You may be new to the University of Southern California, but you’ve been a student with a disability for a long time now. You know the drill. As unfair as it is, you sometimes have to advocate for your own rights. You have to let instructors and school officials know what you need, and you have to be proactive about making sure you get it.
You’re not in high school anymore, and USC doesn’t have to provide you with IEPs or guarantee you a diploma. You still have important rights, though, under laws like the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Colleges and universities are prohibited from discriminating against you in any way; they’re required to protect you from harassment, and they must provide you with any necessary accommodations to ensure you have an equal opportunity to earn your degree.
Any time USC or someone at USC refuses to respect your rights, the LLF National Law Firm is here to protect you. Our Education Law Team was founded to make sure students get fair treatment. We know the law. We also know how USC polices and procedures work. Most importantly, we’re always on your side, no matter what the situation. You can count on us to use every possible resource to ensure you the best possible resolution to your case.
We can’t help if you don’t contact us, though. To find out more about what we can do for you, call 888-535-3686, or take a few minutes right now and fill out one of our online forms.
Disability Services
One of your first stops on campus should be the Office of Student Accessibility Services (OSAS). Another big difference from high school? No one is going to identify your disability or provide you with materials and resources unless you self-identify and ask for them. OSAS tries to make the process as easy and painless as possible. There’s even a “Virtual Drop-in” in the summer, so you can get to know OSAS facilities and meet the staff.
As helpful as OSAS can be, there’s a lot that’s in your hands. As a starting point, for instance, you must register as a student with a disability. That involves
- Filling out an online application
- Providing documentation of your disability
- Meeting with an OSAS specialist and developing an accommodation plan.
Your Education Law Team attorney can help prepare you for the process and make sure it goes smoothly. We can work with you to fill out the paperwork, for instance. We know what USC typically requires in terms of documentation, and we can make sure all of your materials are in order before you submit your application.
Unfortunately, problems sometimes arise during this process. Maybe the university doesn’t want to accept your documentation, or an OSAS specialist refuses to grant an accommodation that you genuinely need. We’re willing to step in during these situations as well. For the most part, USC is your ally, and OSAS staff are eager to help you succeed. There are times, though, when you may have to take on the university. You need someone in your corner looking out for your interests, someone with no allegiance to the school. Your attorney can be that person.
You’re entitled to accommodations, not as a way to give you some sort of unfair advantage. You’re entitled to accommodations because you deserve a level educational playing field. And USC must provide you with this level playing field by law. Don’t be shy about demanding your rights. Call on us any time you need help doing that.
Invisible Disabilities
Disabilities come in a wide variety of forms. Some students need wheelchairs to get around. Some need Braille textbooks. Such disabilities are hard to miss, and students with these disabilities face special challenges when it comes to how they’re treated on campus. Invisible disabilities like ADHD and autism spectrum disorders come with their own challenges, though.
Other students and instructors can sometimes forget that a student has an invisible disability. Maybe an instructor fails to implement an accommodation, or maybe they inadvertently mistreat you in class. OSAS is always there to remind them of their responsibilities. Your attorney can be an additional resource any time you need to let an instructor know—gently or otherwise—that they’re denying you your legal rights.
It is also sometimes the case that a student doesn’t know they have a disability precisely because that disability is “invisible.” We’ve worked with a number of clients who didn’t realize they had a disability until they got to college. If you struggle in certain courses, though, or you have trouble keeping your GPA up, the solution could be as simple as getting tested. Your Education Law Team attorney can make sure you have access to proper testing and help you properly document any disability you may have. We can also work with OSAS to ensure you get timely accommodations.
You also have the right to petition the university to drop low grades from your transcript. USC has a responsibility to provide disabled students with the materials and resources they need to succeed. Even if you didn’t know you had a disability, you still had a right to those materials and resources, and at a minimum, the school must allow you to retake courses without penalty.
The Formal Grievance Process
Lots of disagreements over disability issues can be resolved informally through discussion and negotiation. We’re happy to help facilitate these processes. There are instances, though, where it’s necessary to take a more formal approach to getting fair treatment. The team can help here as well.
OSAS outlines three specific ways to handle campus challenges.
- OSAS Intervention: You can always ask OSAS to intervene when you’re having trouble communicating with a professor or another student.
- Accommodation Appeal: OSAS also offers an appeals process any time you disagree with an accommodation decision. Such appeals are reviewed by a separate team member.
- OSAS Grievance Procedure: Finally, if you’re experiencing any type of discrimination or harassment as a result of your disability, you have the right to file a formal grievance with USC’s Office of Equity, Equal Opportunity, and Title IX. This is also how you would handle a complaint about OSAS should it deny an accommodation appeal.
Whatever process you pursue, your LLF National Law Firm attorney can help you make sense of procedures. Often, an appeal or a grievance will involve a matter of law, and we’re well-versed in all of your rights. In addition, we’re familiar with how USC’s various administrative systems operate and can show you how to use rules and regulations to your best advantage.
Disciplinary Misconduct Issues
Finally, the LLF National Law Firm can also help you deal with disciplinary misconduct issues. In fact, our Education Law Team was founded to help defend students. The USC Student Handbook, which contains all the university’s rules and regulations, is both lengthy and dense, and we’re here to help students navigate it successfully.
Students with disabilities sometimes face special challenges when it comes to university misconduct systems, though. What do you do, for instance, when an instructor mistakes some element of your disability for classroom disruption? How do you handle it if you wind up accused of disorderly conduct simply for defending yourself from harassment?
You have some important rights, simply because you’re a USC student. The university is required by its own policies to provide you with due process. That means you are “not responsible” until proven “responsible,” that the university must have concrete evidence to find you responsible, and that you always have a right to challenge any evidence being used against you. Most cases involve an investigation and a hearing, where you’re allowed to present your own evidence and call witnesses to testify.
Your team attorney can prepare you for every aspect of this process, from identifying evidence to outlining your strongest defense arguments. In addition, we’ll make sure you receive necessary accommodations during every phase of the case. It’s our job to make sure you’re treated fairly and that you wind up with a just resolution.
Trust the LLF National Law Firm
It’s hard enough for any student to get fair treatment from a university like USC. Institutions can be a complicated tangle of rules and regulations. When you’re a student with a disability, it can be particularly challenging to convince faculty and administrators to honor your rights. Even just ensuring your professors treat your disability confidentially can be difficult.
You don’t have to deal with your university alone, though. Whatever disability issue you might be dealing with at USC, the Educational Law Team is here to help. We know what to expect from colleges and universities, and we’re always on your side, whatever the situation. You can count on us to use every resource at our disposal to ensure you the best possible outcome.
It’s unfortunate, but sometimes, you have to fight for your educational rights. You don’t have to do that alone, though. To find out more about how we can help, contact the LLF National Law Firm today at 888-535-3686, or fill out our online questionnaire.