Accessing Accommodations and Services

Eligibility for Accommodations

Any student with a documented disability is eligible to receive services from the Center for Students with Disabilities (CSD). The purpose of accommodations and modifications is to reduce or eliminate any disadvantages that may exist because of an individual’s disability. The law does not require institutions to waive specific courses or academic requirements considered essential to a particular program or degree. Rather, they are mandated to modify existing requirements on a case-by-case basis in order to ensure that individuals are not discriminated against on the basis of their disability.

Procedure for Accessing Accommodations

• Students requesting accommodations should contact the CSD at the beginning of each semester (if not sooner) so that appropriate accommodations can be provided in a timely manner.
• Students requesting accommodations are responsible for providing appropriate documentation to the CSD in order to verify their need for accommodations.
• Documentation must be current, in most cases within three years of the current date, and must be submitted by a qualified professional who is not a family member of the student. Documentation guidelines for specific disabilities can be accessed at: http://www.csd.uconn.edu/doc_guidelines.html.
• Once appropriate documentation has been received, the CSD will review the request and then meet with the student to discuss appropriate accommodations.
• Reasonable accommodations depend upon the nature and degree of severity of the documented disability. While the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 requires that priority consideration be given to the specific methods requested by the student, it does not imply that a particular accommodation must be granted if it is deemed not reasonable and other suitable techniques are available.

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