Temporary Accommodations

Student Accessibility Services recognizes that individuals with temporarily disabling conditions that result from injuries, surgery or short-term disabilities may need access to resources. Examples of temporary disabilities may include, but are not limited to: broken limbs, hand injuries, or short term disabilities following surgery or medical treatments.

Temporary disabilities are not necessarily temporary illnesses. Any student missing class due to a temporary illness (common cold, flu, COVID, etc.) should adhere to the attendance policy established in the course syllabus. Students are welcome to meet with SAS if a temporary illness requires further accommodations. Accommodations cannot be made retroactively.

Since temporary conditions can occur at any point during the semester, the timing can significantly affect the accommodation options available to the student. Timely and open communication with SAS, faculty and other campus offices about the nature and duration of the condition and requested help can often result in satisfactory solutions to the short-term issues caused by the injury or condition. Students with temporary injuries or conditions are encouraged to contact SAS to determine accommodation options.

Documentation Requirements

To receive accommodations for a temporary disability, the student may submit information to SAS indicating the disability, impact and estimated duration of the disability.  It is also helpful to know any side effects caused by medication and recommendations for accommodations. The information should be recent enough to identify current impact. More information may be requested to update SAS on continued need for accommodations.

Students may complete the initial request by filling out our Getting Started Form which provides students an opportunity to describe the impact of the temporary disability and the requested accommodations.

The student should schedule an appointment with their identified specialist to review the available information and identify possible accommodations. The specialist will advise the student if any additional information is needed before setting up accommodations and share information on potential resources. Temporary Letters of Accommodation are issued on a semester-by-semester basis.