Each term, upon request, a student will be sent an Accommodations Letter and it will be copied to their faculty and academic advisor or student success coach. Once the notification is distributed, the student should practice self-advocacy skills and reach out to the professor immediately so that they are made aware of the use of academic accommodations in their classroom as well as specific needs of the student. The student should use the following guidelines in working with faculty each term to discuss their academic accommodations in classes:

1. Review Your Class Schedule: Take a look at your classes and their formats. Consider your academic needs and how they would or wouldn’t be applicable in each of your classes.  Some accommodations may not be appropriate or necessary in all classes.  For example, you may have the peer note taker accommodation, but don’t find it necessary in an online with no Zoom sessions, therefore you would not request a peer note taker in this specific course.
   
   
2. Set Up a Meeting with Your Professor: The student is never required to disclose their specific diagnosis or any disability they suffer from. The meeting should be held with all instructors for classes in which you plan to use accommodations in their classes and only accommodations listed on the Accommodations Letter should be discussed.  Sometimes the Accommodations Letter is overlooked by the professor and other times they are expecting the student to initiate a conversation to address their academic needs.  It is the student’s responsibility to make sure the professor is aware they have accommodations, discuss their needs in depth, and what the dissemination of those accommodations will look like in the professor’s class.  For example, if you have the Consideration for Extended Deadlines on Assignments, there should be general guidelines in place for when a student turns in assignments late.  Students should not automatically assume they can turn in every assignment late or that certain assignments can be submitted after the deadline.
   
   
3. Follow Procedures for Accommodations in Place: Make sure you turn in any forms to our office immediately so that your request (ex. Alternative Textbook Request) can be processed in a timely fashion. Also, make sure you are following proper procedures when using your accommodations (ex. turning in audio recording form before recording class lectures). Additionally, you want to make sure you follow any agreements made between you and the instructor and do not deviate from the plan.  For example, if you have the Consideration for Extended Deadlines accommodation and your instructor gives you an additional 48 hours to turn in an assignment, once the 48 hours is over, the professor reserves the right to default to their normal policy on late assignments as the student has broken the agreement. 
   
   
4. Maintain Good Communication: You should always keep your professor abreast of any situation arising from your documented disability. Once again the student does not have to share any details about their specific diagnosis or disability.  If you feel more comfortable speaking with someone from our office, we can serve as a liaison for conversations with your professors.