Student Accessibility Support

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Academic Accommodations

Student Accessibility Support (SAS) provides a range of supports to undergraduate and graduate students with disabilities.

Academic accommodations include, but are not limited to:

Classroom accommodations
Testing accommodations
Physical accommodations
Alt-format materials
Language requirement substitutions

Learn more about non-academic accommodations, including housing accommodations, medical dietary accommodations and parking and accessible transportation service.

Information for Undergraduate Students

Requesting Accommodations

To request accommodations, please follow these steps:

Contact SAS: Email access@brandeis.edu to start the process of seeking academic accommodations. Please let us know if you have any questions about documentation. We will respond to your questions and provide links to Accessibility Specialist booking calendars so that you can schedule a meeting.
Meet with an Accessibility Specialist: During your meeting with an Accessibility Specialist, they will discuss possible accommodations as part of an interactive process. Accommodations are based on two considerations: the specific nature of the student's condition and the educational environment in which the student will be learning. Each student's accommodation requests are considered on a case-by-case basis. SAS customizes accommodations that are necessary to ensure each individual student's access to courses.
Submit sufficient documentation of a condition that qualifies as a disability under the ADA*: One of the important steps in receiving accommodations at Brandeis is to submit documentation of your condition. For more information on what kind of documentation we are looking for and how to submit documentation, please check out our Providing Documentation webpage. When you are ready to submit, email access@brandeis.edu and ask for the secure documentation link to upload your information. Please do not submit medical documentation via email. *If a student needs help with obtaining documentation, SAS can review supports and provide referrals while putting provisional accommodations in place.

Letters of Academic Accommodation

After the meeting with an Accessibility Specialist, SAS will prepare a digital accommodation letter for you to send each instructor, and will help coordinate other supports as necessary. Sending these letters to instructors serves as the official notification to faculty of their need to provide accommodations. Letters also help facilitate communication and serve as a starting point for an ongoing conversation between students and faculty members.

A student requests their letter of academic accommodation at the beginning of each semester. We encourage students to present their academic accommodation letters to faculty early in the semester. Students are encouraged to email their accommodation letters once received.

Information for Graduate Students

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How do I start the process of requesting accommodations for graduate school?

You can start the process of requesting accommodations for graduate school at Brandeis by filling out the Initial Accommodation Request Form. Thank you for taking this important first step.

Through this brief form, we get to know you and your needs a little better, and this will help our interactive process of determining accommodations. If you have questions at any point, please feel free to email access@brandeis.edu.

Have you previously received accommodations at Brandeis as an undergraduate student?

If you received accommodations at Brandeis during your undergraduate education you are still required to schedule a meeting with an accessibility specialist to discuss your accommodations in graduate school. Please email access@brandeis.edu to schedule a meeting.

While your accommodations may very well stay the same, an initial conversation is an important first step. Depending on your program you might encounter different challenges than you did in your undergraduate work. It is important we discuss what those might be and how we can work together to ensure your services are effective. Additionally, if your documentation is no longer current (which depends on the nature and severity of the condition), we might need to review updated documentation.

Have you received accommodations at another university or college?

If you have received accommodations from another university or college, we still require you to submit documentation and meet with SAS to determine accommodations at Brandeis for graduate school. When you submit documentation, you are welcome to include a copy of your accommodation letter from your undergrad institution.