New KSU Students

If you are an undergraduate or graduate student enrolled in courses at the Kent Campus and are requesting disability-related accommodations, your first step is to connect with SAS. We encourage you to connect with SAS prior to the start of your first semester.

If you are a student at a Kent State regional campus, your first step is to connect with the SAS office at your primary campus. If you are already connected with SAS at any campus, you do not need to schedule an appointment with another campus to be able to use your accommodations. Since campus processes may be different, it is helpful to schedule a short consultation with SAS at any campus you're taking classes. 

If you are a student at Kent State University College of Podiatric Medicine, connect with SAS at KSUCPM.

Getting Connected with SAS

1. Complete our Student Application and Upload Documentation

  • Your first step is to tell us a little about yourself using the Access KSU student application. 
  • Please upload your disability documentation to your student application. Alternatively, you can email your disability documentation to sas@kent.edu if you have difficulty uploading it.
  • To learn more about documentation requirements visit SAS Documentation Guidelines, or download the disability documentation form. This form is just one way that your medical provider can provide you with disability documentation.

2. Receive Follow Up from SAS

  • We'll follow up with you if additional information is needed. You may be asked to schedule an appointment to provide further information.  
  • When your connection with SAS is complete you will receive an email providing you with information about your accommodations.  

3. Request Accommodations (via Access KSU)

At the beginning of every semester, you should notify your instructors about your accommodations. You can do this by requesting your Course Accessibility Letters (CALs) in Access KSU. Once you've submitted your requests, CALs will be emailed to your instructors. Please note that accommodations are not typically provided retroactively, so it's important to request your CALs before the semester begins. 

 

How does SAS determine accommodations?

SAS determines accommodations based on individual students' needs. We get information about students in three ways: a welcome meeting, the Access KSU student application, and information from your high school or other providers. We may ask for documentation from a mental health or medical provider if we need more information.

What is a welcome meeting?

A welcome meeting is a student's first meeting with SAS and is typically 45-60 minutes. You will meet with an SAS access consultant to talk about yourself, your disability, what support you've had in the past, and what accommodations you think are needed in college. Your access consultant will give you details about your rights and responsibilities as an SAS student, including using Access KSU to request course accessibility letters for your faculty.

To prepare for your welcome meeting, consider the following questions:

  • What are your personal strengths and weaknesses?
  • What disability symptoms do you experience on a daily basis? Do your symptoms change?
  • Have you had accommodations in the past? This could be from an IEP or 504 Plan from your high school or accommodations from another college. What worked, and what didn't?
  • What parts of higher education are most exciting for you? What parts are you worried about?

Someone else, like a parent, may attend with you, but only in a supportive role. This is your chance to tell us everything we need to know to find the right accommodations for you.

Before your meeting, complete our Access KSU application. This information will help us tailor your welcome meeting to your needs. If you're better at expressing yourself through written language, take this opportunity to give us details about yourself.

Schedule your welcome meeting using KSU Advising. If you need to have your welcome meeting by phone, schedule the appointment using KSU Advising, and then email SAS at sas@kent.edu to give us the best phone number to call you.

Do I need documentation?

Documentation from your high school, a mental health or medical provider, or from another external source can assist SAS in identifying helpful accommodations for you. You might have had an Individualized Education Plan (IEP), 504 Plan, or Evaluation Team Report (ETR) if you received accommodations in high school. If you have never received accommodations, SAS offers a documentation form that your mental health or medical provider can complete. This should be completed by someone who is licensed to diagnose and treat your disability and who knows you well.

Don't put off meeting with SAS if you're unsure about documentation. Documentation is only one part of the process for getting connected with SAS, and we can help you figure out what's needed.

When should I contact SAS?

Students can get connected with SAS at any point in their academic journey, whether you're pursuing an Associate's or a Doctorate. If you know you will need accommodations, you should connect with SAS prior to the start of your first semester. If you will start in the Fall semester, contact SAS during May through August. If you will start in the Spring semester, see SAS in November or December. Students seeking housing accommodations should contact SAS before June 15 to allow enough time to process requests. Accommodations cannot be applied after the fact, so students who are considering accommodations should meet with SAS early.

How are college accommodations different from high school accommodations?

There are a few important differences between high school and college accommodations.

