Disability Services & Resources

Prospective Students

Thank you for taking the time to look at UMD and the services we provide to students with disabilities. Hopefully you find the information you need listed here. Feel free to contact us at any time if you have questions. And definitely take the time to visit our campus and us. It's totally accessible from the Res Halls to the academic buildings.
-Penny Cragun, Director (pcragun@umn.edu or 218-726-8727)

UMD Admission information
Transition from High School to College
Documentation
Requesting Services from DS&R
Housing
Parking
Scholarships
Financial Aid
New student orientation program 2007-2008

Other information of interest:

• Answers to your questions
• 2007 Financial Aid for Individuals with
  Disabilities
• Myths, False Assumptions & Requests NOT considered Reasonable

New Students and Transfer Students

Students and parents interested in UMD should contact Penny Cragun, Director of Disability Services & Resources, for more information about services, disability, access and UMD: pcragun@umn.edu or call (218)726-8727.

The following letters and pamphlets were released or revised in March, 2007 and contain very useful information about transition to post-secondary education for students with disabilities.

• Students with Disabilities Preparing for Postsecondary Education
  http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/transition.html
• Transition of Students With Disabilities To Postsecondary Education: A Guide for High School Educators
  http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/transitionguide.html
• Dear Parent letter from Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Stephanie Monroe
  http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/letters/parent-20070316.html
• Dear Colleague letter from Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Stephanie Monroe
  http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/letters/colleague-20070316.html

Admission - Specific Admission information can be found on their home page. Students with disabilities follow the same admission criteria that other students do. However if there are extenuating circumstances that should be considered in the admission process, a student with a disability can submit a letter explaining his/her situation along with documentation of disability and the application will be reviewed by Disability Services & Resources and Admisssions staff.

 

Scholarship Program:

In recognition of outstanding academic achievements, the University of Minnesota Duluth offers a number of academic scholarships for incoming freshmen. View information regarding the University of Minnesota Founder's Opportunity Program. Disabilty Services & Resources also has access to the Marcia Bevard-Kulick and Harry Oden scholarships.

Students who seek accommodations at the University of Minnesota Duluth must provide documentation from appropriate licensed professionals to Disability Services & Resources. This information assists in determining if the student has a disability and is therefore eligible to receive reasonable accommodations. The following guidelines are not intended to prescribe or dictate how a condition is diagnosed, but rather to serve as a guide to understanding what information is needed by Disability Services & Resources, and why.

Disability Services & Resources counselors are available to consult with any potential student regarding documentation needs or to better understand these guidelines. Some individuals may have already obtained some type of documentation because it was necessary for other purposes (for example, an evaluation may have been done as part of an "IEP" in secondary school); others must begin the process when the first contact is made with Disability Services.

The cost of obtaining documentation is borne by the student. Disability Services & Resources may require additional information if the initial documentation is inadequate to determine the extent of the disability or to support the need for requested accommodations; the cost of this additional documentation is also borne by the student. If Disability Services & Resources desires a second professional opinion, DS&R bears the cost.

Advance planning is often necessary to have certain accommodations in place when needed, so it's best to address questions and concerns early in the process. To arrange a consultation with a Disability Services & Resources counselor, call 218-726-8217 (v) or 218-726-7380 (TTY).

In general, the documentation should:

• Be provided by the licensed professional, qualified in the appropriate specialty area; the report should be on letterhead, dated and signed.
  
• Include both diagnostic information and an explanation of the current functional limitations of the condition. It should be thorough enough to indicate whether or not a major life activity is "substantially limited," that is, it should explain what the extent, duration, and impact of the condition is.
  
• In most cases, it should be relatively recent; a suggested guideline is less than 3 years old. Documentation of conditions that are permanent or non-varying (e.g., a sensory disability) may not need to be recent, but some chronic and/or changing conditions require even more current information to provide an accurate picture of functioning.
  
• Be detailed enough to support the accommodations that are being requested. Accommodations are determined by assessing the impact of the person's disability on academic or work performance.
  
• For a variable or progressive condition, include the degree and range of functioning.
  
• Address the impact of medication or other treatments on major life activities.