For Students: Renewing Your Assigned Accommodations Each Semester
Remember that students must complete the DSS accommodation process before they can be considered for and receive accommodations.
Each Semester
- Submit your accommodation letter request using the Request for Letters form. Please submit your request as soon as possible, prior to the beginning of the semester that you wish to use your accommodations. Accommodations cannot be used retroactively!
Your accommodation letter will be created by the 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, indicating approval based on knowledge of course requirements and your academic needs.- Please note: accommodation letters are not generated automatically and will be generated and sent out in the order received. This may take 2-5 business days, based on when you submit your letter. With this in mind, make sure to submit requests for the current semester before classes begin or as soon as possible at the beginning of the semester to avoid a delay in letter receipt.
- If you change your schedule and need your letter sent to a new professor for an added/changed class, contact DSS as soon as possible. DSS is not alerted to schedule changes, so it your (the student’s) responsibility to inform DSS when a change occurs so that your letter can be sent.
- Similarly, if you are registered for a class that does not have an assigned professor at the time of your DSS accommodation letter renewal request, a DSS letter cannot be sent. Please reach out to DSS as soon as a professor is assigned so that your DSS letter can be sent to the updated/assigned professor.
- 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 you request it. Your instructor may choose to contact DSS if they have questions or require more information before signing your letter.
Important Points to Remember
- Accommodations are given based on support by approved, current documentation and deemed reasonable by the University.
- You must inform DSS immediately if your approved accommodations (the items listed on your letter) are not being provided or if new academic needs arise during the semester. It is very important that you do not wait until the end of the semester to report problems with your approved accommodations.
- Accommodations do not not carry over from one semester to the next and cannot be applied if you do not share the letter with your professors. You must work with them to implement accommodations.
- Certain services (i.e., sign language interpreters & text-to-speech software) are arranged by DSS and can begin immediately. Classroom accommodations (i.e., copies of lecture notes & extended time on assignments) are arranged by you and your instructor based on the plan you develop for class.
- 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 contact DSS with any questions or concerns!