Request for Accommodations/Documentation of a Disability
To request accommodations, a student must first disclose a disability with the Office of Accessibility Resources and Services (OARS), request specific accommodations connected to their disability-related access needs, and provide appropriate supporting documentation in accordance with our documentation guidelines. That signifies that the student is formally registering with the College as a person with a disability and is seeking accommodations. Students may not be eligible to receive accommodations from the College without such disclosure and/or without providing appropriate supporting information and documentation.
Students who have never registered with OARS may begin the accommodation request process for the first time by completing an OARS online self-report and uploading supporting documentation from their healthcare provider. Students who are already registered with OARS or who have already used the OARS Registration form will request all future accommodations through an "Additional Accommodation" request on their personal OARS Portal account, and new accommodation requests may require additional supporting documentation of disability if not already on file. Students may be asked to meet with the OARS office as part of an interactive process if a self-report is not sufficient for the College to engage in an adequate determination on its own. Students who are facing barriers to filling out a self-report may reach out to the OARS office at oars@hampshire.edu to schedule an intake meeting.
A request for accommodations may be made at the point of disclosure of disability or at some future date. Accommodations are not retroactive, so students are strongly encouraged to reach out to OARS as soon as they are aware of an accessibility need requiring an accommodation request. College staff and faculty are not obligated to provide any accommodations which are not formally approved through OARS.
Housing Accommodation Requests
As needed, OARS works closely with a Housing Accommodation Committee to review and approve requests for accommodations in the residential setting. The Housing Accommodation Committee may include members of Residence Life, Dining Services, and Health and Counseling Services who consult to ensure students' disability-related needs are met in campus residences with reasonable accommodations and appropriate placement. Please navigate to the Housing Accommodation Request Process for more information about requesting housing-based accommodations
Review of Requests
All requests for accommodations will be assessed by the Office of Accessibility Resources and Services through an interactive process with the student. Through this process, students submit a self-report of their disability-related needs and experiences, documentation from their relevant treating healthcare provider, and any other information that would assist OARS when reviewing the request. Students will likely need to meet with OARS staff during this interactive process to directly discuss their disability-related needs and how these needs relate to the Hampshire setting. If necessary, OARS may request permission to reach out to providers to learn more information about the student's condition and how it affects the student’s access to campus. OARS may make its own recommendations for alternative, reasonable accommodations which are more appropriate to address individual circumstances in the context of Hampshire’s courses and campus. Students will be notified in a timely manner by OARS when requests are approved, modified, or denied. Students can request additional accommodations at any time or appeal denial of accommodations through the grievance process.
Disability Related Accommodations and Academic Contracts
(Please find more about academic contracts and accommodations here: Guidelines for Academic Progress.)
Request for Accommodations at the Five Colleges
As part of the Five College Consortium, Hampshire College students are able to take classes at Amherst, Mt. Holyoke, and Smith College and the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
If a student documents a disability at their home college, they do not need to engage the same process at the other colleges. Students with approved academic accommodations at Hampshire College may request to have their accommodations translated to any of the other four colleges. Requests for accommodations in courses at other colleges must be made with OARS staff with the Five College Accommodation Request form, a standardized process used by all consortium member schools. After filling out the form, students will return it to the OARS office where OARS staff will sign it to verify the requested accommodations. Students will then send the form to the hosting institution's accessibility services office according to the contact information on the form.
The final decision regarding the appropriateness or feasibility of such a request for accommodation rests with the accessibility services administrator at the other campus. Though the hosting institution’s accessibility services staff will consult with OARS when appropriate to support students as proactively as possible, any formal grievances regarding barriers or discrimination encountered at another institution in the Five Colleges should follow the host institution’s grievance process.
More about accommodations at other campuses, including the required Five College Accommodation Request form and contact information for all Accessibility/Disability Services offices across the consortium can be found on the Five Colleges Accessibility and Accommodations page.
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