Verification Forms and Confidentiality

Verification Forms

Once a student has registered with Access Services and is found eligible for accommodations, the office will prepare a formal Verification Form. Students are given copies of the form to bring to each of their professors. Students are encouraged to arrange individual meetings with faculty members as soon as they receive the form, so that there is an opportunity to meet privately to discuss the accommodations. Please know that at times, even after receiving a letter from our office, some students may elect not to pursue an accommodation.

Accommodations listed on the verification form must be implemented as stated. Faculty may not make changes to the accommodations or fail to implement them, for any reason. If there are questions or concerns about an approved accommodation, faculty should reach out to Access Services but, in the interim, implement the accommodation as stated.

Accommodations are not retroactive. Students must register with Access Services and submit appropriate clinical documentation of a disability prior to receiving accommodations. If eligible, accommodations begin immediately. Should a student approach you privately and share that they had accommodations in the past, it is extremely important that you direct them to Access Services before implementing any accommodations. Additionally, you should contact Access Services yourself and share the student’s name.

Confidentiality Note

Disclosure of a disability is voluntary. Information about disability status and accommodations is highly confidential. It does not become part of the student's academic record at the College and is not released without written consent unless required or permitted by law. Information about a disability is shared with members of the campus community only with permission of the student, on a need-to-know basis. We are not able to share any clinical information except in cases where the student has provided explicit permission and where more information would be helpful in implementing accommodations.

If you receive a verification form from a student, please do not share information about a student's disability with others unless the student has given you permission to do so. Please avoid discussing accommodations in front of a student’s classmates or other faculty and staff. We encourage you and the student to meet individually to discuss your course and any accommodations.