Accommodations
Through the accommodation process, we strive to provide an equitable educational experience and meaningful access to all that CU Denver has to offer. In order to do so, DRS engages in an interactive process with the student to identify disability-related barriers to the educational experience, then provides accommodations that reduce or remove these specific barriers. The interactive process is ongoing, therefore the student should communicate with the office of Disability Resources & Services if an accommodation is not working, they would like to make changes to accommodations, or their disability status or functional limitations have changed.
While documentation from a clinician establishes the presence of a disability, the student's self report is a crucial part of the interactive process in order to determine eligibility for accommodations and/or specific accommodation requests. As a result, DRS will ask the student questions about how their disability impacts them academically, both in the classroom and outside of the classroom, as well as general functioning on campus. The Coordinator will gather information from the student about the experienced or anticipated impacts of the disability to be able to provide the most appropriate accommodation.
The requested accommodation may not lower an essential course or program standard, fundamentally alter an essential element or requirement of the course or program, or pose an undue administrative or financial burden.
How to Register
To determine eligibility for accommodations, we utilize a flexible process including a registration meeting/intake, review of documentation, and an analysis of the impact of the disability in an educational environment.
To begin determining if you are eligible for accommodations, follow our easy 3-step process:
Step One: Visit the Register for an Accommodation Form and fill out the requested information and submit.
Step Two: While accessing the Register for Accommodations form, please upload documentation. You can upload documentation at any time but be aware that students must submit documentation before meeting with a Coordinator to discuss accommodations. A Disability Resources & Services staff member will review your request and documentation.
After you submit your request and upload documentation, you will receive instructions to schedule an intake meeting with a DRS Coordinator.
Step Three: Meet with a Coordinator to discuss the impact of the condition/disability and how it specifically impacts you in the educational setting. If eligible, reasonable accommodations will be assessed at that time.
If you are having any trouble accessing the registration form, please contact our office at 303.315.3510 or disabilityresources@ucdenver.edu
How Accommodations are Determined
DRS considers the following best practices when determining appropriate accommodations:
- How the requested accommodation is necessary to ensure that academic requirements or technical standards do not discriminate against you on the basis of disability.
- That the requested accommodation would be necessary to provide you with meaningful access or an equal opportunity to gain the same benefits as your non-disabled peers.
- That the requested accommodation is logically connected to the impacts of your disability and any barriers to access you experience in the academic and/or campus environment.
- Whether the requested accommodation is logically designed to address and remove the identified barrier to access.
- If implemented, the requested accommodation would be effective in removing the identified barrier to access.
Types of Services
All accommodations are individually determined after reviewing documentation and conducting an intake meeting with the student. All accommodations are directly linked to the student’s disability related needs and are determined by a combination of academic history, the student's self-report, and the diagnostic data reported in the written documentation.
Services might include but are not limited to:
- Alternative test arrangements, included distraction reduced testing spaces and extended time
- Assistive technology, including speech recognition software, notetaking, and alternative text formats
- Modifications to physical spaces
- Self-advocacy support
(Support services do not include services/equipment of a personal nature.)