Requesting Accommodations for the First Time

Student Accessibility Services (SAS) engages in an interactive process with each student upon request for accommodations to determine appropriate accommodations and/or auxiliary aids and services for their academic, housing, and campus access needs.

Accommodations are decided based on many factors, and the most important is your participation in the interactive process. The process starts when students submit a request to SAS.

* Note: If you already have approved accommodations through SAS and wish to renew your accommodations or request new accommodations, please refer to the Returning Students page.

Steps to Request Accommodations

To request accommodations:

1. Complete the Accommodations Request form.
   • This form should be completed by the student who needs the disability-related accommodation or service.
   • Be sure to use your Yale email to submit a request, and all communication will be through your Yale email account.
2. Provide supporting documentation.
   • Academic Accommodations: See Documentation Guidelines.
   • Housing Accommodations: Provide the Housing Form completed by your current medical provider.
3. Meet with a SAS staff member to discuss your request and current situation, and to develop a plan for moving forward.

For information about specific accommodations for Yale College students, please view our Exams, Housing, and Food Allergies and Dining pages. Graduate and Professional Schools students please refer to the relevant section. Please also refer to the Campus Access page.

What to Expect

Once you submit the Accommodations Request Form, SAS will reach out to you based on the following timelines:

• Housing requests:
  • Yale College—within a week, if requests are submitted by the deadline of May 10, 2023.
  • Graduate and Professional students—please visit the Housing page.
     
• Academic requests:
  • Yale College—we will generally set up meetings in August for Yale College students.
  • Graduate and Professional students—we will set up meetings in July and early August. If you are starting classes earlier than late August, please note that in your accommodation request form.
     
• Dining and food allergy requests—within a week.
   
• Requests for accommodations that require outside vendors or building renovations (ASL, CART, Braille, campus accessibility)—within a week of request.
   

During our first meeting, we will discuss your needs, accommodations history, and implementation of accommodations while at Yale. We will not discuss all details outlined in your documentation. We are not clinicians and do not expect the same level of information. Please keep in mind that SAS staff are sensitive to disability needs. Generally, your information is kept confidential and only your approved accommodations are shared with faculty and administrators.

The determination of accommodations can be an ongoing process. We will create an accommodation plan for you at our first meeting but are open to further discussions about your needs.

Who is a Student with a Disability

Generally, a student with a disability is one who has an impairment or condition which substantially limits a major life activity such as caring for one’s self, performing manual tasks, walking, seeing, hearing, speaking, breathing, learning, and working. An impairment substantially limits a major life activity when the individual’s major life activity is restricted as to the conditions, manner, or duration under which the activity can be performed in comparison to most people. Such an impairment can be a chronic or temporary condition.

Reasonable Accommodation Process

While some disabilities require similar accommodations, SAS assesses each student’s disability as an individual experience and works to identify the specific barriers to their access. Thus, accommodations are tied to a barrier for access as a result of the disability. Through engagement with the student, SAS identifies the most appropriate accommodations to mitigate those barriers without altering the fundamental requirements or learning objectives of a course, program, or university activity. For information about specific accommodations, please view our Types of Accommodations pages.

Important Reminders

A student may complete an Accommodation Request form and submit documentation to SAS even though a specific accommodation request is not anticipated at the time of accommodation request.

Documentation provided to SAS is kept confidential. Information submitted directly to SAS will not become part of a student’s permanent record at Yale.

Students who are unsure about their eligibility for assistance should complete the Accommodation Request form and meet with SAS staff to discuss their situation.