Step 1: Register with SAS
Step 2: Submit Documentation
Step 3: Meet with SAS
Before You Register
If you have not requested accommodations at a university before, sometimes it can be hard to know where to start. Accommodations and supports are different than in K-12 education, and processes might even be different between universities.
Here a few things you can do before you connect with SAS.
One of the most important things that you can do is to reflect on your condition and the supports you might need. Accommodations might look different for you in postsecondary education and there are some key differences between K-12 and postsecondary education that are important for you to understand. It is important to think about your condition, the supports you have had, and what you might want to request.
Here are a few key things to consider:
- Your condition
- What is your current diagnosis or diagnoses?
- Based on your condition, what are some of the barriers you might face?
- How does you condition impact your experiences in classes?
- How does your condition impact your experiences outside of classes?
- The accommodations you want to request
- What accommodations have you been approved for in the past?
- What accommodations have been helpful for you in the past?
- Is there Assistive Technology (AT) that you will continue to use?
One common part of the accommodation process is documentation of your condition. Documentation can be a wide range of things depending on your specific condition. Documentation should be recent and reflect the current impact of your condition. Generally documentation is:
- Recent assessments of your condition (audiology reports, neuropsychological evaluations, etc.)
- A detailed letter from a current provider
- Having your provider complete our Provider Verification Form
A Note about 504 Plans and IEPs
504 Plans and Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) do not directly transfer to higher education. Students need to engage in the interactive accommodation process with SAS for accommodations to be approved.
In terms of documentation, IEP and 504 plans can be helpful in understanding past supports, but SAS also needs to know more about the condition(s) and the functional impact of the conditions. If a 504 Plan or an IEP does not contain that information, then it might not be sufficient documentation. Documentation is reviewed on a case-by-case basis and you can always talk with SAS directly about what is required in your specific situation.
The accommodation management system that SAS uses is called Accommodate. That is where you will go to:
- Request accommodations
- Submit documentation
- Create your semester requests
- Review your accommodation letters
It is important to learn more about how you will use that system.
Step 1: Register with SAS
The first step in the interactive accommodation process is for the student to register with SAS. Students register with SAS by completing our Student Accommodation Request Form. That form will allow the student to share more about the condition, the impacts of the condition, and what accommodations they would like to request.
Please note that completing the form is only the first step in the accommodation process. Students are still required to submit documentation and meet with SAS.
Step 2: Submit Documentation
Students are required to submit documentation as part of their request. Documentation provides external confirmation of a student’s disability (as defined within the ADA Amendments Act) and it helps SAS understand the current impacts of the disability. SAS uses this information to make the connection to how the accommodations will help address barriers a student might face.
Documentation can include:
- Provider completion of the Provider Verification Form (this is the preferred pathway)
- Letters of support from providers
- Submission of reports or testing related to the condition
There are a number of different potential sources of documentation. SAS considers general documentation in the following ways:
- Primary source - Student self-report
- Secondary sources – Secondary sources are supportive in determining accommodations, but alone are not sufficient
- Provider support letters
- Individualized Education Programs (IEPs)
- 504 Plans
- Previous accommodation letters
It should be noted that currently an IEP or 504 Plan is not considered sufficient to automatically establish the existence of a disability. An IEP or a 504 plan could meet the necessary criteria, but it does not automatically do so.
Review Criteria for General Documentation
- Basic Criteria, documentation should:
- Be on official letterhead, dated, typed, and in English
- Be written by a licensed provider
- Must come from a professional with an existing relationship to the student
- Include information about the student diagnosis
- Include any current, objective assessment data to support the diagnosis
- Detail the functional limitations, including the severity of said limitations
- Discuss any relevant accommodation history
- Detail the connection between the functional implications and the accommodations being requested by the student
- Recency Criteria
- ADHD, LD, ASD, ID - generally within 5 years
- Psychological, TBI - generally within 1 year
- Health, Sensory - variable depending on condition permanence
Documentation standards as outlined by HUD are different than the documentation standards within the ADA and Section 504. SAS may request documentation for housing requests to help confirm the student’s condition. Within their assistance animal guidance, HUD provides a list of sources that would qualify as documentation:
- A determination of disability from a federal, state, or local government agency.
- Receipt of disability benefits or services (Social Security Disability Income (SSDI)), Medicare or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) for a person under age 65, veterans’ disability benefits, services from a vocational rehabilitation agency, or disability benefits or services from another federal, state, or local agency.
- Eligibility for housing assistance or a housing voucher received because of disability.
- Information confirming disability from a health care professional –e.g., physician, optometrist, psychiatrist, psychologist, physician’s assistant, nurse practitioner, or nurse.
- Documentation purchased from the internet generally does not meet documentation standards
Housing Only Review Criteria
- Basic Criteria. Housing only documentation should:
- Be on official letterhead, dated, typed, and in English
- Must come from a professional with an existing relationship to the student
- Provide information about the specific functional impacts of the condition
- Detail the relationship between the condition and the accommodation request
- Regarding Emotional Support Animals (ESA) this can also include information on work the animal does, tasks performed, and type of assistance
- Recency Criteria
- ADHD, LD, ASD, ID - generally within 5 years
- Psychological, TBI - generally within 1 year
- Health, Sensory - variable depending on condition permanence
Working with a Provider?
If you are working with a current provider for documentation, we recommend that you send them our Provider Guidance document. This resource gives your provider information about what we look for when reviewing documentation, as well as the documentation guidelines. It also includes a link to our Provider Verification Form.
Submitting Documentation
Once you have documentation, you can submit your documents directly into your Accommodate Portal. We encourage you to submit any documentation you feel is relevant to your request. If your provider has chosen to complete our Provider Verification Form, then that will be submitted directly to SAS. Please do not email SAS documentation. Due to privacy and security issues, we cannot accept documentation over email (SAS Policies).
Still Have Documentation Questions?
If you have questions about documentation or have issues submitting documentation, please feel free to contact SAS.
Step 3: Meet with SAS
Once the student has completed the registration and submitted documentation, the student will contact SAS to make an appointment. In that appointment, we will talk with the student about the condition, request, and about the possible accommodations. Accommodations may be approved at this time, but often the approvals occur after the meeting.
SAS Appointments
To schedule an appointment, please call or email our office:
- Option 1 - Call our office during business hours (603-862-2607)
- Option 2 - Email sas.office@unh.edu and provide the following:
- Your full name
- Contact information
- Reason for the appointment
- Several days and times to meet that work for your schedule
- Your preference for in-person or Teams (Teams is utilized for all virtual appointments)
What to Expect
When you arrive, please check in with reception in Room 227. Appointments generally last approximately 30 minutes. You should be prepared to share with SAS staff about your disability, how it affects you, and about any past accommodations you've had as well as what you are requesting.
