To establish disability and request accommodations, auxiliary aids, and/or services, students must self-disclose their disability with Disability Resources and Services (DRS). Students, not parents, are responsible for initiating contact and maintaining eligibility for DRS services.
- Apply for Services
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To apply for accommodations or services for your disability, please follow the required steps below:
Complete the Student Application
- The Student Application is intended to allow students to describe the impact of their disability/disabilities and request accommodations
- Be sure to include your PeopleSoft number in the Student ID section
- Your Pitt email address is required to complete the Student Application
Upload documentation of your disability according to the Documentation Guidelines. DRS will review all formats of documentation submitted.
You will receive an email indicating receipt of your student application and documentation.
Your application will be assigned to a Disability Specialist who will review your student application and documentation. You will be contacted by your assigned Disability Specialist regarding the next steps in the process.
If you encounter any difficulties or have questions regarding the process, please contact DRS at drsrecep@pitt.edu or (412) 648-7890. - How Eligibility for Accommodations is Determined
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Disability Resources & Services (DRS) uses a combination of information to determine a student's eligibility for services and reasonable accommodations.
This includes but is not limited to a student's submission of an application and documentation, participation in the interactive process with a specialist, and insight from relevant faculty or University staff, when applicable.
Ensuring that accommodations provide effective access requires a deliberative and collaborative process that is responsive to the unique experience of each individual, as advised by the Americans with Disabilities Act and the amendments to the ADA.
Documentation is reviewed by examining the unique functional limitations posed by a student's disability and how this supports the need for reasonable accommodations.
Documentation of a specific disability does not directly translate into specific accommodations. Instead, reasonable accommodations are determined on a case-by-case and course-by-course basis.
Documentation of specific recommended accommodations does not automatically guarantee the approval of those accommodations.
- Definition of a Reasonable Accommodation
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A reasonable accommodation is one that is:
- Necessary to ensure that the campus environment, academic requirements, and/or technical standards do not have a discriminating effect on the basis of disability
- Necessary to ensure a student’s meaningful participation and equal opportunity to benefit from institutional offerings as their peers without disabilities
- Logically connected to the functional impact of a student’s disability in academics and/or the campus environment
- Effective in removing an identified institutional barrier to access
A reasonable accommodation must not:
- Constitute a substantial change to an essential element of a curriculum or program
- Constitute a substantial alteration to the manner in which a service is provided
- Pose an undue hardship to the University
- Result in a risk to the health or safety of others
- Confidentiality and FERPA
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Review policies and procedures regarding confidentiality, the release of information from a student’s file, and student rights under The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).
- Documentation Guidelines
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Documentation of a disability is required to receive accommodations at the University. Review guidelines, types of documentation accepted, and request forms.
- Temporary Conditions
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Information about temporary conditions and resources and supports that are available.
- Transition Resources
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Resources and information for students transitioning from high school to the University setting.