Transitioning to a New Accommodation Management System

Disability Services will transfer the documentation you have submitted to us as part of the migration to AIM. In most cases, this will be seamless. However, you should be aware of two situations where data loss during the transition could affect you: 

• If you request copies of documentation you previously submitted to us (a Release of Information), we may not be able to guarantee we have everything on file after the transition. We must routinely update our system of active students; students who return to Disability Services after 3+ semesters away from campus may need to resubmit documentation. Students are recommended to retain their own copies of the supporting documentation they submit to our office for their own records.   

• If you later want to request new or additional accommodations that require supporting documentation, and your original records were affected, we may ask you to resubmit documentation. 

If you already have accommodations established and are not requesting anything new, this is very unlikely to affect you. If you have concerns, please reach out to your Access Coordinator directly. 

The transition to AIM is a system change, not a policy change. Any approved accommodations will be carried over to AIM. You do not need to reapply or go through the interactive process again because of this transition. 

If you complete the accommodation review process and receive an Approved Accommodation Letter (AAL) before the start of the Fall ’26 semester, your letter may include instructions for setting up accommodations using our old system, Clockwork.  

If you are taking Summer ’26 courses, the Clockwork-specific instructions will still be applicable through the end of summer. 

By the time classes begin for the Fall ’26 semester, we will have transitioned to AIM. You will receive updated instructions on how to access and send your accommodation letters through the new system before classes begin. 

The following information from your Approved Accommodation Letter (AAL) will remain the same after the transition to AIM is completed: 

• The accommodations that have been approved. 

• The services and supports those approved accommodations provide. 

• The policies around the appropriate usage and scope of the approved accommodations. 

The Clockwork-specific instructions for accessing the accommodations will be different. 

In some straightforward cases with shorter gaps since your last active enrollment, we may be able to reinstate your previously approved accommodations with little or no additional process, assuming all necessary data was retained in the Clockwork-to-AIM transition. We may request a meeting with you to review our new processes or any changes to policy that have occurred since your last active enrollment. 

In other cases — for example, if important data was not retained in the migration from Clockwork to AIM, due to an extended leave from UMass, or if there have been substantial changes in your disability, your academic program, or our accommodation policies since your last active enrollment — we may need to schedule a new appointment and conduct a full interactive review to re-establish accommodations. 

We cannot guarantee that all previously provided accommodations will remain the same. Each case is reviewed individually, following our interactive review process, to make sure your accommodations continue to reflect your current disability-related needs and circumstances. 

If you have been away from UMass Amherst for three or more semesters, it is likely that your records will not be carried over from Clockwork to AIM as part of the system migration. You will likely need to go through a new registration and interactive review process to reestablish accommodations. Additionally, you may need to resubmit supporting documentation or provide updated documentation.  

We understand that this may feel like starting over, and we will do everything we can to make the process as straightforward as possible. Prior history and any documentation you can provide will be considered in the review. Determinations will be made based upon your current disability-related needs and circumstances. 

Please reach out as early as possible — ideally before the semester begins — so we have time to work through this with you. Contact Disability Services.