission, treatment or access to its educational programs or activities. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) as amended (ADAAA) is a federal civil rights protection that seeks to assure equality of opportunity, full participation, independent living and economic self-sufficiency for disabled people. To achieve these objectives, the law prohibits covered entities from excluding people from jobs, services, activities or benefits based on disability.

Anti-Discrimination Law

The ADA is a federal civil rights protection that seeks to assure equality of opportunity, full participation, independent living and economic self-sufficiency for disabled people. To achieve these objectives, the law prohibits covered entities from excluding people from jobs, services, activities or benefits based on disability.

What is the Americans with Disabilities Act?

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act states that “No otherwise qualified handicapped individual in the United States… shall, solely by reason of… handicap, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.”

  • A “handicapped person” means any person who (i) has a physical or mental impairment which substantially limits one or more of such person’s major life activities; (ii) has a record of such impairment or (iii) is regarded as having such an impairment.
  • A “qualified person” is defined as one who meets the requisite academic and technical standards required for admission or participation in the postsecondary institution’s programs and activities. Section 504 protects the civil rights of individuals who are qualified to participate
What is section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973?
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