Application Process for Accommodations

Incoming new and transfer students are encouraged to complete this application process two months prior to the beginning of their first semester. Currently enrolled students may initiate the process at any time but should be aware that any approved accommodations are not retroactive. Both incoming students and those who are newly disclosing a disability and requesting accommodations must follow this process:

  1. Complete the Application for Accommodations form and email it. Please note, this is only the first step in the process and does not guarantee accommodations.  
  2. Once you have completed the Application for Accommodations, schedule an intake appointment via email with the Academic Support Coordinator. A face-to-face meeting is ideal. If you are off-campus, a phone meeting may be scheduled. Please allow at least 30 minutes for this appointment. The purpose of this meeting is for you to disclose your disability and share information about how your disability has affected you or is affecting you as a student. Your own self-report about the impact of the disability is an important component of the accommodations process.

Self-advocacy Tips

  • Being prepared to describe how your disability impacts your learning.
  • Familiarizing yourself with the documentation of your disability that you will be submitting. Being ready to discuss your strengths, challenge areas, and other recommendations made by your medical professional/evaluator is important.
  • Having in mind responses to the following:
    • How your disability specifically impacted your capacity as a student in the past
    • What are areas of strength/challenges as a learner
    • Accommodations you’ve received from previous educational institutions that have been helpful/not helpful
    • How you learn best
    • What specific accommodations you’re requesting.
  1. After your meeting with the Academic Support Coordinator, submit professional documentation of the disability from a licensed medical professional. The licensed medical professional needs to complete these forms.
  2. After meeting with the Academic Support Coordinator in CULearn/CC248, the Coordinator will make a determination of a student’s eligibility for accommodations. After the intake interview and the review of the disability documentation, the student will be notified by email of one of three possible outcomes:
    1. Requested accommodations have been approved: If the student’s request is approved, they will receive instructions about how to register for those accommodations.
    2. More information is needed to evaluate the student’s request: If additional information is required, the student will be notified.
    3. Requested accommodations have not been approved: When a request is not approved based on the initial information provided, the student will be able to engage in further dialogue with the Academic Support Coordinator before a final determination of eligibility is made.
  3. The student should understand that academic accommodations are initially approved by the Academic Support Coordinator for a general college course. For any particular course, the professor who receives the accommodation letter has a say in determining whether a specific accommodation is reasonable and appropriate given the course objectives and expectations for completing course content.
  4. Once a student has been determined eligible for specific accommodations, the Academic Support Coordinator will generate a letter of accommodation to communicate the student’s eligibility to that student's current professors. If the student makes a change to their academic schedule, they are responsible for immediately communicating that information to the Academic Support Coordinator.

In addition, prior to the start of each new term or semester, it is the student’s responsibility to email the Academic Support Coordinator or set up a face-to-face meeting to request new accommodation letters for the semester. The Academic Support Coordinator will generate an email that will then be sent to the student’s course professors notifying them of the student’s approved accommodations.

Note: CULearn's Academic Support Coordinator emails the accommodation letter to officially notify the instructors of the accommodations for which an individual student has been approved. It is the responsibility of the student to initiate a conversation with each professor to discuss the student’s individual needs. The student is responsible for maintaining this communication with the professor, and with the Academic Support Coordinator when needed, throughout the semester.