Student Disability Services

Welcome to Student Disability Services office at UConn, Stamford. We welcome all students studying at the Stamford Campus during the school year as well as summer sessions to visit our office to discuss how we might help them towards academic success and campus participation.The University of Connecticut is committed to achieving equal educational opportunity and full participation for persons with disabilities. It is the policy that no qualified person be excluded from participating in any University program or activity, be denied the benefits of any University program or activity, or otherwise be subjected to discrimination with regard to any University program or activity. This policy derives from the commitment to non-discrimination for all persons in employment, access to facilities, student programs, activities and services.Achieving full participation and integration of people with disabilities requires the cooperative efforts of the departments, offices and personnel. To this end, the University will continue to strive to achieve excellence in its services and to assure that its services are delivered equitably and efficiently to all of its members.

The ADA and Section 504

The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) and Section 504 of the Federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973 were developed to help individuals with disabilities avoid discrimination based on their disability status. These laws provide guidelines for public and private agencies to provide access to individuals with disabilities. The ADA upholds and extends the standards covered in Section 504, and is thus more comprehensive and broader in scope. It offers civil rights protections to individuals with disabilities and provides a definition of what constitutes a disability and on what a reasonable accommodation is in terms of providing equal access.

Assurance of equal educational opportunity rests upon legal foundations established by federal law, specifically the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 including Section 504, and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. By federal law, a person with a disability is any person who: 1. has a physical or mental impairment; 2. has a record of such impairment; or 3. is regarded as having such an

impairment which substantially limits one or more major life activities such as self-care, walking, seeing, hearing, speaking, breathing, or learning.

A person with a disability is anyone with a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, such as walking, seeing, learning, hearing, speaking, or breathing. A person is also protected under the ADA if he or she has a record of a disability or is regarded as having a disability and is thus discriminated against. It is important to know that disabilities can be both visible and hidden. That is, many disabilities may not be obvious to an observer. These can include epilepsy, diabetes, and certain vision-based disabilities. People can also have multiple disabilities, such as an individual who is both legally blind and hard-of-hearing.

Student Confidentiality

Intake  forms and medical documentation will be kept on file in the Disability Services office at UConn Stamford and Storrs. Access to these files will be limited. Specific information on a student’s disability will only be shared with the student’s written permission and/or on a need-to-know basis. This information does not become part of a student’s transcript or permanent record.  Students with questions about confidentiality should contact the Disability Services Coordinator.