Instructors are not required to provide any disability accommodations in the absence of a Letter of Accommodation (LOA) from DSP. Faculty should refer students to DSP rather than provide informal accommodations. Informal accommodations may not meet a student’s disability-related access needs.
If a student is not yet active in DSP and has an immediate concern, instructors can provide the same consideration for extenuating circumstances that they would provide for students without disabilities. For instance, if a student breaks their hand the night before your exam and asks you if they can have some extra time because their typing is slower, you have the discretion to allow this adjustment without requiring the student to first complete an intake appointment with DSP. You can then let the student know that what you are providing is not a formal disability accommodation, but simply an adjustment due to their extenuating circumstance, and that if they anticipate requesting future accommodations, they will need to provide you with a Letter of Accommodation from DSP. Students who request intake appointments with DSP can typically schedule an appointment within one to two weeks if they have disability documentation available.
The campus’s Support Portal has information that can assist instructors in supporting students who are navigating extenuating circumstances that are impacting their personal well-being and their performance and engagement in your course.