Academic Accommodations

The University of Chicago is committed to ensuring equal educational opportunity to our programs and services. SDS engages in the interactive process with students and faculty (as needed) to assess the need for appropriate reasonable accommodations. Reasonable academic accommodations are modifications to academic policies and practices as well as auxiliary services to enable full participation. Examples of reasonable accommodations include extended time for test taking, the use of a computer for written exams, or sign language interpreters.

The determination for eligibility for academic is an individualized assessment based on the following:

  • Current impact of the disability on the student;
  • Supporting evidence in the disability documentation submitted by the student;
  • Verification of the past use of effective and necessary academic accommodations.

Once eligibility for academic accommodations have been approved, SDS will provide a written Accommodation Determination Letter (ADL) to you and the disability liaison in your Division. Students who are not approved for academic accommodations may follow the University procedures for resolving concerns and complaints.

In providing accommodations, UChicago is not required to lower or substantially modify essential class or course requirements or make adjustments that would fundamentally alter the nature of program or activity.  As specified in federal disability laws, UChicago is not required to provide personal attendants, individually prescribed devices or services of a personal nature such as academic coaching or tutoring.

Students must follow the Division procedures for informing instructors/Disability Liaisons of requests to use approved accommodations each quarter.