Registered with the Office for Student Disability Resources

Students with disabilities at Penn State University have the right to: 

  • Full and equal access to courses, programs, services, activities, and facilities offered by Penn State University.
  • An equal opportunity to learn and to receive reasonable academic adjustments, auxiliary aids, and/or services.
  • Appropriate confidentiality of all information regarding the disability, except disclosures required or permitted by law.
  • Information in an accessible format.

Students with disabilities at Penn State University have the responsibility to: 

  • Meet qualifications and maintain essential institutional standards for courses, programs, services, activities, and facilities.
  • Identify as an individual with a disability when an academic adjustment, auxiliary aid, and/ or service is needed and to seek information and assistance as necessary.
  • Demonstrate or document (from an appropriate professional) how the disability limits participation in courses, programs, services, jobs, activities, and facilities.
  • Follow published policies and procedures for obtaining reasonable academic adjustments, auxiliary aids, and/or services.
  • Meet with the assigned OSDR Coordinator each semester so that appropriate academic adjustments, auxiliary aids, and/or services can be made in a timely manner.

Rights and Responsibilities of Penn State University in Relation to Students with Disabilities

Penn State University has the right to:

  • Establish essential functions, abilities, skills, knowledge and standards for courses, programs, services, and activities or facilities and to evaluate individuals with disabilities on this basis.
  • Determine the appropriate standards in developing, constructing, remodeling and maintaining facilities.
  • Request and receive, through OSDR, current documentation that confirms disability status and supports requests for academic adjustments, auxiliary aids, and/or services.
  • Deny a request for academic adjustments, auxiliary aids, and/or services if the documentation demonstrates that the request is not warranted, or if the individual fails to provide appropriate documentation.
  • Select among equally effective academic adjustments, auxiliary aids, and/or services.
  • Refuse an unreasonable academic adjustment, auxiliary aid, and/or service that imposes a fundamental alteration to a program or activity of the University.

Penn State University has the responsibility to: 

  • Provide information to students with disabilities in accessible formats upon request.
  • Ensure that courses, programs, services, activities, and facilities, when viewed in their entirety, are available and usable in the most integrated and appropriate settings.
  • Provide or arrange reasonable academic adjustments, auxiliary aids, and/or services for students with disabilities in courses.
  • Respond to requests in a timely manner.
  • Maintain appropriate confidentiality of all information regarding the disability, except disclosures required or permitted by law.