Accommodating Students with disabilities

The implementation of accommodations should be a collaborative process between the faculty member, the student, and the Office of Accessibility when needed. While we were not able to address every scenario faced by faculty, we included some of the most requested information about working with students with disabilities.

University Policies

Auburn University complies with Titles I and II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Sections 503 and 504 of the Rehabilitation Act by ensuring that its campus and related activities are accessible to all employees and students. As the University strives to make its physical and virtual campuses universally accessible, it is University policy to make reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities.


Under the ADA and Section 503, a qualified individual with a disability is defined as an individual with a disability who meets the skills, experience, education, and other job-related requirements of a position held or desired and who, with or without reasonable accommodations, can perform the essential functions of a job. Similarly, under the ADA and Section 504, a qualified student must meet the general admission criteria of the University and upon admission, must be offered an accessible academic environment.


The ADA recognizes that unnecessary visible and invisible barriers may discriminate against qualified individuals with disabilities just as much as overt exclusionary practices. Reasonable accommodations in the academic environment, the employment setting, and the interview process are key nondiscrimination requirements of the ADA because of the special nature of discrimination faced by persons with disabilities. Refusing to make reasonable accommodations for a qualified student, applicant, or employee with a disability, unless the accommodations would pose an undue hardship on the organization, is a violation of University policy and the ADA. For this reason, the ADA requires reasonable accommodations as a means of overcoming unnecessary barriers that prevent or restrict participation in academic activities or employment opportunities for otherwise qualified individuals with disabilities.


A reasonable accommodation is a modification or adjustment to a job, the work or educational environment, a policy or practice, or the manner in which work is usually done that enables a qualified individual with a disability to enjoy equal employment or educational opportunity. A reasonable accommodation should reduce or eliminate unnecessary barriers, both visible and invisible, between the individual’s abilities and the requirements for performing essential job functions or meeting academic requirements.


Auburn University recognizes that an accessible and equitable environment requires commitment from all University faculty, staff, and students; therefore, there are two support offices on campus tasked with ensuring accessibility and compliance across campus. The Office of Affirmative Action/Equal Employment Opportunity (Office of AA/EEO) and the Office of Accessibility provide support for Auburn University employees and students, both with and without disabilities. These offices provide assistance for applicants, employees, and students in need of reasonable accommodations, as well as guidance for supervisors, faculty, and staff on how to provide these accommodations.


Employees and supervisors with questions regarding job-related accommodations should contact the Office of AA/EEO at (334) 844-4794. Faculty, staff, or students with questions about academic accommodations should contact the Office of Accessibility at (334) 844-2096.

Electronic and Information Technology Accessibility Policy

Facilitating Accommodations

Students who need accommodations should submit their approved accommodations through the AIM Student Portal on AU Access and follow up with the instructor about an appointment. It is important for the student to complete these steps as soon as possible; accommodations are not retroactive. Students who have not established accommodations through the Office of Accessibility but need accommodations should contact the Office of Accessibility at ACCESSIBILITY@auburn.edu or (334) 844-2096 (V/TT). The Office of Accessibility is located in Haley Center 1228.

Information concerning a student's disability should be disclosed only to those with a legitimate "need to know." Sharing of information with other faculty and staff to facilitate a student's accommodations needs to be balanced with the student's interest while maintaining their privacy. Further disclosure should only be made with the express permission of the student or in consultation with appropriate Office of Accessibility staff. Please do not discuss a student's disability or need for accommodations in front of other students.

  1. Login to the AU Access.

  2. Click on AIM Faculty Portal under Academic Accessibility header.

  3. Agree to the Access Policy.

  4. A student list will be at the bottom of the page. Click VIEW next to the student's name.

  5. The next page will show the student's list of accommodations with descriptions.

  6. If you have not communicated with the student, Click on Return to Previous Page. 

  7. Once you have communicated (email, phone, in-person meeting, etc.) with the student about their accommodations, you can acknowledge it by clicking the Submit Acknowledgement Electronically button.

  8. You will receive an email for your records, and the student status will be marked Acknowledged.

If a student with a disability submits accommodations electronically from our office and is requesting a meeting to discuss his/her accommodations, we recommend that you meet with the student in your office or another confidential location to discuss the requested accommodations. Discuss each accommodation and establish a plan for how the accommodations will be facilitated in your class. After meeting with the student, document through our system that the meeting occurred and/or address any questions or concerns.

It is also important that faculty do not:

  • Ask the student to disclose the nature of their disability. Most disabilities are invisible and while the student has been instructed to self-advocate and clearly state their needs, they do not have to discuss the disability.

  • Deny a student’s accommodation request. If there is concern that an accommodation would fundamentally change the nature of a course, contact the Office of Accessibility immediately either by phone (334-844-2096) or email (accessibility@auburn.edu). It is important that you provide the accommodation until the concern has been resolved. An accommodation cannot be denied without due process; therefore, all cases will be reviewed individually.

  • Tell the student that he/she requested the accommodations too late in the semester. While students with disabilities are encouraged to meet with faculty during the first week of class, there are many legitimate reasons why this may not be possible. Accommodations must be provided at any point in a semester; however, they do not need to be provided retroactively.

  1. Login to the Faculty Portal with your AU credentials

  2. Agree to the Confidentiality Statement

  3. Click VIEW next to the student's name

  4. Once you have met with the student and discussed their accommodations, you can acknowledge the meeting by clicking the Submit Acknowledgement button.

  5. You will receive an email from accessibility@auburn.edu for your records. The student’s status will be marked Confirmed. If you would like to document your communication with OA, you can respond to the email from accessiblity@auburn.edu. The email will be added to the student's file, and you will have a copy in your sent folder.

Faculty can dispute an accommodation if it is felt the accommodation would fundamentally alter the nature of the academic course. If there is a dispute regarding the appropriateness of a particular student accommodation, the concern should be raised with Office of Accessibility promptly, preferably before the semester begins or by the next business day after receiving an accommodation request. During the time that the accommodation is under review, the Office of Accessibility recommendation for accommodation should remain in effect.