Registering for and Using Your Accommodations

Students with disabilities have the right to request disability related accommodations at any point during their time at UC. That includes requests for reasonable modifications to class policies and processes, auxiliary aids and services to support accessible communication, support with assistive or accessible technology, accommodations for housing or campus activities, and more! The first step to receiving accommodations is to complete our registration process and meet with an Access Coordinator.

Initiate the registration process by completing a New Student Registration Form. This form will ask you about your disability, how it does or might impact you in the college setting, and which accommodations you are requesting.  

If available, submit documentation with the Documentation Submission Form. Documentation of your disability and any history of disability accommodations or support helps us get as full a picture as possible on intersection of your disability and the academic environment. We understand that access to past medical or school records can be a barrier for some, so we do not require it to initiate a request for accommodations. 

However, after you initial meeting, students may be requested to provide documentation if: 

• Documentation would help the student and AR staff identify barriers and workable solutions for accommodations 
  
• Documentation would make the connection between the academic environment and the disability that is not readily apparent through the student’s narrative 
  

We can accept documentation from a variety of sources including; IEPs, 504 Plans, psychological evaluations, medical records and letters provided by qualified medical professionals. You may also request for a medical professional to complete a Medical Professional Disability Verification Form.

Within five business days of completing your registration, you will receive an email from your assigned Access Coordinator with information on how to schedule your registration meeting. 

What to expecting during the registration meeting: 

• As a result of this meeting, you will know which requested accommodations have been approved and/or if the Access Coordinator needs more information to determine approval of requested accommodations. Accommodations are determined on a case-by-case basis through an interactive dialogue that begins at the initial registration meeting. You will also establish a relationship with your assigned Access Coordinator, who will be your go-to person during your time as a student here at UC. 
• You and the Access Coordinator will talk about your disability, how it impacts you, and what barriers might therefore exist in your program of study at the University of Cincinnati. Your Access Coordinator will explore options for academic or community support outside of our office if necessary and can answer other questions you may have. 

You will receive a follow-up email with your approved accommodations from your Access Coordinator. It is important that you read it carefully and follow up right away if you have any questions or would like to have further discussions.

To use your approved accommodations for any given class, you must notify the instructor of that class directly by sending them an approved accommodation letter. You will get this letter from the Accessibility Resources office before the start of each semester, if you are registered for classes, in your UC email. You can simply forward that email to your instructor as a notice that you qualify for and plan to use your accommodations.

Here are some important things to keep in mind about using your accommodations:

You can notify your instructor of your accommodations at any point in the semester and even before the semester begins, however, you cannot start to use your accommodations until you have sent that notification. Most accommodations cannot be applied retroactively, so we highly recommend that you email your instructors early and set up a time to meet with them to talk through your accommodations. 

While not a required step, we highly recommend that you meet with your professor to talk about your accommodations. This can be done during office hours or by emailing and asking to set up a meeting. Many instructors will initiate that meeting with their students, and we would encourage you to attend if invited to. If you need help preparing for this meeting or during this meeting, reach out to your Access Coordinator.

UC instructors receive regular training and support on student accommodations, but even so, sometimes they may have questions or concerns about a particular accommodation in their class. If an instructor ever expresses concern about how an accommodation will work in their class or suggests that you should not or do not need to use your accommodations, you can reach out to your Access Coordinator to request support. Remember that you do not have to disclose what your disability is to your instructor or anyone else at UC, outside of the Accessibility Resources office. 

Some accommodations can be provided directly by your instructors, while others are done outside of the classroom or through additional request processes. Be sure that you are familiar with the processes for using each of your approved accommodations by reviewing our Accommodation Description site.