Requesting Accommodations

Welcome to the Office of Disability, Access and Inclusion (ODAI). ODAI provides accommodations and collaborates across campus partners on accessibility issues to support our growing and diverse disabled student population.  

The purpose of academic accommodations is to assure there is equal access to and the opportunity to benefit from all educational programs of The University of Colorado Anschutz. These accommodations are granted in accordance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. This is a university-wide responsibility and is shared by the faculty, staff, and students and includes the implementation of accommodations in the classroom.  

The Accommodation Process

We are excited to meet with you to understand your access needs and accommodations to remove barriers. Because accommodations do not apply retroactively, we encourage you to begin this process as early as possible.  The steps below to request accommodation for your academic program or activity will take at least 1-2 weeks to complete given availability of Access Coordinators. 

 
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Step One: Complete an Online Access Form and upload documentation

First, we ask you to complete the ODAI Access Form that gathers demographic information, program information, disability information, and prior experiences (if any) with utilizing accommodations.  If you are a current student with CU Anschutz credentials, please use this link for the Access Form.  If you are an admitted student but do not yet have a username and password, please use this link and click on "start/resume application" and enter your email address to get to the Access Form.

As part of the process, we request documentation of your disability to assist with identifying access barriers and determining accommodation. Please see the Documentation Guidelines for more information. If you suspect you have a disability but do not have documentation, we encourage you to continue with the process and make an appointment to discuss your concerns with the access coordinator. 

This information comes directly to our office and no one outside of the ODAI office will see this request. You can discontinue the process at any time and completing this form does not automatically enroll you in our office or necessitate the use of accommodations.
ODAI Access Form
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Step Three: Meet with your Access Coordinator

During this access meeting, your access coordinator will ask about how your disability impacts you across different settings including the educational, laboratory, and simulation settings. They will also inquire about your access concerns for clinical spaces and let you know about required professional exams specific to your program, referred to as “high-stakes” exams, and the external process for requesting accommodations for these exams. 
 

During this meeting, your access coordinator will also review your documentation, attempt to understand your disability-related needs, and will discuss potential reasonable accommodations or modifications. 

 

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Step Four: Receive Accommodation Decision

You will typically receive a decision about your requested accommodations within about 1 week of completing steps 1-3. Sometimes accommodation decisions require input with program faculty to determine an accommodation decision, which may extend this timeline. If approved for accommodation, you will receive an email letting you know what accommodations have been approved and move onto the Implementing Accommodations phase.  

 

If an accommodation request has been denied, your access coordinator will provide you with clear information about why the requested accommodation was denied. If you disagree with this decision, you can file a report with the Office of Equity. Whenever possible, your Access Coordinator will try to provide an alternate accommodation if your original request was denied.

Implementing Accommodations

Upon approval of your accommodations, you will receive an email titled "Accommodations Approved" from your Access Coordinator, which means you are registered with ODAI as a student with approved disability accommodations.  Your accommodations will remain in effect for the duration of your time at CU Anschutz, unless you have temporary approval for a semester. Should you need to download a PDF copy of your accommodations, you can do so through AIM. If you ever feel as though your accommodations are not effective or need to be modified, you are always welcome to request a modification of your accommodations through the AIM student portal, which generally requires you to meet again with your Access Coordinator.

To implement your accommodations, it is your responsibility as a student at Anschutz to log into the AIM student portal at the start of each semester and select the accommodations you wish to use in all of your classes.  Your accommodations are not considered active in your classes until you complete this step in AIM. Once you do this, AIM will automatically notify your faculty of your accommodations. You can do this up to ten days before your classes begin, and we recommend doing it as early as possible to ensure timely implementation of your accommodations.  If you run into any issues or have questions as you are trying to complete this process, please reach out to your Access Coordinator.

Program-Specific Directions for Implementation

If you are a student in the School of Medicine - MD program, in AIM, you must select all of your accommodations for all of your courses each semester. Additionally, if you have clinical accommodations, you must separately notify your clinical preceptor and inpatient supervisors via email about any accommodations you plan to use, and be sure to Cc' your LIC Director and LIC Coordinator on the email. Please note that some clinical accommodations may require follow-up conversations to work out the logistics.

If you are a student in the School of Pharmacy program, in addition to selecting the accommodations you wish to use for each course each semester in AIM, there is an extra step to notify your program of your clinical accommodations. If your course includes a clinical component, you must include your approved accommodations in your introductory email to your preceptor and Cc' your Course Director. Please note that some clinical accommodations may require follow-up conversations to work out the logistics.

If you are a student in the Child Health Associate / Physician Assistant program, in addition to selecting the accommodations you wish to use for each course each semester in AIM, there is an extra step to notify your program of your clinical accommodations. If your course includes a clinical component, you should discuss how to communicate your clinical accommodations to your preceptor with the Clinical Course Director, Roberta Knott. Please note some clinical accommodations may require follow-up conversations to work out the logistics.

