About the Student Accommodations Process

Minnesota State University, Mankato is legally required to determine and provide reasonable accommodations for disability-related barriers encountered by qualified students with disabilities. Accessibility Resources is the office on campus tasked with maintaining compliance and ensuring the University does not inadvertently discriminate against a student with a disability.

A student has the right to keep private their status as an individual with a disability. However, to receive accommodations, they must request accommodations through Accessibility Resources. For those who are seeking an accommodation plan, there are three steps:

1. The student logs into MavAccess Student Portal with their Star ID and completes the New Student Application.
2. The student schedules a one-hour intake interview with an Accessibility Resources staff member (their Access Coordinator) to discuss their experiences, needs, and barriers related to their disability. 
3. The student provides Accessibility Resources with relevant information that speaks to their experiences with their disability. This includes sources like the student's self-report, their observations while speaking with the student, and third-party documentation.
   • While documentation of a condition from a third-party source is helpful, by law it is not required to start the accommodation process.
   • Students who do not have access to documentation are still encouraged to apply for accommodations, as Accessibility Resources staff will work with them to make sure there is enough information to make a sound decision.

With the totality of information gathered, the staff member determines the student's eligibility for disability-related accommodations, identifies barriers to learning due to the disability, and develops a tailored plan of reasonable accommodations to address those barriers. Students are afforded an interactive process in this determination. Note: the interactive process is not a negotiation. The student shares information, the staff member processes it, and then connects accommodations to directly address the specific barriers. AR staff are diligent in maintaining the balance between equal access and undue burden.

If the student believes there was an error or disagrees with a decision, they are allowed to contact their Access Coordinator to express new information that shows a need for edits. If they still disagree, they may contact the Senior Director for Accessibility Resources and ADA Coordinator, Carine Omole.