Requesting CDA Accommodations

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The Center for Disability Access at Rhode Island College is the College’s designated agent for determining eligibility, facilitating access, and coordinating accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities. Students requesting adjustments, modifications, or services related to a disability need to register with the this office to determine eligibility.

Center for Disability Access Registration Process

To request accommodations for the first time at Rhode Island College, follow this Registration Process:

  1. Submit New Student Application: Use your Rhode Island College credentials to log into our online portal, (Accessible Information Management/AIM), and complete a New Student Application. We ask for relevant information about your disability or medical condition, its impact on you, and any specific accommodations requested.
  2. Submit Supporting Documentation: Relevant and current documentation from a qualified professional is required to establish a non-obvious disability and disability-related need for accommodations. After submitting your application, you can upload this supporting documentation directly to your application. Review our Documentation Guidelines for assistance. Need more time to get documentation? You can submit documentation at any point in the process and can discuss the possibility of provisional accommodations with a staff member in the interim.
  3. We will assign you a primary case manager who will review your application, let you know if any additional documentation is needed, and email you to schedule an intake once your application is complete. At your intake, we will review your eligibility for accommodations based on the information provided. If eligible, we will work collaboratively to develop an appropriate accommodation plan based on your self-report in the New Student Application and the supporting documentation you submitted. We will discuss next steps, go over CDA policies and procedures and provide any trainings necessary to access your accommodations effectively each semester.

Please Note: All three steps must be completed before a student can be eligible to receive accommodations. Submitting documentation to the institution alone is not sufficient.

What to Expect at your Intake Meeting

An intake appointment is the initial meeting students will have with a case manager in The Center for Disability Access to set up the accommodations they will use during their time at RIC. 

If conducted on Zoom, make sure you have a quiet, confidential place to conduct your intake meeting.

Please come to the intake interview prepared to discuss your disability.

Please be prepared to answer the following questions:

  • What is your disability? Be able to name it and describe it.
  • How does your disability impact your learning? Think of the following situations:
    • Classroom (lecture, note taking, group work, lab work, physical activity, sitting)
    • Tests and exams (essay exams, multiple choice, timed tests)
    • Communication (listening, speaking, writing, using email)
    • Assignments (deadlines, presentations, reading, writing)
    • Campus (mobility, orientation/navigation)
  • What accommodations have you used in the past? How have they helped you?
  • What accommodations do you think you will need at RIC?

Appointments usually take about an hour.  

Typically, the first half of the appointment will involve asking general questions about your academic and disability history, including a brief history of your diagnosis/diagnoses, and how your disability may impact your academic access and functioning.  

After discussing the barriers that are impacting your access to your academics, your case manager will go over the options for accommodations, based on the documentation provided and the information you shared.  

In the second half of the appointment, we will discuss what accommodations the CDA can provide, processes to request and use your accommodations and how to discuss those accommodations with faculty members.  

You will be asked to review and sign documents in AIM, select your specific accommodations for your courses, and request your letters be sent to your faculty members. Then your registration with the CDA will be complete and you will be able to start using your accommodations.  

You’re all set! Your accommodations will be in place throughout your time at RIC (unless otherwise discussed during your intake appointment). In order to use your accommodations each semester, you will need to acknowledge CDA policies in AIM, request your letters, and discuss your accommodations with your faculty members. 

Information About Ongoing Requests and Deadlines

After registering with the our office, students who are eligible to receive accommodations on an ongoing basis can request and manage them as-needed through the online portal.

To receive accommodations in their courses each semester, students will need to request accommodation letters for each course via the online portal. Some accommodation services—like test proctoring, accessible media provision, assistive technology loans, communication access services, and peer note-taking—may also require you to submit individual requests (as outlined separately) to facilitate timely and appropriate administration of those services.

In order to ensure sufficient time to make provisions for appropriate accommodations and auxiliary aid(s), students must request accommodations in a timely manner. Processing time for new accommodation requests is generally two weeks. Once approved, some types of accommodations (for example: ASL, CART Captioning, accessible furniture requests, text in alternate format) may take several weeks to fulfill, so it is important to make the request as soon as possible. Untimely requests may result in delay, substitutions, or the inability to fulfill the request(s).

Academic accommodation requests are accepted on a rolling basis; there is no deadline for submission, however, please note accommodations are not retroactive.

After submitting an accommodation application, students starting at Rhode Island College in the fall semester will be contacted by the CDA starting early June to schedule an intake meeting either in-person or virtually, with a member of our team.

You will receive up to three reminders to follow through on registration with the CDA before we will archive your application. You may re-activate your request at any time by contacting our office via phone or email.

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Center for Disability Access

Facilitate access and inclusion for students with disabilities at Rhode Island College.