How the Disability Services Team Protects Your Privacy
Students may sometimes be reluctant to seek assistance or special accommodations related to health/medical issues because they are concerned about privacy issues. We want to assure students that Student Disability Services — like all of our teams at Penn State World Campus — take great care to protect your sensitive, personal information.
All teams and staff members at Penn State must comply with FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act), a federal law that governs how we protect and disclose student educational records.
When you reach out to Student Disability Services (SDS) for your initial consultation, you will complete a Release of Information form, which details the related confidentiality policies and specifies with whom your information will be shared and for what purposes. SDS staff is careful to maintain appropriate confidentiality of all information regarding the disability, except disclosures required or permitted by law.
Except for the situations specifically listed, the SDS team will not share your information or discuss your situation with anyone without your permission — this includes your spouse, parents, or other family members. If you want anyone to be able to speak with us on your behalf, you must indicate your permission on the Release of Information form.
Note: Before you receive assistance from the SDS team, you will also complete and submit the Disability Services Rights and Responsibilities form, which explains the rights and responsibilities of the student and of Penn State when students are seeking SDS support.
If you do require academic adjustments, the World Campus Student Disability Specialist will provide a letter identifying the appropriate adjustments, which you should share with your instructors. This letter lists the appropriate accommodations but does not reveal the specific disability.
Related Content:
How the Student Disability Services Team Helps World Campus Students — find out how this team supports students with a wide range of services and resources
World Campus Students Can Use These Adaptive Technology Tools at No Cost — explore free resources available to all World Campus students