Welcome to the Office of Accessible Education! We are here to support you with the disability-related accommodations and services which will enable you to engage in Stanford University’s community and academic environments. Our staff are here to answer any questions you have about the services we offer, the process of obtaining documentation, and registering with our office. You may decide to register with our office at any point at which you think it would be to your benefit; it doesn’t have to be at the beginning of your program. However, it is worth noting that accommodations are not retroactive. We are committed to providing confidential services that would appropriately accommodate your needs.
Note
The term "accommodations" is used throughout this website to include not only disability-related accommodations, but also disability-related services and/or auxiliary aids.
Getting Started
Want to learn more about the accommodations and services we offer or feel like accommodations might help with your learning at Stanford? Send us an email, and we’d love to answer your questions.
Students must register and complete the intake and eligibility process with the OAE to determine reasonable accommodations. Please note in order to implement approved accommodations, students must complete their intake and provide their Accommodation Letter to their professors within the following timeline:
- For midterms: At least 10 calendar days before each exam
- For final exams: By Monday of week 9
The OAE Disability Advising Managers may grant exceptions at their discretion when students face:
- Extenuating circumstances beyond their control, or
- Disability conditions that are unplanned in nature
- Academic & Clerkship Accommodations - Disability Resources (ODR) has been established to facilitate access and promote inclusion for disabled MD and MSPA students during their time at the Stanford School of Medicine.Disability Resources will work closely with students, faculty, and staff to determine, support, and implement reasonable accommodations for students in didactic and clinical education environments. They will also facilitate opportunities for fostering community; disability management support; information and resource referrals; and guidance on applying for accommodations on licensure exams.If you’d like to meet with Disability Resources to discuss academic and/or clerkship accommodations, please complete a Disability Resources Student Affiliation Form; email disabilityresources-omsa@stanford.edu; or schedule a meeting with ODR.
- Housing Accommodations - At this time, the OAE will continue to be your resource for housing accommodations. Please follow the process below.
Registering
Identifying as a student with a disability begins the interactive process of requesting and receiving accommodations within Stanford University programs and services. To initiate this process, register with the Office of Accessible Education and determine your eligibility for accommodations. Please follow these steps as early as possible.
Obtain current documentation of disability from an appropriately licensed professional. Please share the following documentation guidelines with your health care provider so that they may provide you with a report or letter that establishes your eligibility and need for accommodations in the postsecondary educational and/or student housing environments.
Professional documentation can be provided from a variety of sources. Students may use either their own medical professional or Cardinal Care as a source for obtaining documentation. If you have concerns about your physical and/or mental health while on campus, please visit the Vaden Health Services or CAPS to make an appointment.
Please note that translations of original documents which are not in English are also allowed. Any translation should be in English, attached to the original document, and include the name, signature and contact information of the translator.
If you have financial concerns relating to obtaining documentation, consult with our office, Vaden Health Center, or CAPS. A list of low-cost psychological services can be found on the CAPS website. In addition, the Financial Aid Office often provides financial support for medical expenses. Please consult with the Financial Aid Office or fill out their medical/dental expense form.
To complete the Registration Form visit OAE | CONNECT. You have the option to upload your documentation with the Registration Form. Alternatively, we also accept documentation by email, fax, postal mail, or in person:
Email: oae-contactus@stanford.edu
- If you are emailing from a Stanford account, include "Secure:" in the subject line to encrypt your message and attachments.
Fax: 650.725.5301
Office of Accessible Education
563 Salvatierra Walk
Stanford, CA 94305
Once your documentation and Registration Form are received, you will be assigned to a Disability Adviser. They will contact you with either further instructions, a request for additional documentation, or a link to arrange for an initial meeting.
During the initial meeting, the Disability Adviser will lead a self-report interview, review your documentation with you, and discuss barriers to access you have experienced, or may experience, during your time at Stanford University. This meeting will typically conclude with a determination of appropriate accommodations and a review of OAE processes for requesting specific accommodations. If you are receiving academic accommodations, your Disability Adviser will prepare an accommodation letter for you to share with your instructors.
Additional Information
We are sincerely interested in how these procedures and forms are working for you, and any problems or difficulties you may have. This includes any technical issues you have with OAE | CONNECT, the quality of your direct accommodations, and whether the accommodations you’ve been approved for are meeting your needs. This is a shared responsibility between each student and the OAE.
Please start the process early, and let us know immediately about any delays or oversights in the provision of accommodations. If things are not happening as you understood they would, let the Accommodation Coordinator or your Disability Adviser know.
The mission of the OAE is to determine the disability-related accommodations that are appropriate and which best support you, while also maintaining the academic integrity of Stanford’s programs.
Physicians and other professional evaluators often submit recommendations regarding specific academic or housing accommodations. The OAE’s professional staff, who are familiar with the educational environment at Stanford, determine the extent to which the recommended accommodations are appropriate. In short, the evaluator’s recommendations provide helpful information, but are not binding. If, in the judgment of the OAE, there is insufficient diagnostic or clinical information supporting requested accommodations, students may be asked to submit new and/or additional documentation. The OAE's Disability Advisers also have discretion to determine what type of professional documentation is necessary, and this may vary depending on the nature and extent of the disability and the accommodation requested.
Appropriate accommodations that support you during your time at Stanford are determined by the documentation mentioned above, in addition to an individualized assessment of each request and discussion with one of the OAE's Disability Advisers. Among the factors considered in determining appropriate accommodations for students are:
- The nature of the student's disability;
- Accommodations that have worked for that student in the past;
- Whether the requested accommodations will allow the student to effectively access and participate in the course or program;
- Whether the requested accommodations will alter the essential requirements of the course or program.