DSS has an online student services platform called “Accommodate” Students, with their Net ID and Password, can login to Accommodate to register for services, request additional services, schedule appointments with DSS staff, and students who are receiving testing accommodations can book testing rooms.
Who is Eligible for Disability Support Services?
According to Section 3 of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), the term "disability" means, with respect to an individual,
- having a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more of the major life activities of such individual;
- having a record of such an impairment; or
- being regarded as having such an impairment.
If you would like to request services:
Complete a Student Application for Services and send it to Disability Support Services.
Disability Support Services asks students who register for services to present paperwork that describes their disability and its impact on educational experiences. If no paperwork or disability documentation exists, students are encouraged to contact DSS to discuss documentation and accommodation options.
Documentation of disability provides a valuable tool for understanding how university courses, systems and facilities may present barriers and for planning strategies, including reasonable accommodations, which will facilitate access.
Disability Support Services staff uses documentation to augment information gained through conversations with students, to establish the presence of a disability and, when necessary, to support the reasonableness of requested accommodations.
Students should be aware that other universities may have different documentation guidelines and that testing agencies (which administer standardized tests such as the GRE and LSAT) require extensive documentation.
Documentation of your disability can be sent to the DSS office for review. Have your doctor complete one or both of the forms below:
Documentation Form (Physical, Deaf/Hard of Hearing, Blind/Low Vision, etc.)
Students can schedule in-person or Virtual appointments with DSS staff by Logging in to “Accommodate”
Visit our DSS Student Handbook for more information.
What are Reasonable Accommodations in an Online Class?
That depends upon your disability and your limitations, but the most often requested accommodations for online classes are extra time for taking tests (generally one and a half times the normal testing time), captioned videos, and textbooks in an audio format. Your limitations, as discussed with the Director and/or Coordinator and described in your documentation, help determine what accommodations are appropriate for you. Accommodations must be requested EVERY semester.
Students do not need to reapply for DSS services after they have completed the DSS application process. However, students must notify DSS via the “Semester Request” process that they will be using accommodations. Online students with testing accommodations must request accommodations for each class each semester. “Semester Request” and testing accommodations can both be found in “Accommodate” by clicking here.
Contact DSS
Greg Gerard, Interim Director greg.gerard@msubillings.edu
DSS Website https://www.msubillings.edu/dss
University Campus (406) 657-2283 -- Video phone (406) 545-2518
City College Campus (406) 247-3029 -- Video phone (406) 545-1026
FAX (406) 657-1658