Accommodations

Suffolk University is deeply committed to the full participation of students with disabilities in all academic programs and opportunities. Our goal is to work with students, faculty, and staff to provide reasonable accommodations that address barriers that students with disabilities may encounter. We work with students, through an interactive process, on a one-on-one basis, to determine appropriate academic accommodations that relate to, but are not limited to, in-class learning, class assessments, course work, and the accessibility of course materials. Full information on common accommodations can be found in the ODS Handbook.

Starting the process

Students who wish to request accommodations begin the process by “self-identifying" to the University by registering with the Office of Disability Services. Full information on how to register with ODS can be found.

Accommodation Letters

For students with granted academic accommodations, ODS will provide an Accommodation Letter that outlines each accommodation. The process for requesting and setting up accommodations is as follows:

For new students, ODS will provide an accommodation letter following the intake appointment. For returning students, students will request accommodation letters each semester they intend to use accommodations. Students may request accommodation letters by emailing [email protected], completing the request form found here, or by calling ODS at 617-573-8034. ODS will email a PDF of the accommodation letter to a student’s Suffolk University email address.

• CAS/SBS Students (Undergraduate and Graduate) 
  
  Students will deliver their accommodation letter to each instructor and discuss the accommodations they intend to use in each course. ODS can assist in this process and with any steps associated with coordinating accommodations.
  
  Once an accommodation letter is delivered to an instructor, the accommodations are “established” for that course. For some “established” accommodations, students will need to arrange accommodation details with instructors and/or ODS in advance and on a per usage basis. Accommodations are not provided retroactively.
• Law Students
  
  ODS will assist in the process of notifying each instructor for in-class accommodations. Students may also choose to discuss their in-class accommodations with their instructors. Law students should not discuss exam accommodations with their faculty. Granted exam accommodations are valid for the full academic year. In-class accommodations must be established on a per semester basis. More information on accommodations for exams in the Law School is included below.
  
  ODS will also assist in coordinating the details of some in-class accommodations, should they need to remain anonymous.

Students with documented disabilities who require exam accommodations must identify themselves to ODS and deliver an accommodation letter to their professor prior to being allowed to use their exam accommodations.

Instructors in CAS and SBS are generally encouraged to proctor their own exams. Methods of doing so may include allowing the student to begin the exam early or stay late, allowing the student to test in your office or departmental space, or meeting the student on another day and time to proctor the exam.

Exam accommodations apply to any timed assessment, such as exams, quizzes, or tests, that an instructor chooses to give to their students. A timed assessment is generally considered one that is assigned to be completed in less than 24 hours. Exam accommodations are not limited to just those exams listed in the course syllabus, but also include any assessment done spontaneously or planned but not announced to the class. Faculty should contact the Office of Disability Services to best plan for how to accommodate students in these unplanned situations.

Students who provide the instructor their accommodation letter and make exam arrangements ahead of time, to the best of their ability, should contact ODS if the instructor is not able to facilitate their exam accommodations.

If 1) the student has additional exam accommodations (such as a reader, scribe, or semi-private exam room), 2) the student would prefer to take their exam in ODS, or 3) the instructor is unable to proctor the exam, the student should follow the procedure outlined below.

Testing at the Office of Disability Services

The Office of Disability Services has dedicated testing rooms and proctoring services. Testing rooms at ODS are monitored by closed circuit video surveillance. ODS offers students two different opportunities each day to sit for an exam: morning (9:00 a.m.) or afternoon (1:00 p.m.)

If a student is unable to make one of the two exam times, they should contact ODS to discuss alternative arrangements.

In order for students to take their exam at the Office of Disability Services, they must follow the following procedures:

1. Students will complete the Exam Accommodation Online Scheduling Form no less than 4 business days before planning to take the exam.*
2. Pending space and availability, the exam will be scheduled once the Exam Accommodation Form is received and completed by both student and professor.
3. The Exam Accommodation Online Scheduling Form is designed to inform us how the instructor will deliver the exam to our office, specific proctoring instructions, and how the instructor would like us to return the exam to them. If this form is not received four business days prior to the exam, we may not be able to proctor the exam.
4. Instructors must deliver the exam to our office no later than 24 hours before the exam is to be given (48 hours for Final Exams). Instructors can drop the exam off at our offices or email it directly to [email protected]. All exams are secured upon receipt.
5. The student should come to the office on their scheduled date and time to take their exam. The exam will begin at the scheduled time. Additional time will not be added if the student starts late.
6. Exams can be picked up by the instructor during business hours, delivered in a sealed envelope, or scanned and emailed directly to the instructor.

