New to the Office of Student Accessibility

Starting Spring 2025, we will be rolling out a new software system for accommodations, called Accommodate. With Accommodate, you will be able to:

• Create and log in to your account - you’ll have access to a dashboard where you can see your current accommodations!
• Make requests for changes to accommodations, and check the status of those requests
• Upload forms and documentation
• Borrow equipment
• Request accessible texts
• Send your accommodation letter to your faculty
• Book an exam time and location
• Request a set of notes
• Make appointments
• And more…

If you are interested, this short video provides a very brief introduction to Accommodate from the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. The user interface is highly customizable, so Lewis & Clark’s will look and feel different, but the video gives you a general idea of the interface.

Accommodate, which is free for you to use, will make the experience of managing your accommodations much easier and more streamlined, and we are excited to roll it out. 

1. Schedule an Initial Appointment.

Schedule an appointment online or if you are unable to schedule online you may call or email access@lclark.edu to schedule an appointment.

During your initial appointment, you and an OSA Staff Member will have an interactive discussion about your own experience of disability, past use of accommodations, adaptive strategies and devices, etc. This meeting may include the review of your documentation.

Submit Your Documentation

Your documentation may be provided before, during, or after your initial appointment. 

If you do not have documentation, we can discuss this further during your initial appointment.

Documentation may include educational or medical records from a qualified licensed professional (i.e. doctor, therapist, psycho-educational testing). Submitted reports and assessments created by health care providers, school psychologists, teachers, or the educational system are all appropriate forms of documentation.

Your documentation may include information from a qualified licensed professional that addresses your 1. current functioning, 2. diagnosis, and 3. recommendations for appropriate accommodations.

We look for recent documentation (dated within the last five years). If you have older, relevant documentation, submit it so we can discuss it with you. We may ask that you obtain updated testing in order to get a clear picture of your current abilities and challenges.

Determining Reasonable Accommodations

When determining reasonable accommodations, we consider a variety of information, including our interview/meeting with you, your documentation, recommendations from other professionals, etc.

Substitution of the World Language requirement as an accommodation is determined by the results of psycho-educational testing. We generally look for at least two areas of weakness that affect foreign language learning, with at least a 15-point discrepancy between cognitive index scores and academic standard scores, or a difference of at least 30 percentile. Come talk to us if you have questions about this.

Accommodations are not active until you complete an Accommodation Agreement with OSA.

2. Complete the OSA Intake Form after you have an L&C student id# and email with numbers (upload documentation at the bottom of this form).

To start the process:

• Take a look at the LC Residential Accommodation Documentation Form
• Talk to your provider about specific housing accommodations that will support you
• Share the LC Residential Accommodation Documentation Form with your provider
• Ask your provider to complete the LC Housing Accommodation Documentation Form and submit to OSA
• Schedule a Zoom or in person appointment with OSA. You may email access@lclark.edu or call 503-768-7192 for help scheduling an appointment

• Complete the OSA Intake Form after you have an L&C student id# and email with numbers (upload documentation at the bottom of this form).

During your initial appointment, an OSA staff member will engage with you in an interactive process around your disability, how your disability impacts you in a residential setting, along with exploring reasonable accommodations to support you. It’s helpful when documentation from your provider is submitted before scheduling an initial appointment with OSA. Common residential accommodations.

Room selection: To apply for housing, go to the Campus Living housing portal. Fill out all the forms and make any requests on which buildings you would like to be in. We will send to campus living the approved accommodation for the required accommodations. If you are approved for a single room, you do not need to put any information down in terms of roommate requests.

OSA has no authority in room selection. Campus Living staff will assign rooms to meet prescribed accommodations.

2024-2025 Deadlines: Returning students seeking a new housing and/or dining accommodation for the 2024-2025 academic year must have completed their residential accommodation process with OSA by April 11th, 2024. 2025-2026 deadline: TBD

Transfer and incoming students seeking a new housing and/or dining accommodation for the 2024-2025 academic year must have completed their residential accommodation process with OSA by July 15, 2024. 2025-2026 deadline: TBD

Placement for the upcoming academic year can not be guaranteed if the accommodation process is completed by the deadlines. After deadlines, your name will be placed on a waiting list and approved accommodations are not guaranteed at the start of the Fall semester.

Depending upon your specific needs, we can set up a variety of accommodations in the classroom, in campus living, and on campus in general. For a list of commonly-used academic and residential accommodations, click here.

Your active involvement is necessary for helping us provide you with the best accommodations possible for your particular needs. Please don’t be shy about checking back with us if you ask for assistance and it doesn’t seem to be coming quickly enough.

It is also important to have frequent and open communication with your professors. They will appreciate talking with you directly about how things are going for you in class. If you would like some guidance on how to talk with your professors about your accommodations please arrange an appointment with an OSA Staff Member.

Please click here to visit our “Current Students” page to send your Accommodations Letter and request other approved accommodations.

World Languages and Literatures Placement Exam

All World Languages and Literatures placement exams are set up for either 60 or 90 minutes - regular time. Students must set up academic accommodations with the Office of Student Accessibility to receive extended time on the World Languages and Literatures placement exam. Please schedule an appointment with our office during mid May to late June if you plan on using extended time on this placement exam.

Once accommodations are approved with the Office of Student Accessibility, we will notify the World Languages and Literatures department, and you will receive an email from the Program Coordinator of that department to your lclark.edu email account with the password to take the exam.