Students with disabilities must apply to UAB through the regular admissions procedure. There are no special admissions procedures. A student may, however, apply to the companies that administer the standardized admission exams (such as Educational Testing Services and The College Board) for provision of accommodations when taking standardized tests such as the SAT, ACT and GRE. Contact the exam administration companies for further information on how to apply for and make arrangements for standardized exam accommodations.

If you suspect you have a disability that is impacting your academic performance, you will need to provide documentation of that disability to Disability Support Services (DSS). This documentation must be supplied by a qualified professional who is licensed or certified to diagnose the disability in question. You may also schedule a time to meet with DSS to discuss a potential need for services and to gather resources.

There are several steps in the process of registration with DSS. It can take 2-3 weeks if documentation is sufficient. The process for temporary impairments may vary, please This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to discuss.

Colleges are required to provide any reasonable accommodation that may be necessary for equal access to education. They are not required to have Individualized Educational Plans (IEP’s). While some elements of your IEP will be applicable in college, some aspects of accommodations may change.

In general “documentation” means a letter from a qualified medical profession, evaluation from a psychologist, or a summary of care. Many times, copies of medical records do not cover necessary information when determining appropriate accommodations. It may be useful to provide documentation guidelines to medical professions.

No. accommodations at UAB are not retroactive. We encourage students to meet with DSS staff if they feel accommodations may be needed in the future but are not sure.

Use of accommodations is at the discretion of the student. It is important to remember that accommodations are not retroactive.

The student must go onto the portal and click on the “Additional Request Form” button. Student’s must fill out the form online. The request will be reviewed and an email will be sent to your UAB email address.

DSS provides reduced-distraction testing environments. if you do not have private testing room as an accommodation, you will not be guaranteed a private testing room.

Follow the instructions in the step-by-step guide.

You can review all the accommodations you have been approved for under the “My Eligibility” tab. The accommodation “extended testing time” is included under the alternative testing accommodation.

First, check to make sure you sent your accommodation letters via the DSS portal. Make sure you have reached out to your instructor to discuss your accommodations. If you have done both of these things and the professor is not providing you with your accommodations, please This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

First, check to make sure you have confirmed which courses you need a notetaker for. Once you have done this, an email will be sent to your professors asking that they announce this to the course. If you already know someone that would be a good notetaker, please direct them to email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. If a notetaker is still not found and all of the above has been completed, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Exams are scheduled through the DSS Student Portal.

Assistive Technology is an adaptive and assistive tool for individuals with disabilities. Assistive technology can be categorized as high, mid, and low technology.

• High Technology: touch screen devices, text to speech software, smartpens
• Mid Technology: word prediction, digital recorders, contrast keyboard
• Low/No Technology: magnifiers, color coding, switches/buzzers

Student can gain access to assistive technology by becoming a registered student with DSS by accessing the DSS portal. Registered DSS students can contact the DSS office to set up an AT assessment with the Assistive Technology Coordinator.

Disability Support Services can coordinate access to course materials and books in alternative format. These course materials include, but are not limited to, Braille, E-Text, Audio Book/MP3, HTML, EPUB and Print Enlarging. Books in Alternative Format are provided only for courses for which the eligible student is currently enrolled. All books will be provided in accordance with all copyright laws and regulations.

Captioning and transcription are arranged for eligible students with communication access needs. Students eligible for receiving captioning for courses can make the request by applying to DSS and becoming a registered student. If you are a registered student with DSS you may fill out the accommodation request form to request captioning services.

Due to FERPA, DSS staff are not allowed to communicate information regarding any of our students to anyone other than the student. If you would like for DSS to speak to anyone on your behalf, please fill out the DSS Release of information located on the DSS portal.

DSS will need any student wanting documentation to be released to sign a Release of Information. This release will need the contact information of the individual and agency that will be receiving it.

DSS provides notetaking support using technology. Technology allows for students with disabilities to more independently capture lecture information. Current technologies also allow for increase in reliable, consistent, and accurate notetaking.

Notetaking assistance may not be needed in cases such as:

• Online courses that have no lecture or provide unlimited access to recorded lecture
• Classroom notes/transcripts are provided to all students
• Instructor provides their own notes