*All reasonable requests for exam proctoring that are received with less than 4 business days' notice will be considered, but our ability to coordinate the exam may be limited.

Changing exam dates

From time to time a student may need to request a change of their exam date. We generally ask that the student speak directly with their instructor for approval. If the instructor approves of the date change, we will make every effort to make the requested changes depending on the timeliness of the request. Missed exams will default to the professor's missed exam policy.

Academic Honesty

The Office of Disability Services serves as an agent of the faculty for exam accommodations when they cannot accommodate the student themselves. Closed circuit cameras and proctors are used to oversee the testing environment. We uphold the University’s Academic Honesty Policy. Misconduct of any kind will be reported to the instructor of the course.

All law school examinations are scheduled through the Office of Academic Services. Before the exam period, students will receive a written notification from the Academic Services to confirm the exam accommodations, times, locations, and instructions for each scheduled examination. Under no circumstances should students discuss exam accommodations with their professors. All questions and concerns should be directed to the Office of Disability Services. Maintaining the integrity of the anonymous grading system is a student’s responsibility and a critical component to the student code of conduct.

Suffolk University Law School strives to provide a legal education which ensures that its graduates are capable of functioning as competent and ethical practitioners who work professionally with clients, judges, attorneys, and others in the legal community. Candidates for the degree of Juris Doctor, Doctor of Juridical (SJD), and Masters of Law (LLM) must possess certain minimum cognitive abilities and sufficient mental and emotional stability to participate fully in and satisfy the requirements of the Juris Doctor program of study, with or without reasonable accommodation. The technical standards, found here, outline the essential abilities and characteristics required for the completion of the J.D. degree. While these standards delineate the necessary abilities of all candidates, they are not intended to deter or exclude candidates for whom reasonable accommodations for a disability will allow successful participation in and completion of the program.

Students with an approved alternative format of text accommodation can submit requests to the Office of Disability Services. This accommodation applies to all course readings, including textbooks and articles.

Students are required to provide proof of purchase before submitting an alternative format of text request to ODS.

Timeline for successfully obtaining alternative format text are below.

Prior to the start of the semester

• Use your course schedule to look up your books.
• Try to purchase your books in the format that you need. If your books are not available for purchase in the format you need, you can request them in an alternative format from ODS.
• Send receipts for the books you need in an alternative format to ODS. Receipts should clearly identify the student name and the books. They can be dropped off, scanned and sent by email to ODS.
• After you submit your request, check your Suffolk email account regularly for communications from our office. We may need to get in touch to process your request. When your book is available, we will notify you at your Suffolk email address.

At the start of the semester

• ODS will notify you as your books are ready.
• If you have used this accommodation before, your books will be distributed to you via Canvas.
• Remember to request your accommodation letters at the start of the semester to continue to be eligible to use the alt text accommodation for the semester.

Please note

If we cannot get your book files from the publisher, we will offer to create accessible text for you by cutting and scanning the hard copy of your book. If you choose this option, you will need to provide ODS with a clean copy of your book as well as your course syllabus with a schedule of readings on it. We will need to keep your hard copy book for about a week to scan it. Text requests which require image transformation or extensive text formatting or editing, e.g., alt text from a scan, are done on an ongoing basis throughout the semester. We will provide the completed accessible readings to you one week prior to when they are assigned in class.

Resources for alternative format text

• Training and assistance is available for Suffolk University students for identifying alt text needs, finding books, requesting alt text or using alt text. Please call our office at 617-994-6820 to set up an appointment.
• Bookshare, a free resource for accessible books for students with a print disability.
• Boston Public Library and choose “filter by audiobook CD” or “filter by downloadable audiobook”.
• Search for your hometown public library at the public libraries website or use a library search.
• Project Gutenberg, a free resource for electronic text and audiobook files for works in the public domain.

Assistive Technology

ODS provides students with access to a variety of assistive technologies, in addition to training on the use of assistive technology.

