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CSD provides students with academic, residential, and campus access accommodations, is home to the CSDTech Team and assistive technology, and the Beyond Access and UConnGPS programs. For more information, see our Programs page.
Yes! CSD regularly hosts a social group for students. The dates and times can vary from semester to semester, so please check with your Disability Service Professional (DSP) after you’ve registered.
Campus tours are organized by UConn Admissions.
Once students register with CSD and are assigned to work with one of our DSPs, they may schedule an appointment to meet with their assigned DSP. CSD begins meeting with incoming students after the end of the spring semester.
Maybe. You are not required to disclose your disability information to your advisor, but it may be helpful to let your advisor know you are working with CSD. Telling your advisor about your accommodations and needs may assist them with making specific course recommendations or helping you develop a schedule that best meets your needs each semester (e.g., you need to avoid scheduling classes that are back-to-back because you need breaks between your classes to eat or rest). Telling your advisor how you best learn (e.g., visual learner, auditory learner) may help them make specific course or instructor recommendations. They may also provide refer you to other resources on campus (e.g., Writing Center, Q Center, Academic Achievement Center, CSD Beyond Access Program).
As described by the ADA, the “interactive process” is a collaborative discussion between the student, the instructor, and the CSD to determine if a student has a qualifying disability to receive reasonable academic accommodations. The discussions include how those accommodations will be implemented for the students related to their studies and in the classroom.
For more information on each party’s rights and responsibilities, see Our Rights and Responsibilities Page. For more information on the accommodations process, see our Accommodation Requests page.
CSD has created Disability-Specific Guidelines; see Our Disability Specific Guidelines Page for more information.
If at any point you have questions or concerns about an accommodation, please contact your DSP as soon as possible.
No. Students may not be charged for their legally mandated accommodations; however, accommodations that are deemed to be of a personal nature, such as transportation to and from campus or hiring and paying a personal assistant, are the student’s financial responsibility.
CSD also offers some fee-based programs, such as Beyond Access and UConnGPS.
Your DSP will work with you to determine appropriate academic accommodations based on your condition and how it affects you at UConn.
Some examples of academic accommodations are:
- Alternate media for printed materials;
- Technology-based notetaking assistance;
- Exam accommodations such as extended testing time for assessments;
- Participation modification;
- Reduced courseload while maintaining full-time status;
- Communication access including ASL interpreting, CART, captioned materials;
- Housing accommodations such as a single room or a compatible roommate;
- Dining accommodations such as a referral to Dining Services to discuss dietary needs;
- Parking and transportation accommodations such as approval to use the Accessible Van Service.
For more information, see our Accommodations page.
Note-taking assistance is available in several different formats such as:
- Technology-based assistance such as the use of a personal laptop/tablet, a Livescribe Echo Smart Pen, Microsoft OneNote, Glean, Otter.ai, etc.;
- Permission to record classes (many technology-based options have a recording component as a built-in feature);
- Access to instructor outlines and/or notes; and
- Access to notes provided by a peer notetaker.
Federal law requires colleges and universities to consider reasonable modifications if a student’s disability affects the timely completion of an assignment or their ability to participate in class. The disabilities covered under this academic adjustment are typically chronic or episodic in nature and may affect a student’s class participation as well as their ability to complete assignments, exams, and quizzes.
If attendance or participation can be justified as an integral part of how a course is taught or how learning is to be demonstrated and measured, disability-related absences may not be reasonably accommodated. It is not reasonable to expect instructors to:
Re-teach – It is reasonable to go over some of the missed materials with students during office hours or by appointment, but instructors are not expected to re-teach the course to absent students.
Remodel – Instructors are not expected to reconstruct courses entirely for absent students. For example, a course that is lecture-style does not need to be reconstructed as an independent study or online course.
Adjust Course Rigor – Instructors may not alter the essential elements or the learning outcomes of the course for absent students.
A withdrawal from the course or an incomplete may be necessary if the student is unable to meet the standards/objectives of the course because of absences.
The CSD uses guidance set out by the Association on Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD) when considering evidence for determining a student’s disability and providing accommodations. For more information, see our Evidence of Disability page.
Please talk with your DSP about transportation resources, including the Accessible Van Service.
If your disability affects your ability to travel across campus quickly, please also work with your advisor to avoid scheduling classes back-to-back.
Yes, please visit our website for information about the Accessible Van Service.
Yes, please visit the Office for Inclusion and Civil Rights’s Campus Access page for detailed accessibility information about each of UConn’s campuses.
CSD may be able to approve parking accommodations. Please visit our Parking Accommodations page.
Whenever possible, you should take your exams with your class or instructors. If that isn’t possible, CSD can proctor your exams. Students must submit exam scheduling requests through the MyAccess portal at least 7 days in advance of the class exam date. CSD cannot guarantee late requests.
