Office of Disability and Accessibility Support Services

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) defines a disability as a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities. For a college student, these major life activities include class time, homework, labs, and testing. Disabilities can vary widely, some might be easily recognizable while many are invisible. All are valid, and supported at Baker College.

Reasonable accommodations are modifications or adjustments made that remove a barrier faced by someone with a disability, allowing them an equitable college experience. At Baker College, we provide accommodations to guarantee that all students—whether undergraduate, graduate, transfer, or visiting—have access to equal opportunities in academic, housing, and experiential learning environments.

A FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act) form is a legal document that allows the student to decide who Baker College is allowed to disclose academic information to. Disability Services will need a FERPA form on file giving us permission to discuss accommodations or any disability services information with anyone outside of the student themselves.

The “interactive process” is the process disability services goes through with a student during an intake meeting. This means we are working together, taking into account the students’ experiences and barriers, any doctor’s recommendations, as well as college or campus policy to decide on reasonable accommodations that will best support the student.

The Office of Disability Services also supports students with injuries or illnesses that are long lasting, but not chronic or permanent. This could mean a broken bone, a concussion, or another injury or illness that extends past a 6- week duration.