Student Accessibility Support

Academic Accommodations

Student Accessibility Support 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 van transportation

Information for Undergraduate Students

Requesting Accommodations

To request accommodations, please follow these steps:

  1. Contact SAS: Call the Academic Services main phone line at 781-736-3470, or email access@brandeis.edu to schedule a meeting with an SAS Accessibility Specialist. This is the first right step if you aren't sure if you should request accommodations, want to know more about what SAS provides or have questions about documentation. If you are ready to submit documentation and don't need to talk with a Specialist first, you may skip to the next step. 
  2. 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.
  3. Schedule a meeting with an Accessibility Specialist: After submitting your documentation, please call the Academic Services main phone line at 781-736-3470 or email access@brandeis.edu to schedule a 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.

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.

Letters of Academic Accommodation

A student requests his or her letters of academic accommodation at the beginning of each semester. We encourage students to present their academic accommodation letters to faculty early in the semester.

Information for Graduate Students