Academic Accommodations 

  • According to the US Department of Education, an accommodation is a modification or adjustment to enable students with disabilities to participate equally within an educational program.

  • Changa offers a wide range of accommodations based on the needs of each student. Accommodations such as alternative testing, in-class accommodations, note-taking, academic coaching, emotional support animals may be provided to registered students..

  • The first step is to begin the registration process with our office. We can help walk you through the process to assure that you have the opportunity to gain access to any and all accommodations that would help reduce whatever barriers you experience due to disability.

  • Academic accommodations are tailored to the individual student and the barriers that they experience within the learning environment. However, some examples of academic accommodations that may be provided include: extra time for exams, untimed breaks during testing, a distraction reduced testing environment, use of assistive technologies, advance notice on assignment criteria, occasional extensions, use of a laptop for note-taking in class, note takers, and additional absences.

  • Specific disability information, including diagnosis, is kept confidential to our office, except in rare instances where an individual needs to know this information in order to provide an accommodation. In most instances, instructors for your requested courses will only be made aware that you are registered with our office and of the specific accommodations you have requested for their course.

  • Students need only to identify that they are registered with CARDS and that they receive accommodations through our office. This can be done briefly before or after class for most accommodations. For certain accommodations, more in depth conversations with the instructor are needed to work out logistics, such as getting prior access to powerpoint presentations.

    Many students in the past have found an email to be a useful way to open communication with a instructor. Below is a sample email.

    “Hello, my name is __________________________ and I am in your class this term. I am writing to inform you that I am registered with the Center for Accessibility Resources & Disability Services and would like to speak with you about my accommodation plan for this course. I would like to arrange a time to meet with you briefly (we can schedule an appointment) to discuss the logistics of my accommodation plan. Please let me know of your availability to meet — and I have copied Changa Center for Accessibility Resources & Disability Services in case you have any questions. Thank you very much.”

    We know that sometimes students may need our assistance in figuring out the logistics of an accommodation. Please feel free to reach out to your coordinator to discuss any questions that you might have. At your request, we will follow up with an instructor on your behalf.

  • All accommodations, including notetakers, are determined after meeting with our office and having a discussion to establish what is best for each student. If you are approved for a notetaking accommodation, you can simply request a notetaker for any classes for which you think you’ll need one.

  • Exam times are determined by instructors, but we do not give unlimited time on exams. However, accommodations that give extra time or stop the clock breaks are used to determine the length given to students.

Online Accommodation Request Procedure 

Please note that you should always request accommodations through CARDS (via email cards@changainstitute.com) so that we can confirm your eligibility with your professors. 

  • Students initiate accommodation requests for any applicable classes by requesting accommodations within CARDS.

  • CARDS will contact each professor to notify them of your accommodations. Each professor will be asked to electronically confirm your accommodation plan within one week of receiving the request from the CARDS office.

  • If requests have not been confirmed after one week, it is the student's responsibility to follow up with their professors and ask them to electronically submit their confirmation of the request. Students should copy their CARDS coordinator on this communication.

  • Accommodations must be electronically confirmed by each professor before they are considered active and you are eligible to receive any accommodations through CARDS.

Information about Accommodation Plans

The Center for Accessibility Resources & Disability Services offers academic accommodations for students with qualified documentation. The types of accommodations vary based on the person's need. When students register with us, we engage in an interactive process with them based upon their specific situation. As a result, we may implement an individualized accommodation plan for the student to allow them access to their educational program(s). Students will work with a dedicated coordinator to implement their accommodation plan.

Please note that accommodation plans are not intended to be retroactive, so we can only set up accommodations for your classes or exams after you have your intake meeting with us. It is important to register with CARDS early in the course to use your accommodations for all your coursework.

Timeline for academic accommodation requests

Students may register throughout the course; however, no intake meetings are conducted during the final exam period unless a student has a brand new diagnosis that emerged within the final two weeks of the course. It's imperative that CARDS has at least two weeks prior to final exams to get accommodations set up for students. Though we cannot meet with students during final exam period, we are happy to meet with students interested in registering with our office after the end of exams.   

Required check-in procedure for academic accommodation requests

Students registered with CARDS must check-in each course with CARDS staff either via a meeting or email cards@changainstitute.com. This process is detailed above under Online Accommodation Request Procedure.

Please contact us at cards@changainstitute.com if you have any questions. We look forward to working with you!

Academic Accommodations FAQ's