What are my responsibilities?

You are responsible for:

• Providing the required documentation of your disability to the office for students with disabilities.
• Setting up meetings to access the supports and resources available through the office for students with disabilities . Remember that some accommodations – for example, textbooks in an alternate format or the services of a sign-language interpreter – may require extra time to arrange.
• Meeting the requirements and deadlines you agree to with staff at the office for students with disabilities.
• Managing your time - class work, attendance and study time. Although staff at the office for students with disabilities will provide reasonable educational accommodations, you are responsible for your academic success.

It is a personal choice if you want to share information about your disability with others.

However, if you require educational accommodations in college or university, you need to disclose your disability to a counsellor in the office for students with disabilities. They can set up the accommodations and provide other support. You should talk to them as early as possible.

It is up to you whether you want to share information about your disability with anyone else, such as your professors or your peers. Although you should discuss your accommodations with your professors, you do not have to disclose your disability to them.

You need to advocate for yourself.  Talk to your disability counsellor, who will work with you and your educators to ensure that the appropriate disability accommodations and services are in place. 

You may also ask for a referral to a local community agency or organization that can help support you.

Parents and other guardians should support their son or daughter with the transition into postsecondary education.

• Help your son or daughter identify the resources he or she will need to succeed and how to access them.
• Support your son or daughter as he or she develops and strengthens their self-advocacy skills. Often, he or she will have to deal independently with any issues that arise at college or university. Knowing how to self-advocate is crucial.
• Talk with your son or daughter to find out how involved he or she wants you to be – and respect his or her choices. Because most students are over 18, staff at the disability services office must have a student’s permission to disclose information to others, including their parents. Talk with your child to establish an information-sharing arrangement you are all comfortable with.

You are required to accommodate students with disabilities as determined by the student and the disability counsellor at your institution’s office for students with disabilities. You need to know the type of accommodations to provide, but not the nature of the disability.