Both schools and workplaces must, by law, provide reasonable accommodations to students/employees with disabilities. While the processes of requesting and setting up accommodations are different between college and the workplace, these three best practices apply in both settings.
1. Identify the support you need
Each person has a unique experience of their disability. Reflect on what challenges you experience and which relate to your class or job expectations. What accommodations or changes have helped with these in the past? Utilize resources like the Job Accommodations Network to explore accommodations by disability, limitation, or work-related function to understand what reasonable accommodations may be relevant to you. Discuss these with Disability Services or Human Resources to make a formal accommodation plan.
2. Submit your request proactively
As soon as you anticipate you’ll need an accommodation, submit your request. For many, this means making the request when a new semester or job starts. However, disability challenges can arise at any time. Do your best to proactively communicate the need for an accommodation before your grades or job performance begin to suffer. Remember, if your professor or employer don’t know what you need, they can’t help you!
3. Discuss with your faculty/manager
A written accommodation plan is great, but even better is a plan plus a discussion. When your faculty member or supervisor understand your experience, they can better offer you support. Consider asking for a conversation to discuss challenges you experience and how these accommodations will help you be successful in class or the workplace.
As an important note, job accommodations do not only apply to full-time roles! Interns and co-op students also qualify for workplace accommodations. Just as the UMass Lowell Disability Services website describes the process for students requesting accommodations, a company’s Human Resources website typically does the same. If you can’t easily find this information, reach out to HR for support. That’s why they’re there!
As we settle into a new semester, let’s commit to proactively advocating for ourselves. You’ve got this!
