Disability Services
Disability Services has extensive resources and support to make sure that a UMass Amherst education is accessible to everyone.
The staff of Disability Services works with people who have documented disabilities under the following categories:
Attention Deficit Disorder or
Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
Blind/visually impaired
Brain injuries
Deaf/hard of hearing
Learning disabilities
Medical disabilities
Mobility disabilities
Temporary disabilities
Disability Services works with each student individually throughout their UMass Amherst experience, assisting with many aspects of college life, including:
Admissions
Orientation
Housing
Transit
Enrollment management
Class and lab work
Notetaking
Campus access
Adaptive equipment
Advising
If you are considering UMass Amherst and feel you need support, you are invited to contact Disability Services as early as possible in the process to find out about the many services available on campus.
More Disability Support
Library Support
UMass Amherst libraries provide services to make their resources accessible to all students. Check out their website’s section on accessibility.
Assistive Technologies Center (ATC)
The ATC is a collaboration of Disability Services, the Office of Information Technologies (OIT), and the Library. The center helps students gain access to all of the resources offered at UMass Amherst libraries. It is open to anyone in the UMass Amherst community who has an ADA defined disability and who needs accommodation such as retrieval of materials from the stacks, photocopying, large print user guides, scanning assistance, screen readers, text enhancements, and text enlargers. It is located in Room 2 on the main (reference) floor of the W.E.B. Du Bois Library, one floor below the entrance floor.
The ATC website can tell you everything you need to know about their services. While you're there, check out their links page for more assistive technology information on the web.
Special Transportation
UMass Amherst Transit has a program called SpecTrans that provides free transportation around campus. They have both on-call and reservation service for passengers with temporary or permanent disabilities. Their main job is to get people to classes and work, but they will take off-campus trips on a limited basis.
Disability Housing
No matter the need, UMass Amherst housing has accommodations to help students with disabilities live on campus. The Housing website has more information.
Counseling and Assessment Services (CAS)
Counseling And Assessment Services serves UMass Amherst students in several different ways, one of which is to assist those with documented psychological disabilities. CAS case managers work with students to review academic progress and needs, give advice and support, help with any necessary academic and non-academic modifications, and make appropriate referrals. They also provide screening and testing to determine if a student has a learning disability.
