The mission of the Office of Services for Students with Disabilities is to support the University’s commitment to equity and diversity by providing support services and academic accommodations to students with disabilities. We share information, promote awareness of disability issues, and provide support of a decentralized system of access for students within the University community.

2. Take Away Messages
- Clarify the mission of SSD.
- Assurance that the central mission of SSD is
adequately funded and SSD staff is doing an excellent
job.
- A perfect storm- historical growth at a time of
historic cuts in budgets.
- SSD is willing to expand its mission, if funded.
- Development will be the key to expansion.

3. History of SSD
UM officially recognized the Office of Disabled
Student Services in February of 1974. Five months
after the passage of the Vocational Rehabilitation Act
which included a section (#504) for the protection of
individuals with disabilities in institutions receiving
any type of federal assistance. In 1989, the office
changed its name to Services for Students with
Disabilities to reflect a more student centered
approach.

4. SSD History Continued
Throughout SSD’s history it has played a prominent role
in advocating for students with disability issues at the
state, national and international levels. Some of the
accomplishments of directors both past and present
include: President of the international organization known
as the Association on Higher Education and Disability
(AHEAD); President of the Michigan chapter of AHEAD;
design and implementation of the professional standards
used to assess postsecondary disability services worldwide;
contributed to writing the national documentation
guidelines for learning disabilities, attention
deficit/hyperactivity disorder and mental health
disabilities; current members of the editorial board of the
international peer reviewed journal: Journal of
Postsecondary Education and Disabilities;

5. SSD History Continued

instrumental in passing a piece of legislation known
as the “Barbara Bill” which made it Michigan law that
print publishers must provide electronic versions of
books to institutions of higher education to make
them accessible to the students with vision and
reading disabilities; established one of the first
adaptive computing labs and in concert with the
Provost’s office established a fund to support
mandated accommodations the cost of which would
overwhelm the resources of the SSD office. This fund
is one of the first of its kind and has become a model
used nationwide.

6. Mission
The mission of the Office of Services for Students
with Disabilities is to support the University’s
commitment to equity and diversity by providing
support services and academic accommodations to
students with disabilities. We share information,
promote awareness of disability issues, and provide
support of a decentralized system of access for
students within the University community.

7. SSD’S Philosophy or Core
Values
SELF ADVOCACY
SELF EMPOWERMENT
SELF DETERMINATION

8. SSD Staff:
4 professional staff who each have an expertise in
particular disability areas
1 *academic Coach.
1 administrative staff
1 staff devoted to closed captioning of media
*Beginning in the middle of January of 2014 SSD will
be able to hire a temporary half time academic coach
for at least the next year and half.

9. Budget:
SSD is funded by two sources:
1. General Fund- Since 2007 this budget has been cut 1.5%
every year. Which means a cut of $7500 every year and
these cuts will continue for the immediate future. Once
salaries and benefits are accounted for in 2007 SSD had an
operating budget of $32,000. Our operating budget for
this academic year is $18,000.
ADA Provost Fund- Covers all ADA mandated academic
accommodations not covered by the general fund, this
means (depending on the year) an additional $300,000$700,000.

10. Growth
Since the academic year 2008-2013 SSD has witnessed
more than a 100% growth in the number of students
registered with the office.
Since the beginning of welcome week of Fall 2013 we
have registered over 500 students.

11. Students Registered with SSD
2008-2013

12. Breakdown by Disability

13. SSD Student Racial / Ethnic Background

14. SSD Students'
Home State/Country

15. Student Class Standing
(at time of registration)

16. Trend in Largest Disability Groups
(2010-2013

17. Student Success Outcomes
-80% of students registered with SSD graduate within
five years
-The mean GPA of SSD students is 3.0
-Post-graduation employment rates of SSD-registered
students are at parity with the employment rates of
other UM graduates.

18. Big Ten Schools Disability & Staff
At the end of the academic year 2012-2013-The
University of Michigan has the second highest
number of SSD registered students – 2,116 – in all of
the 14 Big Ten schools.

