Welcome to Disability Services

FAQs for Faculty and Instructors

Are you a faculty member or instructor new to issues of disability? Find out how to work with Disability Services, what to do when a student hands you an accommodation letter, useful definitions, roles and responsibilities, and more, in our FAQs for Faculty and Instructor.

The following is the recommended ADA Syllabus Statement. If you have another version you prefer, please contact the Disabilities Coordinator at 308-865-8214. To protect you and the students, it is required that you include this statement.

Students with Disabilities

Students with disabilities are encouraged to contact me for a confidential discussion of their individual needs for academic accommodation. It is the policy of the University of Nebraska at Kearney to provide flexible and individualized reasonable accommodation to students with documented disabilities. To receive accommodation services, students must be registered with UNK Disabilities Services Coordinator, David Brandt, in the Academic Success Office, 163 Memorial Student Affairs Building, 308-865-8214 or by email brandtdl@unk.edu.

To be eligible for disability-related services, an individual* must have a documented disabling condition as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), 1990. Disabilities served include physical and mental impairments that may include but are not limited to vision, hearing, mobility, learning, systemic, psychiatric, and brain injury. The University of Nebraska at Kearney requires documentation from an appropriate, licensed professional to certify individuals as having a disability. The cost of obtaining documentation will be borne by the individual. If the initial documentation is incomplete or inadequate to determine the extent of disability and appropriate accommodations, the University of Nebraska at Kearney will have the discretion to require supplemental assessment of disability. The cost of the supplemental assessment shall also be borne by the individual. If the University determines that a second professional opinion is warranted, the University shall bear that cost. Pending receipt of documentation, the University of Nebraska at Kearney reserves the right to deny services or accommodations.

* Individuals include faculty, staff, students and guests of the University of Nebraska at Kearney.

Teaching Students with Disabilities:

Universal Instructional Design

Learn how to make your classes more accessible to all students with in-depth information on the best practices for teaching students with disabilities.

UNK Employee Reasonable Accommodations

The University of Nebraska at Kearney is committed to providing any reasonable accommodations necessary to allow an individual with a disability to effectively and safely function in the work environment. The following are the procedures that shall be used to make those reasonable accommodations:

1) Employee completes a written request stating the accommodations he/she believes are necessary and permission to release medical documentation. (See "Request for Reasonable Accommodation Form")

2) Staff in the Human Resources Department will provide employee with a formal job description outlining the essential functions of the positions.

3) The individual making the request for accommodation shall provide health care professional(s) the signed release form for the purpose of requesting medical documentation and assistance in determining the appropriate accommodation(s) along with the formal job description. The health care professional(s) will be asked to fill out a form asking the following information: a medical or psychological diagnosis of the disability; documentation indicating the impact of the disability on major life activities; responses to specific questions concerning the accommodation; any other specific suggestions for accommodations not addressed in the letter or request. (See "Health Care Professional Statement Form")

4) Once the response(s) from the health care professional(s) is/are received, the Human Resource Director will create a possible accommodation plan that will be sent to the employee and the supervisor.

5) The employee and supervisor should meet as soon as possible after receiving the plan and discuss the accommodation plan. The Human Resources Director is available for consultation about possible accommodation solutions or available technology.

6) Once both the employee and supervisor agree upon the plan, the plan should be signed by both parties and returned to the Human Resources Director.

7) If an employee requires handicapped parking, please contact Parking Services at (308) 865-8367.