Disability Accommodation Procedure

Lewis & Clark College is committed to ensuring equal access for students with disabilities. The Office of Student Accessibility (OSA) works with students to provide reasonable accommodations required by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and other relevant federal, state, and local laws. We engage in an individualized, interactive process with each student to determine reasonable and appropriate accommodations.

Our Process

1. Complete an intake form. This form opens a file for you in our system, and allows you to tell us about your disability-related needs. If you have any documentation to share, you may upload it at the end of the intake form. This form only needs to be completed once.
2. Schedule an appointment with an OSA staff member. OSA has both Zoom and in-person appointments available. To schedule an appointment:
   • Log into Accommodate.
   • Click Appointments in the left-hand menu.
   • Click Request New Appointment.
   • Select “Accommodation Meeting” as the appointment type, and find a time that works with your schedule. TIP: To see more appointment options, do not select any filters.
3. Submit documentation about your disability-related needs. See Documentation Guidelines for more information on documentation.
4. Attend your appointment with OSA! During this appointment, an OSA staff member will engage with you in an interactive process around how your disability impacts you. Come prepared to discuss:
   • How your disability impacts you in an academic and/or residential setting
   • Any past use of accommodations
   • If you have used accommodations in the past, which were most important for you, and which, if any, were not necessary
   • Any ideas for accommodations you may have (and if you’re not sure, that’s okay too!)
5. Once accommodations have been approved, OSA will send you a letter called an Accommodation Agreement. This agreement outlines approved accommodations and next steps for using those accommodations. Read this letter thoroughly and carefully, as it contains important information about how to use your accommodations each semester. Additional steps to implement certain accommodations may be required. These steps will be explained in the letter, and more information about how to implement these accommodations can be found on our Current Students page.
6. Submit a Semester Request in order to activate your approved academic accommodations each semester. OSA manually reviews each Semester Request and sends an accommodation letter to the relevant faculty and/or staff. See our Accommodate page for instructions.

Accommodations take effect once the Semester Request is processed, and are not retroactive. 

Prospective Students

Prospective and incoming students who do not have a Lewis & Clark email address or ID number cannot log into Accommodate, but we can still meet with you! To schedule a Zoom or in-person appointment with an OSA staff member, email access@lclark.edu with your availability during the hours of 9:00am-4:00pm, Monday-Friday. You may also submit documentation by emailing it to us.

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Confidentiality

All disability-related information is kept confidential and stored securely in compliance with The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and applicable privacy laws. Only authorized personnel have access to this information.

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Documentation Guidelines

In most cases, OSA requires third-party documentation in order to approve ongoing, permanent accommodations. However, please do not delay meeting with us if you don’t have documentation. Lack of documentation may delay the consideration of certain accommodations, but it need not delay your meeting with us. During your meeting, we will discuss with you what documentation is needed, and in some cases, we may be able to provide temporary accommodations while you are working on obtaining documentation.

The specific type of documentation that is required depends on the accommodations being requested, but in general, it should state that it comes from a qualified licensed professional (such as a doctor, therapist, 504/IEP documents, etc.), your diagnosis/es, the impact of these on your ability to access your education, and recommendations for accommodations.

For residential accommodations (such as housing, meal plans, emotional support animals, and parking), a Residential Accommodation Documentation Form filled out by your medical or mental health provider is required.

The consideration of certain academic accommodations (such as memory aids or world language substitutions) may require more documentation than others. This may include detailed information about your cognitive and/or academic functioning that is typically obtained by undergoing neuropsychological or psychoeducational testing. 

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Accommodation Examples

Examples of reasonable accommodations include, but are not limited to:

• Extended time or reduced-distraction settings for exams

• Alternative formats for course materials (e.g., audio, braille, digital text)

• Note-taking support

• Flexibility with attendance or assignment deadlines

• Residential accommodations, such as elevator-accessible housing, a meal plan modification, or an emotional support animal

• Sign language interpreters or real-time captioning

This list is not exhaustive. OSA takes a highly individualized approach to determining accommodations. Determinations are made on the basis of student input, documentation, and the academic program’s requirements, and are approved in order to ensure equal access to one’s education. Accommodations are not granted if they:

• Are not determined to be necessary to ensure equal access

• Fundamentally alter course or program objectives

• Lower academic standards

• Pose undue administrative or financial burdens on the College

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Addressing Concerns or Disagreements

Faculty or staff who believe a requested accommodation may:

• Fundamentally alter a course’s learning objectives, expectations, or instructional delivery method

• Compromise academic integrity

• Conflict with program or licensing standards

should consult with OSA. We aim to find collaborative solutions that support both the student and academic standards. If needed, OSA may involve academic leadership (e.g., department chair, program director, dean, or associate dean).

Students who disagree with an accommodation decision have the right to file a grievance through Lewis & Clark’s Student Disability Grievance Procedure.

Updated: May 2026