Meet with an Access Coordinator
Once your registration form has been processed, you will be invited to schedule a Welcome Meeting with an Access Coordinator (AC). Please do not wait to take this step. Due to the volume of student requests, we are generally booking appointments at least 2 weeks out, sometimes as much as 5 weeks out.
You have the option to meet in-person in our 435 Goodell Hall offices, by phone, or by Zoom. If you are booking the appointment online through Clockwork, be sure to use the drop-down menu to show availability for the meeting format of your choice. Some of our ACs have hybrid schedules, so you may find more phone or Zoom appointments than in-person. You can also schedule your appointment with our receptionist, who can be reached during office hours at 413-545-0892. We are open Monday through Friday (except holidays and campus closure days), from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Access Coordinators are only available to meet within those hours.
Your AC will prepare for your meeting by reviewing your registration form and documentation. You can prepare for your meeting as well. Student self-report is considered a vital source of information when reviewing and determining accommodations. Gathering a self-report on the registration form is the first step in our accommodation determination process, and it continues during the Welcome Meeting.
We recognize that people with disabilities are experts of their own experiences and important sources of information. Accordingly, we welcome self-disclosures and personal histories as critical elements of the application screening process. As your welcome meeting approaches, think about how you would describe your symptoms, including their frequency, intensity, and duration. Also consider how you might answer the following questions.
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What prompted you to seek accommodations?
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What challenges, barriers, or limitations do you encounter in the academic environment and/or residential environment?
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How would you describe the impact of your disability on your day-to-day functioning? Think about the symptoms you experience.
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What strategies have you employed in the past or do you still employ to mitigate the impact of your disability? If you've used accommodations in the past, think about which ones have been the most important for you and why.
When you meet with the Access Coordinator (AC), you will be able to introduce yourself and share what disability-related challenges you face, and what accommodations you think would remove those barriers. The Access Coordinator will then ask a series of follow-up questions, based on what you’ve shared in the meeting, on the registration form, and through the documentation.
The questions asked by the AC are a standard part of our interactive process, though it may feel uncomfortable if you are not used to discussing your disability(-ies). Please know that the goal of our office is to work with you to meet your needs, and the AC’s questions are designed to help fill out your self-report so that they can connect you with the most appropriate accommodations. And remember, Disability Services maintains confidentiality of your health and disability information, though we are mandated reporters in situations of sexual assault/misconduct, relationship violence, stalking, or reported harm to yourself or others.
It’s possible that the AC will suggest accommodations that you did not know existed, or did not realize would help to meet your needs. The AC will discuss those suggestions with you to get your feedback on whether you think they may work. The AC may also make recommendations of other campus resources that you might find helpful.
In the majority of cases, determinations about what accommodations you are eligible to receive will not be made during the appointment. All accommodation requests are reviewed by a committee of trained Disability Service staff members to ensure equity, fairness, and consistency in our decision-making process.
The Access Coordinator will have taken notes throughout your appointment, and afterward will prepare to recommend appropriate accommodations to our Review Committee. Please note that this process often takes 2-3 weeks. While your request is under review, there's no need to schedule additional meetings with Disability Services. We will contact you if we need any more information and keep you updated as soon as we have news to share. If you haven’t heard from your AC after 3 weeks, you can reach out to them directly for an update. You can also cc @email just in case the AC is out of the office.