Steps for Student Accommodations

Steps for Accommodations for Undergraduate and Graduate Students

We provide services and accommodations to all UMES students who have current documentation of a disability that substantially limits one or more major life activities, including but not limited to walking, talking, learning, hearing, or seeing. To ensure eligibility of reasonable and appropriate accommodations, all undergraduate and graduate students requesting accommodations in the academic or living environment on campus must submit documentation which meets the university’s guidelines. 

Documentation of a disability is evaluated on a case-by-case basis and approved through the Office of Student Accessibility Services.

The student eligibility process consists of the following three steps:

1. Self-identification
2. Submission of disability documentation
3. Completion of an Intake Session

You can also follow our Student Accommodation Process Flow Chart. 

Step 1: Self-identification

The first part of this process is to self-identify that you are a student with a disability and seek to request accommodations in either the academic or living environment on campus.  Self-identification should be made to the Office of Student Accessibility Services, by email, phone, fax, or in person. Students in the post-secondary environment are required to self-identify as having a disability, including students who were formerly enrolled as a student with a disability in High School or at a previous school like a community college or another 4 year institution.

The registration form can be found HERE

Step 2: Submission of disability documentation

In order to evaluate accommodation requests, we need information about how your disability will impact you here at UMES. We want to understand the relevant and recent impact of your disability at the college level.

Any information and documentation a student can readily share at the onset of a request will save the need for additional follow-up communication and meetings. We recognize that barriers exist and can create a hardship for students with regard to presenting third party disability documentation. Please don’t delay in reaching out to us or delay in meeting with us out of concern for not having appropriate paperwork. Accommodations are not provided retroactively. If you have information or documentation please submit what you have as early as possible to our office:

Office of Student Accessibility Services
University of Maryland Eastern Shore
11868 College Backbone Rd
Princess Anne, MD 21853
Fax: 410-651-6545
Email: ADA@umes.edu

If additional documentation is required to support your request, we will inform you of the need for more information.

The following guidelines were developed to assist you in gathering documentation so we can evaluate your accommodation request and make recommendations.

• Documentation Guidelines 
• Policy & Procedures
  

After documentation has been submitted to the Office of Student Accessibility Services, it will be reviewed, and a determination will be made based on current findings and recommendations. 

Step 3 – Completion of an Intake Session, the Interactive Dialogue Meeting

Once you have submitted your information to the Office, please work to schedule a meeting to discuss potential accommodations through an interactive dialogue process.  During the Intake Session you are to complete a Request for Accommodation form and be provided with accommodation letters for your faculty that will be sent via PDF through UMES email. You will be copied on those messages. The student will then need to meet with each of their faculty, present a copy of their accommodation letter, discuss their eligible accommodations and how they will be implemented in the classroom and/or through testing. Students who are enrolled in an online course, may complete the Intake Session via Google Hangouts.  

During your academic career at UMES, should you experience a change in your condition or have an additional request for accommodation please submit updated documentation to the Office of Student Accessibility Services to support any such request. Please keep in mind that intake/interactive dialogue meetings MUST happen each semester to maintain records. 

If you have questions, please contact the office by phone at 410-651-6135, or by email at ADA@umes.edu.