Providing an Accessible Campus for All
ACCESS is dedicated to achieving and promoting an accessible campus community to ensure that students of all abilities receive appropriate accommodations and equal opportunity to be successful at SIUE. We accomplish this goal through a variety of efforts:
- Receiving documentation of diagnosis presenting a major life impairment and evaluating it in order to determine the correct accommodations and resources you are entitled to receive
- Facilitating accommodations for students, while also directing them to other campus or off-campus groups that can provide additional assistance
- Working to educate the SIUE faculty and staff regarding the university’s and its employees' legal responsibilities regarding students with disabilities
- Working with academic units to provide academic modifications and waivers for students with disabilities which do not fundamentally alter those programs' standards
- Serving as an advocate for students with disabilities, working as a mediator with faculty over classroom issues, meeting with administrators regarding campus policies, and encouraging the University to expand its vision and policies regarding persons with disabilities
ACCESS operates as the bridge between the classroom and the stage on commencement day with a vision that students should not come to campus merely to attend, but to graduate. Every policy, procedure and resource implemented has been designed to promote self-advocacy and independence, and remove the gatekeepers to access as much as possible, leveling the playing field for all students.
Mission Statement
The Office for Accessible Campus Community and Equitable Student Support (ACCESS) provides reasonable accommodations to ensure that diverse learners have access to the University and its programs through proactive and intentional interventions, and resources and programming designed to meet federal compliance guidelines, while removing barriers, encouraging personal growth and increasing effective communication.
