Concordia is committed to a climate of mutual respect and full participation for all students. In the event you encounter any barrier(s) to full participation in any of the educational programs, activities or services offered by Concordia due to the impact of a disability (e.g., physical, mental, cognitive) and may need accommodations to fully participate, you are encouraged to contact the ARC Accessibility Services Office.
Accessibility Services facilitates this process to establish that:
- a student is a person with a disability
- the accommodations requested are logical, reasonable and necessary to facilitate equal access and remove barriers
- the requested accommodation is reasonable within the appropriate context
Accommodations are not retroactive, nor do they transfer from institution to institution.
Get started
Step 1: Complete the Accessibility Services Request form
Please use your Concordia email if you have one, otherwise your personal email address will work temporarily.
Step 2: Provide documentation
Provide documentation of your disability via the Accessibility Services Verification form.
Have your primary care doctor, mental health or other healthcare provider that can verify your disability complete the accessibility services verification form listed below. Documentation can also be uploaded to your accessibility services request.
A provider’s letter with a diagnosis and a recommendation does not automatically guarantee an accommodation of choice. The letter is not a prescription, nor are disability accommodations in higher education a entitlement program.
Step 3: Participate in intake meeting
The student and the Accessibility Services Director will engage in an interactive process to determine and implement an appropriate accommodation plan if needed to facilitate access and participation in any of the educational programs, activities or services offered by Concordia.
Transfer students
Transfer students should talk with us about how accommodations were managed at their previous institution, so that we determine and implement an appropriate accommodation plan to facilitate equal access and participation here if needed.
Graduate students
Graduate students who are seeking accommodations for the first time, or who had previous accommodations during their undergraduate career, should contact us so that we can engage in the interactive process to determine and implement an appropriate accommodation plan to facilitate equal access and participation if needed.
Frequently asked questions
Every situation warrants its own consideration. Please be aware that completing and submitting forms does not guarantee that a particular accommodation will be approved or implemented. We will work with you throughout your time at Concordia to ensure that you are receiving appropriate and reasonable accommodations. Your approved accommodation plan can be revisited at any time.
Students who do not have documentation may still submit a request form and schedule a meeting.
You are not required to disclose any personal information to staff or faculty outside of the ARC Accessibility Services Office in order to receive your accommodations. Faculty or staff who have questions or concerns can be directed to speak with our office. We will only communicate information about your accommodations to the necessary staff/faculty who will be implementing them. We disclose personal information about you only with your explicit consent and only if necessary.
The purpose of reasonable and appropriate accommodations is to prevent discrimination on the basis of disability. The work of the ARC Accessibility Services Office is to address the barriers or limitations in the environment to create equitable access and opportunities for disabled students.
Reasonable accommodations, by their nature, are designed to increase inclusion for a student with a disability so that they have access to the same opportunities as their peers.
Reasonable accommodations are not intended to excuse or reduce the responsibilities or expectations the university holds for all students.
Documentation of the student’s disability and recommendations made by the diagnosing professional are reviewed during an interactive process by the ARC Accessibility Services Office.
The Interactive Intake Process follows a set of guided questions. The ARC Accessibility Services Office does not diagnose or suggest that a student has a disability. The conversation is started by asking the student to identify and explain their disability. The conversation (interactive intake process) involves a series of questions led by the ARC Director of Accessibility Services, that:
- helps determine how the student’s disability creates a barrier to access their education
- how they have struggled with learning in the past
- what accommodations that they have had in the past have been the most helpful
Accommodations are determined on an individual, case-by-case basis, never by disability label. In some rare instances, the program director/dept chair may be asked if an accommodation is reasonable given the technical standards of the academic program.
Needs vary among individuals with the same disability, therefore, suggestions represent only general guidelines for classroom adaptations. It is important to remember that a student may have multiple disabilities that have to be taken into consideration. Some students may have disabilities that are not obvious when speaking with the student. Therefore, please do not assume that because you are not able to observe obvious signs of a person having a disability, that the student is not disabled. The fact that the student has been determined eligible to receive accommodations means that the student has submitted documentation or information and is officially registered with the University as having a disability.
With certain accommodations, such as flexible attendance, arranging suitable adjustments involves a shared responsibility between the professor and the student. In this instance the student with the disability is responsible for bringing their individual needs to the attention of the instructor once the faculty notification has been sent out; however, students may be hesitant to make special requests. It is suggested that early in the semester instructors make a general announcement or direct students to information on accessibility services located in the course syllabus.
Examples of reasonable accommodations include, but are not limited to:
- extended test taking time
- use of assistive technology for audio-notetaking
- accessible format for text to speech programs
- testing in a distraction-free environment