Graduate Student Frequently Asked Questions

The below FAQs are intended to provide graduate students with disabilities guidance in navigating resources for both academic and workplace accommodations.

Academic/Educational Accommodations: Disability Services in the Division of Student Affairs assesses accommodations in the educational environment for students to ensure students with disabilities have equitable access to the educational environment.

I am a student with a disability and would like to request academic accommodations. What is the process?

Students with disabilities must register with Disability Services and request accommodations by submitting an Application for Accommodations, scheduling an Access Meeting and submitting documentation as early as possible. The four step process can be found here. For additional questions about the registration process, academic support offered, or additional services provided by Disability Services, an Information Session may be scheduled by contacting 303-492-8671 or dsinfo@colorado.edu.

Do academic accommodations only apply to undergraduate students?

No, academic accommodations apply to all students at CU Boulder, including graduate students.

Will I receive the same academic accommodations as undergraduate students?

While that’s possible, academic accommodations are individualized for each student’s situation based on the demonstrated need that results from the impact of one’s disability.

What are some of the differences that may apply between academic accommodations for undergraduate students and graduate students?

Academic accommodations are individualized to each student and their academic responsibilities. Graduate students often participate in a wide variety of assistantships and professional opportunities outside of the traditional classroom that are often unavailable to undergraduate and non-degree seeking students. More specifically, because graduate study can include responsibilities such as teaching, research in labs or the field, or could be connected with grants, some accommodations, like a reduced course load or adjusting the pace of a program, require careful planning and communication to assess and determine what is reasonable and to avoid fundamental alteration to a student’s academic progress.

What services/resources are available to graduate students with disabilities?

A wide variety of services and resources are available to all students including academic resources, health and wellness support, diversity and inclusion, and many more. After registering with Disability Services, Disability Services assigns a student to an Access Coordinator who would be happy to address specific questions and concerns about available resources and accommodation support.

How do accommodations apply to comprehensive exams (comps), including oral presentation comps, written comps, exam comps?

Just like student needs, academic requirements can vary from class to class and instructor to instructor, therefore accommodation requests are assessed individually for need and reasonableness. While academic accommodations may be available for oral presentation, written, exam, and other types of comps, Access Coordinators will need to speak to registered students with disabilities about their specific needs, classes, comps, exams, and other academic requirements to determine what reasonable accommodations may be available.

Will future employers know that I had academic accommodations at CU Boulder?

Disability Services does not disclose disability accommodation information to future employers, unless the student or former student has specifically requested and consented to DS providing that information or DS becomes legally required to disclose it, such as in response to a court order or subpoena.

How do I talk to my advisor and committee about accommodations that I might need throughout my time at CU?

Working with and through the assigned Access Coordinator at Disability Services is the most appropriate and best first step in identifying potential accommodations needed for participation in any program. After an accommodation is approved, the Access Coordinators support students through the implementation process and address any questions or concerns students may have.

Workplace Accommodations: ADA Compliance in the Office of Institutional Equity and Compliance assesses workplace accommodations for employees with disabilities to perform the essential functions of their position. They also assess accommodation requests for individuals serving graduate assistantships, teaching assistantships, student employment, graduate part-time instructorships, and other types of graduate and student appointments (all referred to below as graduate appointment and for the purposes of this document collectively referred to along with employee context as the “workplace”). For more information on the below questions, please refer to the ADA Employee Accommodations Procedures or contact ADA Compliance directly via email at adacoordinator@colorado.edu or via phone at (303) 492-9725.

Workplace accommodations refer to reasonable modifications or adjustment to a job or the work environment or the way things are usually done during the hiring or appointment process. These modifications enable a qualified individual with a disability to have an equal opportunity to obtain a position and also to successfully perform tasks to the same extent as people without disabilities.

Individuals with disabilities do not need to disclose to ADA Compliance that they have a disability unless they want to pursue requesting workplace accommodations.

To start the process of requesting workplace accommodations through ADA Compliance, please email ADA Compliance at adacoordinator@colorado.edu or via phone at (303) 492-9725.

The ADA Compliance engages in an interactive process to be able to assess workplace accommodations. This process is detailed in the ADA Procedures.

Disability-related information is treated as private information, meaning that information will be shared only with a limited number of individuals who “need to know” in order to assist in the review of the accommodation request, the determination, and the implementation of accommodation(s) where applicable. Certain persons may need to be aware of requested accommodations, an individual’s limitations leading to the need for an accommodation, and/or the outcome of accommodation decisions. These persons can include, but are not limited to, a supervisor or manager, Principal Investigator, Department Chair, Faculty Advisor, human resources personnel, first aid and safety personnel, and those assisting with implementing accommodations. Your specific diagnosis or medical condition is not shared by ADA Compliance. Please connect with ADA Compliance directly if you have specific questions.

Additionally, if you have concerns about confidentiality, we encourage you to connect with the following confidential campus resources available to graduate students for support in best navigating your options:

No, academic accommodations do not automatically transfer to assistantships or employment. ADA Compliance assesses all requests for workplace accommodations on a case-by-case basis. The types of accommodations needed in the academic setting will often vary from what accommodations are needed in the workplace. Accommodations that are reasonable in the academic environment may not be considered reasonable in the workplace and vice versa.

Only if you have a disability-related need for both academic accommodations related to your graduate coursework and workplace accommodations related to your graduate appointment.

ADA Compliance may ask for documentation of a medical condition from the treating physician for the purpose of determining whether an individual has a disability and their workplace limitations resulting from the disability. This may vary depending on the nature and extent of the disability and the accommodation requested.

In short, the accommodations needed for students with disabilities in the academic learning environment are often different from the accommodations needed in the workplace. Academic accommodations are intended to ensure students have equal access to education. Workplace accommodations are intended to ensure individuals are able to perform the essential functions of their position and have equal access to employment and appointment opportunities. These assessments are different.

Please feel free to contact Disability Services or the ADA office for more clarity. Either office can help with specific questions and provide you with accurate information moving forward.

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Graduate Student Frequently Asked Questions