Temporary Accommodations

The Disability Resource Center (DRC) recognizes that individuals with temporarily disabling conditions that are a result of injuries, surgery or short-term disabilities may need access to resources. Examples of temporary disabilities may include, but are not limited to: broken limbs, hand injuries, or short term disabilities following surgery or medical treatments.

Temporary disabilities are not necessarily temporary illnesses. Any student missing class due to a temporary illness should adhere to the attendance policy established in the course syllabus. Students are welcome to meet with the DRC if a temporary illness requires further accommodations. Please note that accommodations cannot be made retroactively.

Documentation Requirements

To receive accommodations for a temporary disability, the student may submit information to DRC indicating the type of disability, impact and estimated duration of the disability.  It is also helpful to know any side effects caused by medication and recommendations for accommodations. The information should be recent enough to identify current impact. Additional information may be requested to update Disability Services on continued need for accommodations.

Students may complete the initial request form (available on the forms page) which provides students an opportunity to describe the impact of the temporary disability and the requested accommodations.

The student should schedule an appointment with the first available case manager  to review the available information and identify possible accommodations. The case manager will advise the student if any additional information is needed prior to setting up accommodations, as well as share information on potential resources. Temporary Letters of Accommodation are issued on a semester-by-semester basis. If the student requires accommodations past the date indicated on their Letter of Accommodation they will need to set up another appointment with the DRC case manager.

Potential Accommodations for Temporary Disabilities

Academic accommodations are identified through an interactive process. Examples of accommodations which may be available for a temporary arm, hand or upper extremity injury may include:

  • Scribe for exams
  • Note-taking assistance
  • Audio recorder for lectures
  • Extended testing time
  • Computer for essay exams

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