Academic Accommodations for Students with Disabilities
Our goal:
St. Mary’s University is committed to providing an inclusive and accessible academic experience that supports the learning and development of all students. Accessibility Services is committed to working with students in consultation and collaboration with faculty and staff at St. Mary’s to develop academic accommodation plans, systems, and support for students with disabilities.
Our process:
New students requesting accommodation for disabilities should contact the Academic Access Coordinator, ideally prior to the semester start. Accommodation may be requested or revised throughout the academic year.
Accommodation requests must be supported with documentation obtained from a licensed professional experienced in the diagnosis and treatment of the respective disability. Documentation should be sufficiently recent to reflect the student’s current condition, should clearly identify the functional impacts experienced in an academic setting, and should provide recommendations for accommodations to address those impacts. Accessibility Services recommends asking your documentation provider to complete our Documentation of Disability form if you do not have prior documentation.
For more information, please email access@stmu.ca.
Our exam accommodations:
The Testing Centre is located in room C115 and is available for accommodated exams and external proctoring. Eligible students can request to write exams in the Testing Centre by emailing learningcentre@stmu.ca with a copy to their instructor three (3) working days’ notice for tests, quizzes, midterms, or timed in-class writing assignments. Please identify the accommodations that you wish to access when booking your examination. For online exam accommodations, please contact your professor well in advance of your exam.
**NOTE: For any late requests, please email learningcentre@stmu.ca or stop by in-person. Late booking requests may not be possible due to space, scheduling, and staff requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
- Clearly outline the impact the disability or condition has on the student in an academic setting and;
- Identify or recommend specific accommodations and supports that would reduce the barriers encountered in an academic setting.
In order to ensure your documentation is adequately detailed and representative of the impacts of your disability, Accessibility Services recommends utilizing our Documentation of Disability form (in case you do not have prior documentation).
Some students with complex medical needs or those who value transparency may wish to inform their professors of any specifics of their situation/disability. For these students, they may submit in writing to the Academic Access Coordinator about any pertinent information they want their professors to know, which will be submitted to the professor along with the student’s accommodations. The student may retract this consent at any time and the information will no longer be communicated. The student may edit this information at any time by providing an updated version to the Academic Access Coordinator.
Disability Grant Funding information
Disability grant funding information can found in these links. Please contact access@stmu.ca