Accommodation Information
People who experience disabilities often encounter barriers in the physical world and systems through which the majority of society operates. These barriers are sometimes easy to identify and sometimes less obvious to people who do not experience disabilities. Working with the Office of Disability Services (DS) to put accommodations in place is one of the best ways to consistently address the impacts of a disability across contexts such as, in class, around campus, and housing.
Reasonable Accommodations
A reasonable accommodation allows a qualified student with a documented disability to have an equal opportunity to acquire the same level of performance or enjoy equal benefits and privileges as are available to similarly situated students without disabilities.
How do you Know if you Qualify as a Person with a Documented Disability?
Anyone with a current diagnosis from a qualified medical or mental health care provider may be eligible to receive accommodations. Please Contact Us if you have questions about your eligibility.
How are Accommodations Determined?
Once all necessary Forms and Documentation have been submitted to DS, an accommodation meeting is scheduled. DS staff meet with the student to collaboratively establish which accommodations best address the barriers the student experiences related to the disability.
What Accommodations Don’t do
Accommodations do not alter the requirements of the course or alter essential aspects of a class. Reasonable accommodations do not include prolonged delays, multiple absences, long extensions, or taking exams several days after the exam was taken by the rest of the class.
Academic
Academic accommodations are designed to give students with a documented disability the same level of opportunities to enjoy equal benefits and privileges that are available to similarly situated students without disabilities in a classroom environment.
Examples of reasonable accommodations are:
- Note Taking systems
- Recording of lectures
- Extra time on exams and a distraction‐reduced testing environment
- Extra time on assignments
- Screen‐reader software
- Alternative texts (e.g., braille, electronic books)
- Sign language interpreters
- Listening devices
- Seating accommodations
- Height adjustable tables or standing desks
- Memory Aids
- Access to calculators
- Access to headphones during exams
- Assistive technology
Please note that some accommodations have distinct Policies that students must follow. For questions regarding these policies, please Contact Us.
Housing
UAF provides comparable, convenient, and accessible housing to students with disabilities. If you require a reasonable accommodation based on a qualified disability, start the process by applying for housing and applying with DS to confirm your qualified disability status. DS then will assist Residence Life in providing you reasonable accommodation tailored to meet your needs.
Examples of reasonable housing accommodations are:
- Accessible room
- Private bathroom
- Accessible toilet/sink
- Remote control access
- Modular bathroom
- Roll-in shower
- Strobe light fire alarm
- Ground floor entrance
- Substance-free environment
- Private room
- Service Animals and ESA
For more information about Accessible Housing and related accommodations, please Contact Us.
Dining
A student with a diagnosed condition such as allergy or a restricted diet for medical reasons may be eligible for meal plan accommodations. Please note that full meal plan waivers are rare. In most cases, students who experience disability-related dietary restrictions will be eligible for a meal plan reduction.
If you have questions or concerns regarding food allergies and/or dining services at UAF, please Contact Us or visit UAF Dining Services.
Service Animals and ESA
A service animal is a dog (and in certain circumstances, a miniature horse) that has been individually trained to perform a task for the benefit of an individual with a disability. As provided in the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), individuals with disabilities may bring their Service Animals with them anywhere the individual is normally allowed to go, including all UA campuses.
Student(s) may request to bring an Emotional Support Animal to live with them on campus, if a appropriate licensed professional such as the diagnosing physician, licensed healthcare provider, psychiatrist, psychologist, or clinical social worker suggests that having an Emotional Support Animal (ESA) in campus housing will be helpful in alleviating one or more of the identified symptoms or effects of the student’s diagnosed disability.
For more information regarding service animals, assistance animals and pets, please review UAF's 02.09.030 Animals in University Buildings and on University Property Policy.
Temporary and Provisional
Students may request accommodations for conditions where the impact is expected to be less than one semester. An example of this may be a broken bone or other condition that is expected to resolve within 6 months.
Students who request accommodations, and are verified as in the process of acquiring proper or updated documentation, may be granted provisional reasonable accommodations. Provisional accommodations are generally granted for the current academic year only.
For more information regarding temporary accommodations and receiving accommodations on a provisional basis, please do not hesitate to Contact Us.
Event
DS offers disability related accommodations for students and attending guests at UAF events. To request accommodations for students, or an attending guest, please Contact Us and we will be happy to assist you.
Examples of reasonable event accommodations are:
- Seating accommodations
- Wheelchairs
- Sign Language Interpreters
- Live Citations
- Private seating
Transportation and Parking
An accessible shuttle for use by students, faculty and staff is scheduled on a priority basis for students who have mobility disabilities. The shuttle bus transports eligible UAF students between UAF facilities. However, community buses are accessible and stop on campus as well. Please visit Facilities Services Shuttle Bus for detailed information on campus and city transportation.
Each parking lot at UAF is ADA compliant and contains the correct percentage of accessible parking spaces. The UAF campus map contains a legend with an icon indicating the location of the accessible parking spaces. Please note that all parking on campus requires payment of a parking fee. For information regarding fees and stickers, please go to UAF Parking Services. UAF does not issue handicap parking placards. Placards must be obtained by the Department of Motor Vehicles.
We also recommend students visit our Transportation and Parking page, for more detailed information.
Pregnancy and Title IX
To receive accommodations, due to pregnancy, documentation from a medical provider with basic information related to your pregnancy including due date, any identified risk factors, complications and symptoms you may be experiencing, and recommendations for daily activity and your courses is necessary. Alternatively, your provider may complete our Disability Verification Form. If you have any questions about documentation and how to access it, please let us know.
To receive accommodations for any other Title IX instance, please refer to our general Registration Process. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to Contact Us, or the Office of Rights, Compliance and Accountability.