  • Your high school IEP or 504 Plan don't automatically follow you to college. You should request that your school send us your information if you don't have a copy. Students cannot use accommodations until they are connected with SAS.
  • Accommodations in college can't alter the essential nature of an assessment, course, or program. While accommodations are designed to provide equal access to the learning environment, SAS cannot request that professors shorten exams, provide opportunities to retake exams, or otherwise change a course or academic program for a student.
  • Accommodations in college are student-driven. Students are responsible for connecting with SAS, for requesting course accessibility letters each semester, and for communicating with their faculty and their access consultant about questions or concerns. SAS is always happy to meet with you to review your accommodations or to answer questions, and your instructors' office hours are a great way to get answers to questions about course content.
  • Parents can't request accommodations or act on your behalf. SAS can't share information about you without a FERPA waiver on file. You can give FERPA access using FlashLine.
How can I get transportation or parking accommodations?

Kent State University offers accessible parking and various transportation options. If you will need on-campus transportation, please discuss this with your access consultant.

Accessible Parking:

Students who have a state-issued accessible parking placard will also need a Kent State disability permit. These permits are available by taking your state-issued placard and registration card to Parking Services in 123 Schwartz Center. Contact Parking and Transit Services for further information at 330-672-4432 or by email at parking@kent.edu. Temporary disability parking permits are also available on a one-month basis through Parking Services. 

PARTA Campus Bus Service:

Kent State has contracted with PARTA (Portage Area Regional Transit Authority) to provide on-campus bus transportation services to students at the Kent Campus. There are a number of fixed routes that students can use to navigate the campus. Show your FLASHcard to use the on-campus bus services and all other PARTA buses in Portage County at no cost. For more information about busing routes, please visit the Campus Bus Service webpage.

Student Accessibility Transportation Services (SATS):

SATS is a door-to-door bus transportation service provided for students with disabilities that may need assistance navigating the campus. SATS is implemented through a partnership with PARTA, and is provided at no cost to eligible students while on campus. You can learn more about SATS by visiting the Campus Bus Service webpage, by contacting PARTA at 330-672-7433, and by reviewing the PARTA-SATS policy.

SATS is committed to assisting students with their transportation needs. Please be aware that SATS has a no-show procedure for riders that schedule transport but do not use it and/or do not cancel the transport. Further detail about the SATS no-show procedure is listed below.

 

  • For SATS, the definition of a no-show is a passenger who schedules a ride with SATS and does not take the ride or does not cancel it. Please note, the return trip of the missed ride is canceled.
  • SATS may suspend service for a semester in cases where an SAS-approved individual establishes a pattern or practice of non-canceled scheduled trips. Before suspending service, the following actions will be taken:
  • Five no-shows within the semester will result in a written warning sent to the rider's Kent State email address. SAS will be notified of the warning.
  • Seven no-shows within the semester will result in a second written warning sent to the rider's Kent State email address. SAS will be notified of the second warning.
  • Ten no-shows within the semester will result in the loss of subscription service for the reminder of the semester. Notification will be sent to the rider's Kent State email address indicating the suspension dates and SAS will be notified of the suspension. The loss of subscription services does not mean the loss of the use of SATS. An individual who has lost subscription service can utilize SATS on an as-needed basis by contacting the PARTA Scheduling Department at 330-678-1287 a minimum of twenty-five minutes prior to the desired trip time.
Are there accommodations for dietary needs?

Kent State University offers a wide variety of dining options for students with food allergies or other dietary needs. Students with food allergies are encouraged to contact University Culinary Services to discuss their specific dietary needs. University Culinary Services Dieticians are available to meet with you, to review ingredients, and to help you find safe foods to eat while on campus. If the dining plan options do not meet your needs, please discuss dining plan modifications with your access consultant.

I am a Deaf or hard of hearing student. What services are available to me?

The Kent SAS office coordinates American Sign Language interpreters and Real-time transcribing services for all Kent State University campuses. Interpreting, real-time transcribing, priority registration, note taking assistance, FM units, and closed-captioning are some of the accommodations students use. The SAS staff and students will work closely to determine and maximize the benefit of these accommodations.

Prospective and new students meeting with Admissions, advisors, and/or attending Destination Kent State should request interpreting or real-time transcribing services with those departments when you schedule your appointment. SAS will coordinate the accommodations once we are notified. While we will do our best to accommodation every request, a two-week notice is requested. 

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