Parents and Families FAQs

You can find a list of campus resources that are available to all Mason students on our Resources page.

The Disability Services team is available to support members of the campus community in navigating disability related barriers. Students who need Disability Services support in addressing disability related barriers are responsible for reaching out to Disability Services for support. Our team is available to connect with the student to understand concerns and address navigating them as appropriate, this often does involve additional communication with campus partners.  

Disability Services also supports students through sharing about campus resources that may support the communicated disability related barriers.  

At the GMU Disability Services team members are available for continued support and collaboration with students, however students do need to lead this communication. This may be different than a high school when counselors are reaching out to students.  

An additional thing to note is that students are responsible for communicating with their professors regarding accommodations Disability Services does not proactively reach out to professors to notify them of a student’s accommodations. 

We welcome support system members to engage in our interactive process as is welcomed by the student. Any changes to accommodations, disability-related requests/concerns, and inquires for support need to be communicated by the student directly to Disability Services.

Information regarding the housing process through Disability Services can be found on our Housing Accommodations page.

Students can submit their IEP/504 plans and if further documentation is needed a Specialist will reach out via email to ask for further documentation. More information about documentation guidelines can be found in the Documentation Guidelines.

Students provide their professors an accommodation letter noting their accommodations. If the professors have any questions about accommodations Disability Services has placed their contact information on the letter so they can be reached directly by the professor. Of course, if the student or professor has concerns throughout the course either party can contact Disability Services.

Accommodations are established for individual students so there is no way to know exactly what a student will have as accommodations. Disability Services will work with each student individually to establish accommodations through their interactive process.

There is no cut off for when a student can request accommodations. They can connect with Disability Services at any point in their academic career, however accommodations are not retroactive so students are encouraged to contact Disability Services proactively.

Specific documentation is a case by case basis. You can find some guidance and information about documentation on our Documentation Guidelines page. You can always contact Disability Services directly with any questions or concerns at ods@gmu.edu or call 703-993-2474.

Students can connect with Disability Services at any point in their academic career. Accommodations are not retroactive though, so students are encouraged to connect with Disability Services and use their accommodations if/when they feel they need to throughout their academic career.

Disability Services patriciates in an interactive process with students and their support system to explore reasonable accommodations. Students will need to submit documentation of disability and engage in this interactive process, which includes a conversation about their disability related experiences in the academic, housing, and/or dining settings. After documentation is provided a student is typically meeting with Disability Services within 10-14 business days.  We encourage you to review our video on How To Register. Should you have any specific questions please contact Disability Services directly at ods@gmu.edu.  

At the college level disability accommodations are working to ensure access. Accommodations will not alter workload or contradict course objectives. 

High School	College/University
Laws:
IDEA Sections 504	ADA (1990) ADA Amendment Act (2008) Sections 504 Fair Housing Act
Documentation:
School provided evaluation(s) IEP (Individualized Education Program)/504 Plan	Student provides evaluation(s) IEP/504 Plan may not be only documentation needed
Parents/Guardians:
Receive updates on performance Have access to grades and other reports Advocate on behalf of child/student	Updates on performance provided by the student Access to grades or other reports provided by the student Student/child should be self-advocating and parent/guardian can provide support
Students:
The school identifies students with disabilities Parents identify their child/student with a disability	Students will need to self-identify with Disability Services and take responsibility for their accommodations Self-advocate and communicate their needs
School Support Services:
School is responsible for identifying students Supplies services and arranges accommodations	School provides services to students who self-identify after a review of documentation and an initial meeting through an interactive process with a Disability Services specialist
Teachers/Professors:
The teacher ensures that students have the correct accommodations	Students must provide Faculty Contact Sheet (accommodation letter) to professors each semester. Letters can be obtained after accommodations are established Students must inform professors when/how they will use their approved accommodations