Office of Disability Services Streamlines Accommodation Process

Office of Disability Services Streamlines Accommodation Process

The University of Alabama’s Office of Disability Services has launched a new online portal that provides students with disabilities a paperless way of requesting the classroom accommodations they need to help them succeed.

Flyer promoting the Office of Disability Services new online portal

“Historically, students would come get a piece of paper showing proof of their disability and what their academic accommodations were, and then give it to their professors,” said Vanessa Goepel, director of the Office of Disability Services. “Now students can log in and request their accommodations in the portal and the system will generate an email that will be sent to the faculty.”

Goepel said that despite the new electronic format, students registered with ODS are still expected to meet with individual faculty to arrange accommodations.

“Previously, we didn’t have a system to manage that all at once,” she said. “It was a very piecemeal, cumbersome system and now all of that will be housed inside of the portal.

“Also, faculty can log in and see all accommodation requests for their classes at a glance. It’s just much more streamlined and it will eventually make our lives easier.”

Goepel said the University has about 2,300 students registered with ODS, with an average of an additional 200 students registering each academic year. The bulk of them have invisible disabilities, or disabilities that are not obvious.

Faculty who would like to learn more about the new online portal can attend one of four open training sessions in 3031 Houser Hall. Orientation sessions will be offered at the following dates and times:

  • Sept. 17 from 8-9 a.m.
  • Sept. 19 from 3:30-4:30 p.m.
  • Sept. 23 from 11 a.m.-noon
  • Sept. 25 from 8-9 a.m.

Laptops are not required for the training, but faculty may find them useful.

For more information, contact the Office of Disability Services in 1000 Houser Hall at 205-348-4285 or ods@ua.edu.