Disclosing Disability Information
Disability information includes any written or oral communication about a student’s disability, along with the documentation submitted to the Accessible Educational Services Office (AES) by the student to verify their disability. Letters of accommodation, written notes, e-mail correspondence, and conversations between the student and AES staff are also considered disability information.
Students requesting services from AES acknowledge that they understand that the provision of services may involve AES staff disclosing disability information about me with appropriate university personnel involved with the delivery of services. The decision as to what information to disclose and under what circumstances is determined on a case-by-case basis. Such decisions must necessarily balance the student’s right to confidentiality with the University’s need to know and share relevant information to provide services and accommodations. It is AES policy to disclose a minimal amount of disability information.
Disclosure can range from minimum to full communication of disability information. Minimum communication is necessary to provide almost any type of service. A Letter of Accommodation to a student’s instructor is a form of minimum communication in that it does indicate that the student has a disability. Still, it does not state the nature of the disability. Responding to a faculty member’s question concerning implementing a student’s testing accommodation would also be an example of minimal disclosure.
A more comprehensive disclosure of disability information would be when AES identifies the student’s particular disability with a faculty member and the functional impact of the disability. This may be done to assist the faculty member in better understanding the student’s needs and how to implement an accommodation. AES will not provide full disclosure of disability documentation without the student’s written consent or as otherwise permitted by state or federal law.
