For Students: Getting Started with Accommodations at Trinity

If you are a student with a disability, Disability Support Services (DSS) is here to ensure that you receive support on an individualized basis that contribute to an accessible, inclusive, and equitable educational environment during your time at Trinity.

DSS Registration Procedures

In order to be considered for and receive accommodations, you must register with Disability Support Services. This can take place once you have enrolled for the upcoming semester and/or at any time throughout the semester. If you are returning to Trinity for another Trinity degree or if you are returning after two or more semesters of non-enrollment, you must re-register with DSS.

DSS registration is a three step process:

  1. Submit an Accommodation Registration Intake Form
  2. Submit Supportive Documentation
  3. Participate in an Intake Meeting with DSS

 

Following DSS registration: 

If approved for accommodations following the outlined DSS Accommodation Registration Process, your accommodation letter will be created by DSS staff. It will list the specific approved accommodations and other DSS services that you are entitled to receive. For confidentiality reasons, the letter will not state your specific disability. DSS staff will sign the letter, which indicates approval based on knowledge of course requirements and your academic needs, and will send it to you and your assigned faculty members, based on your course schedule.

You will then need to:

  • Discuss your accommodation letter with each professor: Discuss your accommodations and create a plan for implementation of your accommodations. Use your letter as a tool for discussion, and contact DSS if you need assistance with this process.
  • Sign your accommodation letter at the same time as your instructor and return a copy to DSS: Accommodations and other DSS services cannot be applied retroactively, so it is critical that you discuss your letter with faculty and sign/return it at the beginning of the semester, or as soon as possible after it is sent to you and your professor by DSS staff. Your instructor may choose to contact DSS if they have questions or require more information before signing your letter.

Please note the following:

    • Reasonable accommodations are put in place by DSS based on review of each student’s individual disability/situation and supportive documentation.
    • Accommodations do not not carry over from one semester to the next. A student registered with DSS must renew their letter/request their letter each semester so that it can be generated, sent, and implemented for that specific term.
    • DSS-assigned accommodations cannot be effectively implemented if a student does not communicate with their professor about the letter and associated needs. Students with accommodations must work and communicate with faculty to implement accommodations, especially accommodations related to extension/extra time on work.
    • A student with accommodations must inform DSS immediately if their approved accommodations (the items listed on the accommodation letter) are not being provided or if new academic needs arise during the semester. It is very important that a student does not wait until the end of the semester to report problems with approved accommodations.
    • If a student changes their course schedule and need an additional letter sent to a new professor for an added/changed class, they must contact DSS as soon as possible. DSS is not alerted to course schedule changes; it is the student’s responsibility to inform DSS when a change occurs so that an accommodation letter can be sent.
    • Similarly, if a student is registered for a class that does not have an assigned professor at the time of the initial DSS accommodation registration and/or dissemination of DSS accommodation letters for the semester, a DSS letter cannot be sent. Please reach out to DSS as soon as a professor is assigned so that the DSS letter can be sent to the updated/assigned professor.
    • DSS Letters are official university documents; changes to the content of DSS letters are made by DSS only. You and your professor can discuss how accommodations will be used in a specific course, but this does not change the content of the letter. You and your professor only need to sign the letter in the appropriate areas. If a student is suspected of altering content on a DSS letter, they may be referred to the Academic Honesty Review Board for academic dishonesty.

 

Please note that all information received from the student is confidential and is stored in a confidential location. The college adheres to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). For more information, see the college’s policy on FERPA.

If you would like to be contacted by DSS to discuss services, please email dss@trinitydc.edu with your inquiry.