Academic Accommodations

Student Accessibility Services (SAS) requires that academic accommodations requests be made each semester, as accommodations are both person-specific and course-specific.

The process of requesting academic accommodations begins with a Welcome Meeting with a SAS staff member. This meeting begins the interactive process by which students and staff converse to determine how Whittier College can best support the student. During this conversation, students share their experience and functional limitations of their condition(s), any documentation is reviewed, and SAS staff discern which accommodations are appropriate for barrier removal in the classroom setting.

Students can generally expect written communication within 5-10 business days of this meeting regarding an approval determination, further information required for approval, and/or next steps.

Students are encouraged to call, email, or stop by the SAS office to set up a Welcome Meeting.

Students must complete and submit an Academic Accommodations Request Form each semester. SAS will notify professors regarding approved academic accommodations. These notifications will clearly state the specific recommended accommodations for each course. Diagnostic information about students will not appear in these notifications.

Students are responsible for discussing the implementation of the accommodations with their professor(s). For example, if a student is eligible for time extensions on exams in a separate, reduced-distraction environment, the student and professor must fill out our Test Proctor Form, which details the arrangements for taking exams under these conditions. Professors are encouraged to contact SAS with any questions or concerns regarding accommodations.

While there is no deadline for requesting academic accommodations, accommodations are not retroactive and are only activated once faculty are sent an official notification; thus, we recommend students submit requests before the start of classes to best facilitate the timely implementation of accommodations.

Please note: All new, not previously approved requests must be discussed with SAS staff before approval. New documentation may be needed depending on the request being made.

The College reserves the right to update these policies at any time, as needed.