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UCLA Center for Accessible Education

Reasonable accommodations are determined through an interactive process between the CAE, the student, and instructional staff. It is axiomatic that reasonable accommodations must be disability-based. The academic adjustments and/or auxiliary aids, and/or modification or adjustment to practices, procedures, or policies are so that a qualified student with a disability receives equal access to a course, program, service, or activity.

Accommodations can be:

  • Changes to a classroom environment or task that permit a student with a disability to participate in the educational process,
  • Reasonable modifications to policies, practices or procedures that enable the student to participate in UCLA’s programs, including admissions, academics, online and distance education courses, and housing.

What is an accommodation?

An accommodation is a legally mandated modification or service designed to mitigate the functional limitations associated with a student's disability. Accommodations can be:

  • Changes to a classroom environment or task that permit a student with a disability to participate in the educational process,
  • Reasonable modifications to policies, practices or procedures, etc.

Reasonable accommodations are determined through an interactive process between the CAE, the student, and instructional staff. The student’s accommodation request must be linked to the functional limitations described in the medical documentation.

What types of accommodations are often considered “unreasonable”?

  1. Accommodations that would fundamentally alter the nature of a program.
  2. Accommodations which lower or substantially modify academic or program standards.
  3. Accommodations that would impose undue financial or administrative burden.
  4. Accommodations that would pose an appreciable threat to personal or public safety.

How do I notify my professors about my accommodations?

Please follow these 2 steps:

1. To use your accommodations, you will need to complete the following steps through the CAE Student Portal. Please follow instructions from this YouTube video to request that CAE send a letter to the Faculty Portal which tells your instructors what accommodations you have. This letter only informs your instructors that you are a student in their class who is registered with CAE and has approved accommodations. A few reminders about your accommodation letters: 

  • Once requested, you will either see that your accommodation letter status says “Sent” or “Confirmed.” Your instructors may view the letter, but not confirm it, as these are two separate steps. The letter does not need to be “confirmed” for your accommodations to be active. If you have concerns about receiving your accommodations, you can send your instructor an email to confirm, and copy your CAE Disability Specialist on the email.   

  • Request your letters early in the quarter! We recommend during week 1 or 2 of the quarter. You will complete this step at beginning of each quarter that you want to use your accommodations.  

2. After you complete step #1, please also email the following to your instructors and copy your CAE Disability Specialist:  

“Dear Instructor, I am registered with the Center for Accessible Education (CAE) and recently submitted a request to make my CAE accommodation letter available to you. You can view my accommodation letter in the Faculty Portal. After clicking on “View Letter,” please complete steps #1 and #2: review the accommodation letter, and confirm receipt of the accommodation letter. 

If you have any questions about my accommodations, you can follow up with my CAE Disability Specialist, who is copied on this email. Thank you."

Types of Accommodations

Below, you will find a non-exclusive list of some of the common or more complex accommodations that we provide to students. In no way is this list exhaustive and not all students may qualify for the accommodations below. We encourage students to engage with us earnestly and share about their day-to-day experience living with their disability so that we can determine what accommodations will ultimately be most reasonable and appropriate for their needs.

Students with these existing accommodation eligibilities may find the information below helpful in navigating various institutional and course policies, as well as CAE procedures, for each of these accommodations. For more information on the types of accommodations we provide, please reach out to CAE at caeintake@saonet.ucla.edu.

Testing Accommodations

Accommodations for tests mitigate the impact of barriers in the standard exam setting for students with disabilities, and allow students with disabilities to demonstrate their knowledge and skills. Exam accommodations might include assistive technology or auxiliary aids; additional time for the exam; or a distraction-reduced exam setting.

Flexibility Accommodations

Some students, for a variety of disability-related reasons, cannot meet the core objectives of their courses without some flexibility in course requirements and modality. Flexibility accommodations might include adjusted attendance, adjusted deadlines, remote access, and alternative means of participation in the course.

Notetaking Accommodations

Some students face challenges with processing information from their class meetings due to a disability-related reason and may need assistance in getting access to all of the information provided by the instructor to properly support their notetaking and preparation for exams. Notetaking accommodations may include Glean, Otter Voice Notes, peer-notetaker, audio recording, or other tools identified by the student's Specialist.

Communication Access

CAE provides assistance to enrolled D/deaf or hard-of-hearing students so that they may obtain aids or accommodations to university academic programs, services, and activities. These services can include real-time captioning services, sign language interpreting in classes, and other auxiliary aids to assist with hearing and participation in class.

Alternative Format

Students with visual or learning disabilities who are unable to read standard printed material may have classroom materials converted into alternative formats. This includes Braille, e-text, and large print. We can also help connect students with existing resources that offer books in alternative formats.

Course Registration

CAE can support students who have a disability that impacts registration for courses for their degree program and establishing a term schedule that meets their disability-related needs. Some more common support CAE can provide includes eligibility for Reduced Course Load, Reduced Fee Program, Priority Registration, and Foreign Language Substitutions, among other eligibilities.

Adaptive Furniture

The need for adaptive furniture accommodations is approved through an interactive process between the student and a CAE Disability Specialist and must be supported by the documentation of the effects of the student’s disability. Examples of adaptive furniture that may be requested include wheelchair-accessible tables, padded and adjustable chairs, and chairs with or without arms.

Animals on Campus

Students may choose to have an animal accompany them during activities they conduct on campus, including attending class, living on campus, and attending different events, to support their disability-related needs. The types of animals allowed on campus include service animals, service animals in training, and assistance animals, all three of which have different contexts in which they are allowed.

Housing Accommodations

The Housing Accommodations Board through the Center for Accessible Educationis responsible for evaluating requests for a reasonable accommodation and/or modification in University-owned housing.

Parking & Transportation

A variety of different resources and programs exist to support students' needs for accessible parking and transportation on-campus.

Other Ways CAE Can Support Me

CAE can support students in a variety of ways outside of the accommodation categories listed above. Students who feel their needs are not met by any of the options listed above should set up an appointment with their Disability Specialist, connect with a Specialist during their open drop-in hours, or reach out to the office at caeintake@saonet.ucla.edu

CAE can also assist students and campus community members in a variety of ways through the following supports. Reasonable accommodations for co-curricular activities will be determined with students on an individualized basis.

  • Accommodations related to student organization events and/or co-curricular activities
  • Accommodations related to clinicals, fieldwork, or external placements that are credit-baring
  • Accommodations related to Community Engagement sites connected to seminars through the UCLA Center for Community Engagement