Request for Accommodations/Documentation of a Disability
In order to be recognized by the College as a person with a disability and become entitled to reasonable accommodations, a student must first disclose a disability with the Office of Accessibility Resources and Services (OARS), request specific accommodations connected to their disability-related access needs, and provide appropriate supporting documentation in accordance with our documentation guidelines. That signifies that the student is formally registering with the College as a person with a disability and is seeking accommodations. Students may not receive accommodations from the College without such disclosure and/or without providing appropriate supporting information and documentation.
Students who have never registered with OARS may begin the accommodation request process for the first time by completing an OARS Registration online self-report and uploading supporting documentation from their healthcare provider. Students who are already registered with OARS or who have already used the OARS Registration form will request all future accommodations through an Additional Accommodation request on their personal OARS Portal account, and new accommodation requests may require additional supporting documentation of disability if not already on file. Students may be asked to meet with the OARS office if a self-report is not sufficient for the College to engage in an adequate determination according to the need for an interactive process. Students who are facing barriers to filling out a self-report may reach out to the OARS office at oars@hampshire.edu to schedule an intake meeting.
A request for accommodations may be made at the point of disclosure of disability or at some future date. Accommodations are not retroactive, so students are strongly encouraged to reach out to OARS as soon as they are aware of an accessibility need requiring an accommodation request. Some students who go through the process of documenting a disability are not seeking specific accommodations, but are rather seeking confirmation of a disability that they can present to faculty to assist in best meeting their learning strengths and weaknesses; faculty are not obligated to provide any accommodations which are not formally approved through OARS.
Housing Accommodation Requests
OARS works closely with the Housing Accommodation Committee to review and approve requests for accommodations in the residential setting. The Housing Accommodation Committee includes members of the Housing Operations Office, Dining Services, and Health and Counseling Services who consult to ensure students' disability-related needs are met in the residence halls with reasonable accommodations and appropriate placement. Please navigate to the Housing Accommodation Request Process for more information about requesting housing-based accommodations
Review of Requests
All requests for accommodations will be assessed by the Office of Accessibility Resources and Services through an interactive process with the student. It is OARS’ general practice to discuss accommodations directly with the student requesting them prior to approval and to consider the student's history of accommodation, self-report of necessary accommodations, and documentation from a relevant treating professional. OARS may request further information from the student and/or treating professional and may make its own recommendations for alternative, reasonable accommodations which are more appropriate to address individual circumstances in the context of Hampshire courses and curricula. Students will be notified in a timely manner by OARS when requests are approved, modified, or denied. Students can request additional accommodations at any time or appeal denial of accommodations through the grievance process.
Disability Related Accommodations and Academic Contracts
(Please find more about academic contracts and accommodations here: Guidelines for Academic Progress.)
Request for Accommodations at the Five Colleges
Hampshire students frequently take courses at the other four colleges in the Five College consortium. If a student documents a disability at their home college, they do not need to engage the same process at the other colleges. Requests for accommodations in courses at other colleges must be made with OARS staff per Five College campus, per semester, with the Five College Accommodation Request form, a standardized form used by all consortium member schools. OARS staff will certify that the student is recognized as a person with a disability and approved for accommodations at Hampshire College. The student is then responsible for bringing verification of accommodation from their home institution to the accessibility services office at the host institution.
The final decision regarding the appropriateness or feasibility of such a request for accommodation rests with the accessibility services administrator at the other campus. Though the hosting institution’s accessibility services staff will consult with OARS when appropriate to support students as proactively as possible, any formal grievances regarding barriers or discrimination encountered at another institution in the Five Colleges should follow the host institution’s grievance process.
More about accommodations at other campuses, including the required Five College Accommodation Request form and contact information for all Accessibility/Disability Services offices across the consortium can be found on the Five Colleges Accessibility and Accommodations page.
Printer-friendly version