*Refer to the Faculty Liaison Contact List for contact information for specific programs and schools, if you have further questions or concerns about communicating your accommodations for implementation.

 

Communication with Faculty

The primary communication with your faculty regarding your accommodations will occur through the AIM system when you log in and select your accommodations for each of your courses.  When you do that, AIM will automatically notify your faculty of your accommodations.  There may be times, however, when you need to communicate directly with your faculty about your accommodations.  This is most likely to occur when your accommodations require communication in order to be implemented; for example, if you have an accommodation around rescheduling exams or excused absences.  In these (and other) circumstances, you may find yourself drafting an email to your faculty, and you may want some help in figuring out exactly what to say.

When you email your faculty, it is important to communicate with a professional tone. The sample language below is suggested by ODAI staff. You will need to customize this language based on your own situation – at a minimum, all language in bold and brackets in the emails below should be customized with the relevant information.  Remember that you are not required (and should not feel pressured) to share any information about your disability with anyone outside of ODAI staff, including your faculty.  Instead, you should communicate with faculty, and other appropriate personnel within your program, about your accommodations.  If anyone outside of ODAI staff asks you for information about your disability, please let us know. 

If you would like additional support and resources to help you communicate with your faculty about your accommodations, please contact your Access Coordinator or email us at disabilityaccess@cuanschutz.edu. 

Didactic (Classroom) Accommodations

If you've requested and been approved for didactic (classroom) accommodations you will find the following procedures and information helpful for each of the types of accommodations you receive. If you have any questions or concerns about the process, please reach out to ODAI at disabilityaccess@cuanschutz.edu or contact your Access Coordinator directly. 

Clinical Accommodations

Accommodation in clinical, clerkship, practice or external site locations is also available depending upon the essential functions of the activity. Some examples include but are not limited to: 

  • Schedule adjustments for breaks, medication, and/or food intake 
  • Restricted assignment based on geographic location and treatment  
  • Reduced/extended timeframe for completion of clinical hours  

Please note that it is recommended that students request clinical accommodation prior to starting their clinical placement to allow sufficient time for effective planning with their clinical supervisor and placement site.  

Extra-Curricular Accommodations

Equitable participation in CU Anschutz campus and online programs and activities, including admissions, student orientation, campus tours, and events are required by the ADA. If you need disability-related accommodation for any extra-curricular activities outside of the classroom, please contact ODAI at disabilityaccess@cuanschutz.edu prior to the program or activity to arrange for accommodations.  

 

Service Animals

Students with service animals are welcome on the CU Anschutz campus.  Students should contact ODAI to obtain documentation of their service animal that can be presented to faculty in academic settings.

Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, if there is a question as to whether an animal is a service animal, two questions may be asked:

  • Is the animal a service animal required because of a disability? And
  • What work or task has the animal been trained to perform?

At no time may any person outside of the Office of Disability, Access, and Inclusion (ODAI) ask a student with a service animal questions that are intended to cause or have the effect of causing the student to disclose information about their disability.

  • Service animals in CU Anschutz facilities, including classrooms, labs, and simulation spaces, are governed by CU Denver | Anschutz Campus Administrative Policy 3051, Animals on Campus (“the Policy”). 
  • With limited exceptions outlined in the Policy, a student with a service animal may be accompanied by the animal when they are on campus.
  • If another student is adversely impacted by the presence of the service animal due to a severe allergy or other disability-related condition,  the impacted student should contact ODAI at disabilityaccess@cuanschutz.edu to determine available options.
  • In labs and simulation spaces, if faculty have questions about the logistics of the animal’s placement in the space, they may discuss those logistics with the student; a walkthrough of the lab or simulation space with the student and the animal may be appropriate.
  • If questions arise in the classroom, lab, or simulation space setting, please contact ODAI at disabilityaccess@cuanschutz.edu.
  • Service animals in clinical settings are governed by the clinical facility’s policy on service animals.
    • These policies will typically define limited restricted areas where service animals are not permitted for health and safety reasons.
    • Outside of restricted areas, a student with a service animal may be accompanied by the animal in clinical settings.
  • Prior to each clinical rotation, ODAI recommends that appropriate personnel from the program and the clinical facility discuss with the student the logistics of the animal’s placement within the unit.
    • A walkthrough of the unit with the student and the service animal may be appropriate.
    • The program, clinical facility, and student should collaborate to determine where the animal will be placed when the student has to enter restricted areas under the facility’s policy, as necessary.
  • If questions arise in the clinical setting, please contact ODAI at disabilityaccess@cuanschutz.edu for assistance.

The Office of Disability, Access & Inclusion

CU Anschutz

Strauss Health Sciences Library

12950 East Montview Boulevard

V23-1409

Aurora, CO 80045

303-724-5640

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