Auxiliary Aids and Services

Should a student need an interpreter or CART service, ODS will provide it. It is important that students needing these serves register with ODS well before the semester begins.

We encourage students to contact the Office of Disability Services prior to the start of each semester to arrange or renew their accommodations. The majority of students registered with ODS tend to renew their accommodations within the first week or two of classes. There is not a firm deadline for requesting new accommodations or renewal of previous accommodations, however, accommodations cannot be made retroactively. ODS will meet with students and consider accommodation requests that are received at any time through the semester or year and will work with a student to determine the most appropriate implementation plan. It is important to note that some accommodations are time sensitive and require preparation that has an associated lead time. We will make every effort to facilitate all requests, but in some instances, our ability to accommodate may be limited based on the timing of the request.

We encourage students to contact the Office of Disability Services prior to the start of each semester to arrange or renew their accommodations. Because some coordination between the Office of Disability Services and faculty is needed for in-class accommodations, students will ideally request to renew accommodations three weeks prior to the start of classes. ODS will meet with students and coordinate accommodation requests that are received after this time, but the timing of certain accommodations may be delayed. Accommodations cannot be made retroactively. Exam accommodation requests are due two weeks after the start of the semester. Deadline extensions may be provided to students who were unable to meet the deadline due to extenuating circumstances.

Suffolk University is deeply committed to the full participation of students with disabilities in all aspects of University life, including residential life. All students (new and returning) must complete the following steps and provide all required information in order to be considered for a housing accommodation.

Housing accommodations are only based on disability-related needs and are determined on a case-by-case basis. Housing accommodations do not circumvent the standard housing process.

To be eligible to receive housing accommodations all students (new and returning) must complete the following steps:

1. Complete the housing accommodations request form.

2. Send diagnostic documentation of your disability to the Office of Disability Services.

You may email us

Fax it to: (617) 994-4251

Or mail it to:
Andrew Cioffi
Office of Disability Services
73 Tremont St. 9th Floor
Boston, MA 02108

3. Make an appointment with an ODS staff member prior to the start of the semester.

4. During the intake appointment, the Office of Disability Services will review your documentation and need for housing accommodations. They will determine if you are eligible for those accommodations and make a recommendation to the Office of Residence Life & Housing, who oversees the housing placement process.

Requests for Renewal

A housing accommodation will remain valid for the duration of the academic year for which it is granted. If students wish to renew their housing accommodation for the following year they must submit a new request by completing the housing accommodations request form.

Deadlines

For best consideration, students must complete the Housing Accommodation Form, have all necessary diagnostic documentation and meet with a representative from the Office of Disability Service by June 30th for Fall requests and December 1st for Spring requests. Requests submitted after the deadline will be considered but space will be extremely limited. Please contact either office for more information.

At Suffolk University, we are committed to the full participation of students with disabilities in all aspects of college life, including dining experiences. All students living on campus are required to purchase a meal plan.

Occasionally, students have dietary needs that require an accommodation to the meal plan. Many times, these needs can be met by Chartwells Higher Education, Suffolk’s dining service provider. Meal plan accommodations are made for documented dietary needs that cannot be accommodated by Chartwells.

To request specific meal plan accommodations, follow each of the steps outlined below.

Procedures for Requesting a Meal Plan Accommodation.

1. Fill out the Meal Plan Accommodations Form.
2. Send supporting documentation of your disability to the Office of Disability Services*
3. Make an appointment with an ODS staff member prior to the start of the semester.

*You may email us

Fax it to: (617) 994-4251

Or mail it to:
Andrew Cioffi
Office of Disability Services
73 Tremont St. 9th Floor
Boston, MA 02108

Or, you may bring a copy of your documentation with you to your intake appointment.

Meal Plan accommodations may include, but are not be limited to, the following:

• Referral to meet with a Chartwells chef.
• Placement in a residence hall with access to a kitchen.
• Reduction of the cost of the meal plan.
• Elimination of the required meal plan.

The Office of Disability Services will let the student, the Office of Residence Life and Housing and Chartwells know of our decision as necessary.

For students experiencing short-term disabilities, or injuries, ODS may be able to provide temporary accommodations. If you would like to explore temporary accommodations, please give us a call at 617-573-8034, or contact us at [email protected].