Any request for reasonable accommodations from a university faculty or staff member is reviewed on a case-by-case basis. An individual wishing to request accommodations must engage in the interactive process with the university to determine what, if any, reasonable accommodations will be provided. For help with navigating this process, please visit the Next Steps page.
What is an Accommodation?
An accommodation is any modification to policy, practice, the environment, a job, a program, or other resource to ensure an individual with a disability has equitable access.
Some examples of potential accommodations might include:
Employment Accommodations
- Providing equipment to perform certain job-related tasks
- Modifying an employee’s workstation or work location
- Modifying supervisory style or communication methods
- Granting leave
Digital Accessibility
- Providing adaptive technology to allow access to digital information
- Providing alternate formats of digital information, forms, and resources
- Assigning others to provide direct assistance with inaccessible resources
- Ensuring videos and presentations include captioning, accessible materials, and other appropriate accessibility options
Physical Accessibility
- Modifying buildings or other spaces
- Providing various accessible transportation and parking options
- Providing American Sign Language (ASL) or Communication Access Realtime Translation (CART), captioning provided by a human captioner, services upon request
- Allowing individuals to be accompanied by a service animal
- Allowing individuals to carry necessary medical equipment into venues
- Providing accessible ticketing, seating, and participation options
- Ensuring availability of and transfer to accessible evaluation and diagnostic equipment
Confidentiality
When someone requests an accommodation or submits medical documentation to the University, this information is kept private and confidential. Typically, any medical documentation will be kept securely. Also, the University will typically refrain from sharing medical or accommodation information; however, there may be limited instances when information sharing is appropriate. This will be done on a “need-to-know” basis. Some examples include:
- Information about the disability or accommodations may be made available to administrators who need to know the information in order to assess the reasonableness of the accommodation requested or to provide the accommodation;
- Supervisors and managers may be informed about necessary restrictions on work or duties and necessary accommodations;
- First aid and safety personnel may be informed, when appropriate, if someone might require emergency treatment or if any specific procedures are needed in the case of fire or other evacuations.
This does not prevent a disabled individual from self-disclosing information about their disability or accommodations if they so desire.