For Parents

Information about Accommodations for Parents

Letter to Parents [PDF] from ARC Director, Kerry Tate

The transition to college can sometimes be as difficult for the parents as it can be for the student. One of the biggest challenges in this is that the responsibility for success shifts to the student. Many parents, especially those who have a student with a disability/chronic medical condition, are used to playing an active role in securing the necessary resources for their students to be successful. College, however, is a time when the student is given the chance to learn to self-advocate and to assume responsibility.

Supporting your Student

Even though your student will be responsible for self-advocating, you can offer support in several ways.

• One way is to make sure that you know the rights and responsibilities the student has under the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and ensure that your student knows them.
• In addition, you can help your student learn to understand and articulate the impact of their disability. Once the term begins, you can ask them questions about their performance and the services they are accessing. If you sense that they are struggling, ask them about it and work with them to determine the steps they need to take to get help.
• The most important way you can support the growth of your student, however, is to let them assume responsibility for their own education.

Privacy and parents

We at AccessAbility Resource Center appreciate the importance of fostering independence in our students. We begin by placing the responsibility for communication on the student. In that spirit, once the student begins their career at The University of Texas at Dallas, we do not initiate communication with parents about a student’s academic performance or use of AccessAbility Resource Center.

We encourage you to open lines of communication before your student arrives at The University of Texas at Dallas. Let your college students know what you expect from them and what information you expect them to share with you. We will also let students know that we consider it their responsibility to communicate with you.

Why we insist that the student communicate directly with you…

There are three important reasons that we place the responsibility for communication on the student.

• The first reason is quite simple: the law requires us to do so. FERPA, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, requires colleges and universities to maintain the privacy of students’ educational records.
• The second and third reasons are less simple, but we think more important. If we are to be effective in facilitating learning, it is of paramount importance that we build a trusting relationship. The student needs to know that we can be trusted to maintain confidentiality, to always hold their interests before any others.
• Lastly, we give students this responsibility and encourage them to use us as facilitators or as guides as they begin the journey to a college degree.

Resources for Parents

How is College Different from High School?

All the policies and procedures your student will be expected to adhere to.

Alumni, Parents, and Friends

Visit our Alumni, Parents, and Friends page to find out about other ways you can get involved with the UT Dallas community.