Student Services Process

Requesting Academic Accommodations

Students requesting academic accommodations must register with the Office of Disability Services (ODS), participate in an intake interview and submit current documentation as required. ODS staff utilize an interactive review process to determine necessary accommodations. Students are required to follow ODS’s procedures for requesting and maintaining accommodations as outlined below.

  • Complete Registration Form
  • Submit Documentation
  • Meet with ODS staff for an intake interview
  • Sign Acceptance of Services form for approved accommodations
  • Complete a Semester Request each semester (ODS will notify instructors of approved accommodations)
  • Communicate with all relevant instructors at least two weeks prior to implementation in order to make arrangements for accommodations

Approved accommodations due to disability cannot be applied retroactively.  Accommodations can only be used after the Acceptance of Services has been signed by the student and for the duration of the approved timeframe. Academic accommodations cannot be implemented in an academic course without prior written approval from the Office of Disability Services, which occurs after the Semester Request is submitted by the student.

Complete Registration Form

Students requesting accommodations must complete a registration form in order to identify the disability and requested accommodations.

Submit Documentation

Students must submit documentation that establishes the presence of a disability, identifies the functional impact, and explains the link between the functional impact and the need for the requested accommodations.

Intake Interview

Students must meet with an ODS Staff member to provide information on their academic experience and any other pertinent information. Approved accommodations will be finalized after this meeting.

Sign Acceptance of Services

ODS will request that the student sign an “Acceptance of Services” form to document the accommodations and will thereafter authorize the accommodations to be implemented.

Complete the Semester Request

The undergraduate student is responsible for completing a semester request at the beginning of every semester to notify faculty of approved accommodations. The Semester Request is made through ODS's disability management system, ACCOMMODATE, and should be completed as soon as the student has finalized his/her semester courses or by the end of the drop/add period.

 If the Semester Request is not completed in ACCOMMODATE, instructors will not be notified of the student’s approved accommodations and may not allow the implementation of the accommodations.  

Notification of approved academic accommodations to instructors

Upon completion of the Semester Request, ODS will approve the letters that are created by your Semester Request and forward a message to all faculty associated with the course that your accommodation letter is available for them to view in ACCOMMODATE.  Select administrators, such as residential college deans, will be copied on the notification letter.  It is important to note that preceptors and TA's will not receive the accommodation notification. Students can view and access their letters through their ACCOMMODATE portal and forward them on a need-to-know basis to course staff who may be implementing accommodations.

Arrangements for Implementation of academic accommodations

At Princeton, the course instructor is primarily responsible for providing the academic accommodation(s) in testing situations, as this affords the instructor the opportunity to maintain academic control over the evaluation process.  Specific arrangements may be handled by the instructor, preceptor or departmental administration. To ensure smooth implementation of testing accommodations, it is the responsibility of the student to communicate with course instructors at least two weeks in advance to make arrangements for implementation. The instructor is not required to provide the accommodation(s) if this communication does not take place at least two weeks in advance of the need for accommodation but will make reasonable effort to do so. Timely notification allows instructors the opportunity to secure the appropriate venues to allow for extended test-taking time or a reduced-distraction environment (this does not necessarily mean a private room). Arrangements may also need to be made for the use of a clean laptop, provided by ODS.

Academic accommodations not related to testing situations are primarily arranged by ODS. Students that receive e-text as an accommodation must purchase textbooks/documents to be converted and deliver them to ODS. The student will be notified via e-mail when the material is ready to be picked up. Engagement of notetakers requires a coordinated effort between the student and ODS. The optimal arrangement is for the student to recommend a preferred student within each class to perform the services of notetaker. In the event the student does not recommend a notetaker, ODS will engage a student enrolled in the class.

For graduate students, the process of determining and implementing appropriate accommodations involves coordination with the Office of the Dean of the Graduate School and appropriate departmental personnel. 

Providing appropriate accommodations is an iterative process. It is the student’s responsibility to contact ODS to talk about alternate accommodations if they feel that the approved accommodation is not effective (See Student Processes, Student Rights and Responsibilities for more information).

Requesting Housing and Dining Accommodations

Students may submit requests for housing and dining accommodations to ODS.  Documentation of a disability must be presented in order to request accommodations. ODS works with the Office of the Dean of Undergraduate Students to facilitate the student’s accommodation request.

Requesting Modifications to University Policies, Practices or Procedures

Students with disabilities requesting modifications to University policies, practices or procedures as an accommodation should follow the same process for requesting academic accommodations, by completing a registration form, participating in an intake interview and submitting current documentation as required. ODS will engage the appropriate policy owner to explore modifications based on the student’s request. If the student is required to make an application or petition, ODS will support the student through this process. 

Additional Policies and Procedures

Additional policies and procedures regarding accommodations can be found on the Inclusive Princeton website.