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UNT University of North Texas

Apply for Services

For documentation requirements by disability, including learning, emotional, and physical disabilities, see Disability Specific Information.

IMPORTANT: Since UNT, UNT Dallas, and the UNT Health Science Center are separate campuses and have their own disability service offices, you must apply for services at each campus where you are enrolled. The UNT Denton ODA does not make accommodation recommendations for classes held at UNT Dallas or the UNT Health Science Center and has no supervisory role over these offices. If you need accommodations for classes held at the UNT Dallas campus, go to http://dallas.unt.edu/student-life/disability-services/disabilityaccommodation-forms. For accommodations at the UNT Health Science Center, go to https://www.hsc.unt.edu/Departments/StudentAffairs/CAP/disabilityaccommodations.cfm.

To Apply for Services

Please keep in mind that the process below must be completed before the ODA can provide any services or make any recommendations to faculty on your behalf. On average, the process takes at least two weeks to complete, but if your documentation does not meet all the requirements listed on the documentation page the process will be delayed.

  1. Optional

    Contact the ODA to schedule an "Information Meeting" with an ODA Counselor. In this meeting, we will listen to your concerns and help you decide on pursuing formal accommodations with our office. The counselor will explain what sort of documentation will be required for your disability and refer you to resources where you can obtain such documentation. Often, we are able to refer students to resources on campus that can provide immediate assistance for a wide range of issues, including financial, personal, medical and academic. However, official accommodations do not begin until the remaining steps of this process are complete. As noted, step one is optional. If you already have documentation, you may start with the next step.

  2. Required

    If you decide to pursue formal accommodations, submit your documentation to the ODA in person, by mail or by fax (940) 369-7969 with the ODA application for services. Documentation is reviewed weekly..

  3. Required

    After your documentation is reviewed, you will receive a phone call from the ODA support staff. They will ask you to come to our office for the next ODA group orientation session. The ODA group orientation is strongly encouraged because the group format typically allows you to complete the ODA registration process earlier, receive the letters of accommodation your professors require faster, and will enable you to interact with other students who may be receiving similar accommodations to share strategies. However, if you are not comfortable with the ODA group orientation you may request an individual orientation appointment. NOTE: The support staff will not be able to discuss the results of the documentation review. You will also receive written notification of the results of the documentation review. This notification will state whether or not your documentation was sufficient or if more information is required.

  4. Required

    You must attend the ODA group orientation session or an individual ODA orientation. If you are more than 15 minutes late, you may be asked to reschedule. If more information is required, you will you will be informed how to go about acquiring the additional information but you will not be eligible for ODA orientation. You must resubmit your documentation with this updated information in order to proceed.

If your documentation was determined to be sufficient for the ODA to provide accommodations, you will receive a letter of accommodation after attending the ODA group or individual orientation. You must then take this letter to your instructors and discuss the accommodations before they can be implemented. It is your responsibility to take the letters to your professors. Your accommodations begin once you have discussed them with your instructors. They are not retroactive and cannot be applied to any previous tests, quizzes, assignments, absences or coursework.

Remember, you must complete the Accommodation Request Form (pdf), or submit the request online to receive your accommodation letters each semester.

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Top 6 Things To Remember About Your Accommodations at UNT

  1. You must request your accommodation letters from the ODA the first week of every semester and then hand deliver them to your instructors before your accommodations become active. Give them to your professors during their office hours, NOT in the class room. Print an Accommodation Request Form, and submit the form to the ODA. Your letters will be ready to pick up within 48 hours.
  2. TIME...Request your accommodation letters early, schedule your tests at least 5 business days in advance and 3 weeks for finals and midterms. Submit requests for alternative formats as soon as you register for classes.
  3. It is your responsibility to let us know if something is not working. We can't help if we don't know.
  4. Use the resources we have referred you to on campus. They work!
  5. If you have any questions, or if you feel that your accommodations are not effective, let us know; call, email, make an appointment. Again, we can't help if we don't know!
  6. Please help us keep our campus as accessible as possible. If you notice elevators out of service, poorly maintained curb cuts or any other access barriers, please contact us at (940) 565-4323.

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Documentation Guidelines

Students requesting a reasonable accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) must provide the following information to the Office of Disability Accommodation (ODA) from his or her physician, educational diagnostician, licensed psychologist, psychiatrist, or other qualified professional. Documentation received will be considered in determining whether a student is disabled as defined by the ADA, and therefore entitled to reasonable accommodation.

To simplify the process the following forms may be used for the some types of disabilities or a formal letter may be created as long as it contains all of the elements listed below:

Note: Documentation of a learning disability (dyslexia, writing disorders, math disorders etc.) may not be completed using a form or letter. Psychological testing will be required, and students needing accommodations for learning disabilities should make an appointment with an ODA counselor prior to seeking documentation.

The information provided should include:

Only upon receipt of documentation will the student be considered for reasonable accommodation. Documentation will be viewed in both a historical and current context, but providing documentation does not automatically qualify student for accommodations through ODA. For example, some educational diagnostic reports (such as Admission Review Dismissal, or A.R.D., reports and 504 Plans) and medical reports (physician's release to return to work) are not considered independently sufficient in determining accommodation, but will be considered with other supporting documents.

Documentation should be submitted on office letterhead with the signature and credentials of qualified professional. Once ODA receives the documentation, it becomes part of the student's educational record and is protected under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act.

Any questions from the physician/diagnostician may be directed to an ODA Counselor at (940) 565-4323, fax (940) 369-7969, or TTY (940) 369-8652.

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Grievance Procedure

Faculty, staff, students, or members of the public who believe they have been discriminated against under the terms of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 or the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 are encouraged to call the matter to the attention of the immediate supervisor of the area in which the problem exists, i.e. the department head or ADA liaison. Failing satisfactory resolution, the issue should be taken to the Division of Equity and Diversity. Once a written complaint has been filed with the Division of Equity and Diversity, an official investigation will be conducted.

Grievance Procedure [pdf]

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