FAQ for New Students

In the context of a publicly funded higher education institution, an accommodation is a modification or adjustment to a course, program, service, activity, or facility that enables a qualified student with a disability to have equal access to and participate in the academic and campus environment.

Any student with a disability is eligible for services. Eligibility does not guarantee accommodations. Students new to our office can start in two places. One, you can schedule an informational meeting with a counselor to learn more about our office and services, or two, you can jump right to filling out an application.

Accommodations are individualized for each student and their specific situation. An Access Manager will help you identify appropriate accommodations. Check out our Accommodations Guide to get a sense of some of the accommodations, though please know this is not an exhaustive list.

View our Documentation Guidelines.

Yes. Prospective and admitted students can schedule an informational meeting with an Access Manager to learn more about our office and services or visit drop-in hours (see our homepage for more information).

It depends. High school and college are different in environment and pace. College might have different barriers for students with disabilities than they experienced in high school. An Access Manager can help you navigate those differences and help identify potential accommodations for a college environment.

No. The accommodations process at the DAC is about informed choice. You may be eligible to use an accommodation and it is your choice whether to use the accommodation in a given class or not.

The DAC will need to know about your disability in order to approve an accommodation. The DAC does not share information with other offices, family members, faculty, or staff.

This depends. The DAC will always know what accommodations you have. If you attach accommodations to a class, your instructors will know. If you tell another student, they will know. The DAC may share information to an instructor about an accommodation you have attached to their class. The DAC will not share information about accommodations not attached to a class or why you have the accommodation. If you take your tests in the DAC, then students might know that you have accommodations, but they will never know why unless you tell them.

Yes. Stopping by Access Manager drop-in hours would be a great place to learn more. These days/times are listed on our homepage.

We recognize that students may experience health challenges, such as injuries or medical procedures, that temporarily prevent them from attending classes in person. It’s important to understand that Remote Participation and an Emergency Medical Leave of Absence serve different purposes, and one may be more appropriate than the other depending on the situation.

The Emergency Medical Leave of Absence is designed specifically for students who are temporarily unable to attend classes due to an illness, injury, or medical procedure. This leave is issued by the Student Health Center once appropriate documentation from a healthcare provider is submitted. DAC accommodations are not retroactive, so our accommodations can help support students once they are back to campus. If you are facing a temporary injury or medical issue, and need short-term relief, the Emergency Medical Leave of Absence is likely the better option. Once you have recovered and are ready to return to campus, you can work with the DAC to discuss any accommodations you might need to continue your coursework.

Important Note: If more than 14 days of leave are needed, the student should consult with the Office of Student Life for further options. Instructors may also have discretion to deny requests for extra time or accommodations depending on the course requirements.

The Remote Participation accommodation through the DAC is typically used when a student knows in advance that they will not be able to attend in-person classes due to a temporary disability-related barrier to attendance. However, remote participation is not the best mechanism for short-term injuries or emergency medical procedures. Here’s why:

Implementation time: The process of arranging Remote Participation accommodations can take 3–4 weeks, as it requires coordination with academic departments and instructors to ensure that the accommodation can be implemented without fundamentally altering the learning objectives of the course.
No retroactive adjustments: Remote Participation accommodations cannot be applied retroactively for missed work or classes. Therefore, if a student has already missed time due to a medical issue, they cannot apply for remote participation to make up for that lost time.

If you're uncertain which option is right for you, or if you have questions about the process, feel free to reach out to the Student Health Center or the DAC for guidance.

No. Per FERPA, the DAC will not share information about any student, their application status, appointments, or use of their accommodations.

It depends. If the student gives permission for someone else to attend their meeting, then yes.

No. Per FERPA, the DAC will not share information about any student, their application status, appointments, or use of their accommodations.

It depends. The required interactive process generally takes 2-4 weeks, though it may be longer depending on the accommodation request. We encourage students to fill out a New DAC Student Application and schedule their Access Planning Meeting as soon as possible to avoid delays in access.