19. Big Ten Schools Disability & Staff
Ranking by Registered Students
INSTITUTION
1. UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA
REGISTERED
STUDENTS
STAFF
2,211
14
2. UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN, ANN
ARBOR
2,116
7
3. OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY
2,000
22
4. PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY
1,381
10
5. MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
1,200
19
6. RUTGERS UNIVERSITY
1,200
11
7. UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS-URBANA
1,092
12
8. INDIANA UNIVERSITY
1,000
7
9. UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN
969
15
10. PURDUE UNIVERSITY
732
12
11. UNIVERSITY OF IOWA
620
6
12. UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA
500
6
13. NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY
500
4
14. UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND
500
10

20. Big Ten Schools Disability & Staff
The University of Michigan ranks 11th of 14 in the
number of full-time disability services staff providing
accommodations to students with disabilities.
3 : 1,000 is the smallest ratio of staff to SSD registered
students in the Big Ten.

21. Big Ten Schools Disability & Staff
Ranking by Full-Time Staff
STAFF
REGISTERED
STUDENTS
RATIO
1. OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY
22
2,000
11 : 1,000
2. MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
19
1,200
16 : 1,000
3. UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN
15
969
15 : 1,000
4. UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA
14
2,211
6 : 1,000
5. UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS-URBANA
12
1,092
11 : 1,000
6. PURDUE UNIVERSITY
12
732
16 : 1,000
7. RUTGERS UNIVERSITY
11
1,200
9 : 1,000
8. PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY
10
1,381
7 : 1,000
9. UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND
10
500
20 : 1,000
10. INDIANA UNIVERSITY
7
1,000
7 : 1,000
11. UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN, ANN
ARBOR
7
2,116
3 : 1,000
12. UNIVERSITY OF IOWA
6
620
10 : 1,000
13. UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA
6
500
12 : 1,000
14. NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY
4
500
8 : 1,000
INSTITUTION

22. Academic Accommodation in 2012-2013(extrapolating
from these numbers SSD successfully advocated for over
50,000 academic accommodations.
ACCOMMODATION
SCANNING BOOKS (PAGES)
TIME AND HALF FOR IN-CLASS EXAMS (PER STUDENT)
SEPARATE/QUIET LOCATION FOR EXAMS (PER STUDENT)
TESTING ACCOMMODATIONS CENTER (STUDENTS
REFERRED)
EXTENSION OF DUE DATES ON SHORT NOTICE (PER
STUDENT)
INTERPRETING (EVENTS)
FY 2012-13
82,000
1,649
935
324
294
175
CLASS NOTES (LECTURES)
159
LAPTOP FOR IN-CLASS EXAMS (NUMBER)
153
DOUBLE TIME FOR IN-CLASS EXAMS (PER STUDENT)
94
AUDIO TAPE CLASS/LECTURES (NUMBER)
55
HATHI TRUST (STUDENTS REFERRED)
31
CALCULATOR FOR EXAMS/ASSIGNMENTS (NUMBER)
16
SPELLCHECKER (PER STUDENT)
6

23. Academic Accommodations 201213
SSD continues to provide note takers, video
captioning, CART services and interpreters for its
deaf/hard of hearing students.
ACCOMMODATION
SUMMER
FALL
WINTER
SPRING
TOTAL
NOTE-TAKING SERVICES
(HOURS)
93
1,734
2,393
150
4,370
CART SERVICES (HOURS)
0
1,665
1,204
50
2,919
INTERPRETING (HOURS)
122
332
424
76
954
TRANSCRIPTS (NUMBER)
108
98
102
0
308
VIDEO MEDIA CAPTIONED
(NUMBERS)
10
48
90
0
148

24. Expanding the mission and
Development opportunities:
 For the first time in SSD’s history there is funding opportunities for
every disability group: (These are primarily gifts for the purchase of
adaptive technology, tutoring or a student’s own professional
development)
 In the December of 2013- SSD closed out gifts commitments totaling
$277,000
 Gifts of $50,000 and $150,000 for students with LD.
 A gift of $75,000 for students who stutter or have speech dysfluency.
 A gift of $2000 for the purchase of emergency medical equipment
given to SSD by CSG.
 These gifts are on top of established funds like the
FACT fund, Samet Fund and Webb Fund.
Miller Fund,