Toto, I have a feeling > Meeting the Standards
Understanding this phrase is critical to understanding the distinction between a civil right and an entitlement. Put bluntly, it's legal for a student with a disability to flunk out of college. There is no guarantee of success. Civil rights laws do not mandate a safety net. Students with disabilities must perform at the level that their academic and professional programs expect of all students. The University will strive to level the playing field, but ultimately the student's work must be their own and be of a satisfactory quality.
In addition to guaranteeing civil rights to reasonable accommodations, the ADA also guarantees any individual with a disability the absolute right to refuse any accommodation. That means that DSS doesn't make sure that a student requests accommodations. In fact, DSS doesn't determine these unilaterally in typical cases.
While coordinators rely heavily on documentation of the disability when determining accommodations, they also draw the student into a discussion of functional limitations and possible strategies. If a student doesn't request an accommodation, however, the consequences of that action belong to the student.
The care and concern parents and teachers show students in public schools, ensuring they have services and make use of them, would be viewed in the adult world as paternalism and unwarranted interference. While it is perfectly OK and legitimate for parents and other important people to influence some decisions for children, adults make their own choices.
The bottom line, then, is that students with disabilities must perform at satisfactory levels in their academic pursuits at UM-Missoula. If they do not request reasonable accommodations and perform poorly without them, their civil rights have not been violated. The student must then live with the consequences of unsatisfactory academic performance.
