Requesting Academic Accommodations

In order to receive accommodations, students must submit a formal request for accommodations to Disability Resources (DR). Students who have not requested accommodations from DR in the past should submit the New Student Intake Form and upload documentation of disability with this form.

If you do not have access to your documentation at the time that you submit the form we can also accept documentation through mail, email or fax. If you choose to submit documentation through one of these alternate means please keep in mind that your request will not be considered complete until we receive both your form submission and documentation. If you have questions about the type of information we look for in documentation please see Documentation Guidelines.

For first year/transfer students: we are not able to fully process accommodation requests until after the student has been assigned a student ID number and have a WUSTL Key. Student ID numbers and WUSTL Keys are always assigned well in advance of the coming semester so the timing of ID and WUSTL Key assignment will not impact students’ ability to have accommodations in place before classes begin.

Once Disability Resources have received a student’s New Student Intake Form, a Disability Resources professional will review their form and documentation and will follow up with them accordingly. Be sure to monitor your WashU email address.

Step 2. Meet with DR Staff

Once we receive a student’s complete request we will review the materials provided and contact the student via their WashU email account to schedule a meeting. We prefer to meet with students in person but if that is not possible we are happy to meet over the phone. During this meeting we will discuss the request and documentation in more detail and answer any questions about using the requested accommodations. Students should leave this meeting with an understanding of what accommodations will be approved, but a formal letter of approval or denial will be sent via email in the days following the meeting.

Parents/family are welcome to join in these meetings as valuable partners in supporting their students. However, please keep in mind that in the college environment students are expected to act as their own primary advocate. Our staff are sensitive to the fact that this may represent a change in roles for many families.

Students who have requested accommodations of any type in the past must log in to Access WashU and and submit the Accommodation Plan Modification Request in order to request a change or addition to their current accommodations. Step-by-step directions to complete the supplemental request are below.

1. Navigate to Access WashU.
2. Log in with your WUSTL Key.
3. Select the “Accommodation Plan Modification Request” tab on the menu bar on the left-hand side of the page.
4. Fill out all form fields and click “Submit Application.”
5. Upload any additional supporting documentation.

Disability Resources will try to use the documentation already on file to support a change to accommodations. However, if the documentation on file does not support the request we may ask for additional documentation, particularly if the documentation on file doesn’t directly address accommodations in the academic environment. If you have questions about the type of information we look for in documentation please see the Documentation Guidelines page of our website.

Once Disability Resources have received a student’s Accommodation Plan Modification Request, a Disability Resources professional will review their form and documentation and will follow up with them accordingly. Be sure to monitor your WashU email address.

Step 2. Meet with DR Staff

Once we have received a student’s supplemental request we will reach out to them to set up a meeting to discuss the requested changes in more detail. Students should leave this meeting with an understanding of what changes will be approved, but a formal letter of approval and updated Accommodation Letter will be sent via email in the days following the meeting.