Accommodation process

Activate your accommodations

It is your responsibility to notify Accessibility Services when you register in new courses.

Step 1 - Register in course(s)

Funded students, remember to apply for funding and complete the Student Financial Aid, Course Registration Plan at least two months in advance of your start date.

Step 2 - Review your course syllabus, what accommodations are needed?

Email asd@athabascau.ca with your accommodation request. Use the new course accommodation request form to identify accommodations needed.

Step 3 - On the first day of your course(s), email your tutor and the course coordinator your accommodation letter (optional)

To request your accommodations, complete the New Course Accommodation Request form and email it to Accessibility Services.

The New Course Accommodation Request form is available on our website.

You are encouraged to submit your New Course Accommodation request form 4-6 weeks in advance of your course start date.

You need to submit the appropriate form for your eligible accommodations to be activated for a specific course.

An Accessibility Services team member may request a follow-up conversation by e-mail or phone to clarify your disclosed disability-related need, request further medical verification of the disability-related impact, or provide referral to a different service provider.

Please note: some accommodations may require additional time to arrange. Providing the most notice possible is necessary.

---

Developing the accommodation plan

Developing your accommodation plan is a collaborative effort between you and our accessibility advisors. Accessibility Services considers many aspects including lived experience.

First, we ask you to complete the Verification of Accommodation (VOA) form to introduce yourself.

• Section 1 is a self-assessment which identifies the impacts you have experienced in the past and anticipated needs while you study at AU.
• Section II is a medical verification by a medical practitioner.
• Both are required to register for accommodations and accessibility services.

Secondly, we review the VOA and any other relevant documents you submit (e.g., accommodations provided by another institution) to build an individualized accommodation plan. We may ask for more information or a conversation for clarification. Further medical or more recent documentation may be requested to understand and support the need for an accommodation. Accommodations and services are assessed on an individualized basis.

Lastly, once an accessibility advisor has developed the accommodation plan, you will receive a Confirmation of Accommodation Letter and a handbook. This lists your eligible accommodations and services and how to request they be activated for a specific course (e.g., accommodated exam booking, alternate format course material, information about funding opportunities, etc.).

We recommend that you present your Confirmation of Accommodation Letter to your course tutors. We do not provide it to them. It is not required that you provide the letter. It does assist your tutor to understand the impacts you may experience in course assignments, deadlines, etc. If you would like to discuss or revise your accommodations, please contact Accessibility Services.

---

Roles and responsibilities

Accommodation is the process of adapting the way in which services are provided to eliminate or reduce the barriers that certain individuals experience when attempting to access services at Athabasca University.

Accommodation does not:

• require that post-secondary institutions lower academic or non-academic standards to accommodate students with disabilities.
• relieve the student of the responsibility to develop the essential skills and competencies expected of all students.

It is the student's responsibility to:

• fully participate in the accommodation process.
• provide documentation that outlines the barriers they experience.
• provide medical documentation confirming the limitations and/or barriers experienced by the student.

Accordingly, there are programs and courses where it will not be possible to accommodate students with disabilities. For more information on these limitations, consult the Alberta HRC Duty to Accommodate section titled "How does a post-secondary institution determine that an accommodation is not possible?".