Interested in Registering with SDS?
Butler students with a disability who would like to request an accommodation must report their disability directly to Student Disability Services (SDS). Reporting the disability to any other department or representative of the University will not initiate the official procedure needed to establish eligibility for support services. All disability information is kept completely confidential within SDS; the office will not share any information outside of the department without the express consent of the student.
Early disclosure of a disability has been found to be a positive indicator for academic success. Thus, the disability is best disclosed immediately after acceptance to the University. Additionally, early disclosure allows sufficient time to develop accommodations if they are found to be needed. Accommodation requests cannot be considered until the student has submitted the appropriate documentation to SDS and has also engaged in an interactive discussion with an appropriate SDS staff member.
Butler University is committed to treating all individuals within the university, including those with disabilities, in a fair and equitable manner. It is the policy and practice of the university to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Under these laws, no otherwise qualified individual with a disability will be denied access to or participation in services, programs, and activities at Butler University. See below for information on documentation requirements and the process for establishing eligibility for accommodations.
Current and Accepted Butler Students
Students can begin the registration process by completing an SDS Interest Form.
Upon logging in, select Accommodations > SDS Interest Form from the menu on the left side of the screen.
This applies to current Butler students as well as incoming students who have received their Butler acceptance and a Butler email and password.
Other Prospective Butler Students
If you are not yet a Butler student but are considering Butler and would like to begin the process of discussing disability accommodations, please email sds@butler.edu. SDS staff will direct you to an alternative interest form. Please note this applies only to prospective students who do not yet have a Butler email and log-in.
Summary of Procedure for Students
- Complete the SDS Interest Form and Submit documentation.
- Discuss eligible accommodations with SDS in a one on one meeting.
- Sign permission to inform university personnel.
- Accommodation letter received by university personnel.
- Request accommodations and give one week advance notice (when applicable)
A student establishes eligibility by submitting the appropriate written documentation to the office of Student Disability Services (SDS) and engaging in an individualized interview with SDS staff, during which reasonable accommodations are determined. Support services do not include services/equipment of a personal nature. Students who wish to request accommodations must give written permission for SDS to inform professors and other relevant university personnel that they are a person with a documented disability.
Once a student with a disability is enrolled in courses, the following sequence of events should occur to receive approved accommodations:
- SDS issues a letter of notification to the student’s professors of record each semester. This letter verifies that the student has a documented disability. It also delineates the suggested accommodations. Due to confidentiality issues, specific information about the disability is not generally included. A professor is only required to make available the accommodations that are delineated within the letter of notification issued by SDS.
- It is the student’s responsibility to inform SDS promptly when additional accommodation letters are needed due to a course schedule change, instructor change, or if enrolled in a class with multiple instructors.
- Students who wish to request accommodations are asked to give at least one-week advance notice to allow time for the necessary arrangements to be made. Otherwise, accommodations may not be able to be delivered in a timely manner. Although every attempt will be made to honor requests made on short notice, requests made with less than one week notice increase the likelihood that the necessary space, equipment, and resources needed may not be available.
- It is always the student’s right to refuse to request accommodations. However, a professor is not liable if the student fails to make timely arrangements and then performs poorly in the course.
- If a problem develops, immediately notify SDS at 317-940-9308. If, as the semester progresses, the student feels additional accommodations are warranted, the student should contact SDS at 317-940-9308. Unless otherwise notified, the assumption will be made that the semester is progressing successfully.
- Before an individualized discussion to determine accommodations can take place, SDS must receive and review the student’s documentation. Please keep this lead time in mind when submitting documentation. It may be up to two weeks between the time a student submits documentation and an SDS staff member is able to meet for individualized discussion.
- A diagnosis itself is not always indicative of a disability; the condition must substantially limit one or more major life activity; this is why it is important for the documentation to be clear on the specific functional limitations a student is experiencing as a result of the disability.
- Requests will be considered on an individualized case by case basis. Because “not all students with a similar handicap benefit equally from an identical auxiliary aid or service” ( U.S. Department of Education, 1991) the documentation will serve as a foundation to substantiate the need for the requested adjustment.
- If the documentation substantiates the need for accommodations, a plan of assistance will be developed in conjunction with an individualized discussion with the student.
- See Documentation Guidelines for specific information on what documentation is required and how to submit it to SDS.
The University facilitates assistance for individuals with a variety of disabilities, including, but not limited to students with:
- hearing loss
- visual impairment
- learning disabilities
- chronic medical conditions
- attention deficit disorder
- mobility impairments
- psychiatric/emotional disabilities
Support services are individualized and developed on a case-by-case basis. Specific adjustments are determined by academic history and the diagnostic data reported in the written documentation. Services might include, but are not limited to:
- access to speech recognition software systems
- assistance with note taking
- assistance with text in alternative format
- alternative test arrangements
- extended time on examinations
- assistance with self-advocacy
- individual and group support services
- assistive technology support
- course substitutions
- relocation of class to an accessible site, if needed
(Support services do not include services/equipment of a personal nature.)