Q.  I am considering applying to attend Rice University. Should I include information about my disability as part of my application?

A.  Nowhere on the Rice University application will you find questions referring to disabilities. Each individual therefore decides what to share as part of his or her application. If you would prefer to not have anyone know about a disability that you have, do not include that information as part of your application. On the other hand, you may believe the nature of your disability and its impact on your development and education are important for others to know in their quest to understand you. If so, you may decide to include that information as part of your application.

Q.  I have been accepted to Rice (graduate or undergraduate). I have a disability. What should I do now?

A.  It is recommended that you make contact with the Disabled Student Services Office prior to the close of your last semester before coming to Rice. The Director, Jean Ashmore, will discuss the initial need with you - disability documentation. It is sometimes necessary to ask your current school for various documents so it is important to know what is needed at Rice before you leave your current school.

You can complete the Preliminary Notification of Disability-Related Needs form to begin communicating with the Rice DSS Office.

Q.  Does Rice University have a special program for students with learning disabilities?

A.  Rice University will provide reasonable academic accommodations for documented learning disabilities but does not have a learning skills center or learning specialists on staff. 

Q.  I think I may have a learning disability. Does Rice University evaluate students for learning disabilities or other disabilities?

A.  No, Rice University does not evaluate students for learning disabilities or other disabilities. Referrals to local psychologists and clinics can be provided for a student to obtain an evaluation for learning disabilities. The campus Student Health Services office can provide referrals to local physicians for evaluation of medical conditions.

Q.  A student has come to me with a doctor's note saying he/she needs extra time on tests. Should I give the student the requested extra time?

A.  The first thing to do is to ask the student if s/he has registered with Disability Support Services. If this has not been done, refer the student. The DSS Director will review the medical information which the student has (a brief "note" is generally not sufficient documentation of a disability) and determine whether or not the requested accommodation is appropriate.

When a disability is thoroughly documented the student will bring you an Accommodation Letter outlining the specific accommodations needed. Until you get an Accommodation Letter from the DSS Office, it is not appropriate to provide the extra time the student has requested.

Q.  I have a junior in my class who has told me he/she was recently diagnosed with a disability related to learning and attention. Is this likely to happen?

A.  Yes it is. For many individuals, especially very bright students such as those at Rice, life-long differences in learning and attention may have been successfully self-accommodated in younger years. The rigorous demands of college, however, may lead the individual to explore whether a suspected learning disability or attention deficit is present. The student will seek out a psychologist or psychiatrist for this type of evaluation. In some cases, the evaluation will reveal that the individual does indeed have a learning or attention deficit disability. Adjusting to the reality of what may have been suspected can be difficult for some students, and an understanding ear from a faculty member will ease the way.

Q.  A student with a disability needs extra time on exams and quizzes. How should this be arranged?

A.  Discuss the upcoming test particulars with the student taking care to not draw attention to the individual. The two of you may agree to have the student start at the same time as the others but in a separate place to allow quiet uninterrupted testing, to start earlier so all students finish at the same time, or at a completely different time. Just make sure both of you know where and when the test is to be picked up by the student and where and when it is to be returned to you. Picking up the test in a sealed envelope from someone in the department is often less conspicuous for the student with the disability than picking it up when other students are there and then having to take the test to another room.