Access Services

Student Information

Getting Started

Follow the steps below to begin an interactive process where we talk through your disability and barriers you are experiencing. You will work with Access Services staff to explore appropriate accommodations and identify resources that may be beneficial to you.

1. Complete and Submit the New Student Intake and Accommodation Request Form

New Student Intake and Accommodation Request Form

Upon completion of this form, you will receive a confirmation email of your submission.

2. Schedule and Complete an Intake Meeting

Undergraduate Students: Schedule an appointment with an Access Service Specialist HERE.
SGPP Students: Schedule an appointment with an Access Service Specialist HERE.

Upon receipt of the registration form, a specialist from AS will contact you to schedule an intake meeting. Your specialist will be your direct point of contact with our office. This meeting can be done in person, by Zoom/ Google Meet, or by phone.

3. Submit Appropriate Documentation

On or before your intake meeting, please submit any documentation that is available to you using any of the following methods:

Sending via email to: accessservices@smumn.edu (Winona) or accessservicessgpp@smumn.edu (SGPP)
Faxing to 507-200-6554
Bringing the documentation to your appointment

Examples of documentation can include any of the following:

504 Plan from High School
Individualized Education Plan (IEP)
Diagnostic Summaries
Complete the Documentation Request Form that you can submit to your provider
The above list is not exhaustive. Please do send in any documentation you think is relevant.

If you wish to submit an alternate form of documentation, a statement or summary that includes any of the following information can help our office in determining an accommodation plan:

The current disability and the history of diagnosis (including relevant information about how the diagnosis was determined).
Anticipated prognosis (if applicable).
Specific symptoms, including frequency and severity.
The current treatment plan (if relevant to accommodation planning).
The extent of impact of the disability on major life activities (such as communicating, reading, writing, learning, working, walking, eating, breathing, etc.).
Any recommendations or strategies that would mitigate the impact of the disability (including any relevant history of accommodations used in the past).

Examples of qualified providers include, but are not limited to:

Physicians
Educational psychologists
Therapists
Mobility specialists
Rehabilitation counselors

Upon completion of your intake, Access Services will then review your documentation. Students will receive a response in a timely manner with one of the following application statuses:

Reasonable Accommodations Approved: when a student’s request for reasonable accommodations has been approved, the student will be notified next steps in finalizing the accommodations process.
More Information Needed: when a student’s request for reasonable accommodations cannot be approved due to the fact that additional information is needed to substantiate the need for reasonable accommodations, the student will be notified that they will need to schedule a follow-up meeting with their assigned access services specialist at their campus.
Application Not Approved: when a student’s request for reasonable accommodations is not approved, the specialist will contact the student to explain the rationale for the denial and discuss next steps, if applicable.

Please note that depending on your schedule and when documentation is received this process can sometimes take up to 30 days.

4. Accommodations Must Be Renewed Every Semester

Qualified students with disabilities that are registered with Access Services will each have a Notice of Accommodation (NoA) that lays out their approved accommodations. NoAs will be shared with faculty either directly by the student or in an email from Access Services, depending on the student’s preference, at the start of a new semester or term. Students must complete the Renewal of Approved Accommodations Request Form each semester in order for their NoA to be updated and shared with faculty.

Resources for Students

Student Rights

Every qualified Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota student with a disability has the right to:

Reasonable and efficient accommodations tailored to their disability, including auxiliary aids and services.
Equitable access to educational and extracurricular programs, services, activities, and facilities provided by SMU.
Fair and unbiased treatment, similar to that received by non-disabled students.
Confidentiality throughout the interactive process, which includes privacy surrounding documentation and disability status.
Information readily accessible in formats that accommodate their needs.
Appeal a decision concerning academic adjustments, accommodations and/or services according to Saint Mary’s University SMUMN Grievance and Appeal Process

First Year Students

Going from high school to college means significant differences in policies and procedures in regards to disability services and success. Educational rights in high school provided by IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) do not exist in college. Rather, colleges must comply with ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. It is important you know the difference between the rights you had in a K-12 setting and the rights you have in a post-secondary setting. Below is a resource to help you with this transition.

Differences Between High School and College Students with Disabilities

Students With Disabilities Preparing for Postsecondary Education

Assistive Technology

Below are some common assistive technology tools that students registered with Access Services utilize. This list is not exhaustive, as accommodations and necessary assistive technology tools are determined on an individual basis during the interactive process.

Read & Write

Text to speech and dictation software.
Click HERE to install Read & Write on your computer.
More information about Read & Write’s features can be found HERE
You can use Read & Write with Respondus Lockdown Browser ONLY if using a PC. It is not compatible with Mac computers. Check out this step-by-step tutorial on how to utilize Read & Write through Respondus Lockdown if you are using a PC.

OrbitNote