Disability Services

Students are encouraged to see our selection of general scholarships from Montana Tech's Financial Aid office. We may also be able to nominate a student with a 3.0 or above GPA who plans to start at Tech in a fall semester for the Teresa Haven Scholarship for Students with Disabilities. 

Other financial opportunities for students may include: American Indian tuition waiver, Award Montana, Helena College, Montana State University, Reach Higher Montana, Senior Citizen tuition waiver, and the Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE).

Yes.

Students may bring service animals, so long as they are trained or in-training. Students are welcome to submit documentation or registration cards, but they are not required. Federal law dictates that service animals may be present anywhere on campus and in the residence halls, so long as the area is safe for them and they do not cause distruptions, damage, or injuries.

For those in Butte, we recommend contacting Mountain West Psychological Services, Western Montana Mental Health Center, We Care Behavioral Health, Aware, Inc., or Psychiatric Consultants, Inc. as a starting point. If you don't have insurance to cover medical appointments, we provides student health insurance through Blue Cross Blue Shield.

Other organizations that may be helpful to you include Ability Montana, Disability Rights Montana, Montana Disability and Health Program, Rocky Mountain ADA Center, Southwest Montana Aging and Disability Services, and Vocational Rehabilitation.

Student Rights

• You have the right to equal access and participation in all campus programs, activities, housing, academics, dining, employment, and events.
• You have the right to request an accommodation that does not place an undue burden or fundamentally alter a course or program for consideration by Disability Services by engaging in an interactive process.
• You have the right to report a campus accessibility barrier for the instutition to address.
• You have a right to file a grievance if you believe you have been discriminated against on the basis of your disability.
• You have a right to bring a trained service animal on campus.
• You have the right to privacy. All services are confidential unless you have given your written consent.

Student Responsibilities

• You are responsible for contacting Disability Services to request accommodations or notify us if an accommodation has not been implemented.
• You are responsible for submitting documentation from a qualifed professional to recieve accommodations.
• You are responsible for informing instructors of any conflicts related to your disability before or when they occur (i.e. arriving late, missing class, an assignment, and/or an exam) and for making up all missed work.
• You are prohibited from sharing classroom materials gained as a result of a note-taking accommodation (e.g. recording lectures, receiving instructor notes, etc.). 
• You must follow all relevant policies if you are bringing an assistance animal into campus housing. For students with service animals, such animals must be trained.

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) defines a person with a disability as someone who has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities. This includes anyone who has a record of such an impairment, even if she or he does not currently have a disability, and people who do not have a disability but are regarded as having one.

Yes.

By law, fully trained service animals as well as service animals-in-training are allowed anywhere on campus, including academic buildings, labs, workstations, grounds, and residence halls. You may not ask for documentation from the student to verify her or his need for a service animal. You may, however, ask if the dog is a service animal required because of a disability, and what work or task has the dog been trained to perform.

It is illegal for anyone to pretend an untrained animal is a service animal. Service animals (dogs or miniature horses) must be trained. If a service animal is disruptive or destructive, you may ask the student to remove the animal until it learns to behave. Students are expected to make good judgement calls on whether or not a lab or workstation is dangerous to their service animal.

Of course. Faculty are encouraged to add the following statement to their syllabi:

Montana Tech provides reasonable accommodations to students with diagnosed disabilities. Contact Disability Services at 406-496-4428 or sgoodell@mtech.edu to discuss accommodations and obtain an Accommodation Letter. Once you receive your letter, please meet with me to discuss your access needs.

Glad you asked! Here are some easy steps faculty can take to improve their courses and make them accessible to all students.

• Alternative Assessment Methods
• Classroom Seating Arrangements
• Easy Electronic Accessibility
• Instructional Materials Checklist

Other simple steps include:

• Releasing your syllabi at least a week early on Moodle.
• Consider setting dates for assignments and exams, posting clear office hours, and helpful campus resources like tutoring and career services.

Faculty and Staff Rights

• You have the right to maintain the fundamental nature of your course
• You have the right to request verification of a student’s eligibility for academic accommodations
• You have the right to require students demonstrate their knowledge of crucial course content
• You have the right to negotiate an accommodation with Disability Services if the accommodations seems unreasonable

Faculty and Staff Responsibilities

• You are responsible for sharing information on how students can get accommodations. An accommodation statement should be included on every syllabus. I will be posting a sample accommodation statement on our webpage.
• You are responsible for working with students with disabilities to make reasonable accommodations in a timely manner
• You are responsible for maintaining confidentiality

Short answer: Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires that Montana Tech, as a public entity, make our programs and activities accessible to all students and visitors to campus. 

Long answer: In 1948, a serviceman tried to return to college after World War II ended, only to be denied re-entry because the administration believed a paraplegic was incapable of completing schoolwork. However, faculty advocated on his behalf, and he went on to earn a PhD.

It was the help provided by institutions across the U.S. for veterans seeking an education under the G.I. Bill that set the precedence for what we now know as disability accommodations. If students could face the horrors of war and survive, why can't they also survive academia (with some reasonable adjustments)?