Yes, CSD will work with you and your instructor to schedule the exam at an alternate time so you don’t need to miss a class.
Please begin by discussing this situation directly with your instructor.
One option would be to arrange to take the quiz either with your instructor or at CSD before the class start time. Another option would be to get approval from your instructor to take the quiz at an alternate time.
Please ask with your instructor to adjust the Husky CT settings for your extended time on online exams.
Exams taken remotely (that is, from a location of your choice and not in class) should not be scheduled at CSD.
Yes, students are responsible for bringing their own laptop/tablet for online exams taken at CSD.
Please email csdexams@uconn.edu and let us know. We will adjust the date/time for you – you don’t need to cancel your request or submit a new one.
Please contact your DSP To request additional exam accommodations.
Instructors must work with the student and CSD to ensure approved accommodation(s) are implemented. The CSD will contact the department chair and/or the Office for Inclusion and Civil Rights for assistance in coordinating approved accommodations if faculty do not participate in the interactive process.
No. It is University policy that only CSD will receive and review disability-related documentation which is stored securely and separately from other University records. Students are not required to present their instructors with medical documentation verifying their disability.
Yes. All students who live in Husky Village are required to have a meal plan.
No. Students living in non-apartment spaces (including Husky Village) must purchase a meal plan according to the Housing Contract.
Yes. Visit the UConn Dining Services: Dietary Restrictions & Preferences page for additional information.
You should share any information related to your dietary needs with Dining Services to help with determining an appropriate modification. Here are some of the questions you will be asked during your meeting:
- What are your food allergies/dietary needs?
- What do you typically eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner?
- What are your food likes and dislikes?
- Are you a vegan or vegetarian?
- How long have you lived with your specific diagnosis, or how long have you followed a specific diet?
- What are the biggest challenges with your diet?
Dining Services will explain how they can accommodate your specific diet, give you a tour of the dining facility, and introduce you to the culinary team who will assist with your modification.
Contact your DSP as soon as possible to discuss further options.
Yes. You can eat in any dining hall, but you will need to follow the process and modifications you set up during your meeting with Dining Services.
UConn’s Registered Dietician and the Dining Services Department can assist. Visit the UConn Student Health and Wellness: Nutrition page and the UConn Dining Services: Dietary Restrictions & Preferences page for additional information.
Maybe. Contact your DSP and your EGL advisor to discuss your accommodation needs while travelling abroad program.
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Yes. All students must apply for housing. For more information, visit the Campus Housing webpage.
No. Campus Housing will notify you about the housing selection process in which you will participate. If you are approved for an accommodation after the housing accommodation deadline (see below), you may need to participate in the General Housing Selection Process. Campus Housing will contact you after selection regarding your approved accommodation.
This deadline is usually in early March, giving Campus Housing ample time to determine your housing selection process. If you are approved for an accommodation after the deadline, Campus Housing will work with you after General Housing Selection.
CSD works with Campus Housing to provide housing accommodations for students, but cannot guarantee that a room meeting all of a student’s approved accommodations will be available.
CSD and Campus Housing will notify you through your UConn email.
Campus Housing needs time to assess available spaces on campus, and we appreciate your patience as they work through this process. The best time frame we can give is sometime over the summer.
No. All students must be eligible for housing by completing the housing application before the deadline, regardless of approved accommodations. You can still submit the housing application to be placed on the waitlist. Note: Campus Housing may determine an end date to accept late housing applications.
No. Kitchens for meal preparation are only available in apartments. While the buildings in Husky Village, Garrigus Suites, and Busby Suites have communal kitchens, residents are still required to purchase a residential meal plan.
Maybe. It will depend on the current room availability and your approved accommodations. Campus Housing will attempt to honor these requests, but cannot guarantee them.
No. However, you are welcome to bring your own air purifier and dehumidifier.
No. Only Emotional Support Animals (ESA) and Service Animals are permitted in the residence halls. To learn more about ESAs, visit: Emotional Support Animals | Center for Students with Disabilities (uconn.edu). For the Animals on Campus policy, visit: Academic and Student Life | University Policies (uconn.edu).
CSD will follow guidance provided by UConn when there is a delayed start or closure because of inclement weather. Please email csdexams@uconn.edu if you have an assessment scheduled during the delay or closing so we can assist with rescheduling. Do not cancel your scheduled exam. We will reschedule your request based on the updated information your instructor provides. Be assured, we will work with you as you navigate this unexpected situation. *Regional campus students, please email your campus CSD email address.
CSD can assist with the academic advising process to suggest appropriate classroom accommodations. Meeting with your DSP allows you to discuss the impact of your disability on your course schedule each semester. Your DSP can also contact your advisor to inform them about your approved accommodations and how they may impact your class schedule. Please note, however, that any recommendations from your DSP do not replace the need to meet with your academic advisor.