Parent Information

The staff of Ability Services appreciate support from every parent. We invite you to contact us with any questions, concerns, or feedback. However, please understand that even when we're arranging a student's accommodations it's rare that we actually know what the student is experiencing. Typically we don't know unless the student or a parent tells us. The reasons are because: 

• College students are considered legal adults with a strong right to privacy. So the staff of Ability Services don't attempt to closely monitor specific students.
  

• Successful college students are usually very busy. So the office must function in ways that doesn't require students to form and maintain close relationships with the office. A strong objective is to maximize their ability to be independent. Thus, to obtain accommodations they usually only have to fill out and submit certain forms that explain the details regarding what they need. Typically they deliver the forms and quickly leave.
  

• It's rare that any students use their accommodations each time they could. Instead, they tend to use them sporadically on the basis of personal factors which only they are most aware. How it happens can change over time. Thus, it can seem normal when students aren't using their accommodations.

•  Professors are usually very busy. To a large extent they're actually scientists, mathematicians, historians, artists, economists, business experts, etc.. Because their first test or assignment may not occur until many weeks after a course starts, professors can't always tell if specific students are struggling to learn something. If specific students receive a low grade but don't approach professors for support, it can seem they're satisfied with the low grade or don't care. Thus professors may not notify Ability Services if certain students aren't doing well.

For the above reasons we rely on each student to independently seek support when it's needed. Please appropriately monitor what's happening with your student and let us now if you're concerned about something.