Home > Campus Life & Boston > Office of Disability Services > Information for Students > Confidentiality
  • Confidentiality

The Office of Disability Services is responsible for receiving and maintaining disability-related documentation and information for students with disabilities at Suffolk University. The Office of Disability Services views all information regarding a student’s disability as confidential as required under federal law. All written materials used to document a student’s disability, provision of accommodation and contact with the Disability Office are maintained separate from the student’s other permanent files. The documentation may include:

Diagnostic information, medical records, psychological, psychoeducational and/or neuropsychological evaluations, academic transcripts, biographical history, case notes, and any other disability-related information necessary to document and provide appropriate accommodations to students with disabilities.

The Office of Disability Services has adopted the following guidelines to ensure confidentiality of disability-related information in student records:

  • Student files and student information is protected by FERPA and are only released to others with a written release from the student.

 
  • Disability-related documentation is maintained in a secure location and separate from individual student files on campus.

 
  • A student must give written consent for disability-related information to be released to others within the campus community or external to Suffolk University.

 
  • Written notification of a disability for purposes of providing reasonable accommodation does not entitle the reader access to disability documentation or additional disability-related information.

Information may be released, without student consent and in accordance with federal and state laws, to:

  • protect the health and safety of a student or other persons

 
  • comply with a judicial order or a subpoena

Faculty and staff are notified of reasonable accommodations required to provide students with disabilities equal access to programs and services. Students requesting in-class accommodation or faculty assistance acknowledge that some level of disclosure may be necessary to provide requested accommodation(s). This does not, however, furnish faculty with the right to view a student’s disability-related information or discuss it with others.