Disability Access Office

Students Requiring Disability-Related Accommodations 

Disability Access Office 

Smith Campus Center, Fourth Floor 
617-496-8707 
Fax: 617-496-1098  
Email: dao@fas.harvard.edu 
Website: https://dao.fas.harvard.edu/ 

Harvard University is committed to providing students who have disabilities with equal access to all affiliated programs and activities through inclusive design and the provision of reasonable accommodations.

The Disability Access Office (DAO), which serves Harvard College, Harvard Kenneth C. Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS) as well as the John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) students, collaborates with faculty and students to make this possible.

Disability information, including diagnoses and clinical documentation, is protected under FERPA, and it is important that all communication with students regarding accommodations be individualized and only shared with other university officials on a need-to-know basis. 

Ongoing communication and collaboration on the part of Faculty, teaching staff, DAO, administrators, and students themselves is essential. Students should initiate accommodation requests through the AIM portal, which is accessed through a link on the DAO website. Once students are determined eligible for accommodations, they will be guided each semester to select which approved accommodations they need for each class. This will then be communicated through an introductory letter sent by DAO giving an overview of their approved accommodations. Students making such requests without this letter should be referred directly to DAO. Providing accommodations in the course to students who are not registered with DAO can result in inconsistent implementation of university procedures. Members of the faculty best understand the essential components of their courses, and accommodations are not designed to alter or eliminate any essential requirements of a course.

The course head is responsible for implementing all DAO-approved academic accommodations needed for classroom instruction, including midterm or hourly examinations. This may include providing a separate room and additional proctors for extended testing time, breaks, student access to food/drinks, and other specified accommodations. DAO does not have access to a Test Center or proctors for mid-term tests, and DAO staff are not available to proctor tests. Faculty should contact their department administrator or faculty support specialists for assistance with booking rooms. If proctors beyond the available TF/TA corps are required, Faculty may choose to hire other graduate students from their department to assist.

Accommodated exams are expected to occur on the same day as in-class exams. All final examinations for students with DAO-approved exam accommodations are administered during the final exam period by the Exams Office and appropriate accommodations will be made in conjunction with DAO (see entry below).

Course heads should routinely note in the course syllabus and announce at the first class meeting that students approved for accommodations should contact the teaching staff to discuss elements of the course that may be inaccessible and develop a plan together on how their accommodations will be implemented, based on their letter from DAO.

Faculty who utilize universal design in learning for all students know that effective strategies for instruction frequently obviate the need for accommodations. Some suggestions are:

 

  • Provide course materials in accessible formats, including documents/PDFs that are screen-readable. The Assistive Technology Center (ATC) is available to help with preparation of accessible materials if they are provided to them in advance. Increased reliance on and availability of digital text benefits all students. Other formats may include Braille or enlarged print, which the ATC can provide.
  • Ensure students who are deaf or hard-of-hearing have available seating space in the front of the room and that the room has appropriate lighting. If movies or slide presentations occur, an alternative lighting source will be required for students who need to see interpreters. Some students may use FM listening devices associated with their hearing aids that require teaching staff to use a wireless (non-amplifying) microphone. If microphones are available in the classroom, they should always be used. Faculty should make advance arrangements to provide open-captioned films and audio material and can receive assistance with captioning by contacting the DAO.
  • Ensure that lectures, sections, review sessions, etc. are held in physically accessible spaces when required. The Registrar's Office, Classrooms Office (617-495-1541) can assist when relocation of a course is necessary.

When students make course changes after the registration deadline and before the fifth Monday of the term, it is understood that delays in the preparation of reformatted materials may result, affecting both students and instructional staff.

Assistive Technology Center

Harvard University Science Center B06  
617-496-8800  
Email: atc@fas.harvard.edu 
Website: atc.fas.harvard.edu

The Assistive Technology Center (ATC) serves all students registered with DAO and Local Disability Coordinators throughout the University and who depend on print alternatives to access course materials. The ATC provides support through technology, which can include electronic version of course materials, and access to course content in the classroom. 

Faculty members who require assistance producing handouts, lecture notes, exams, or other course materials converted into digital text, Braille, or enlarged text, can contact the ATC for assistance. It is at Faculty’s discretion to allow students who require the use of a laptop as an exam accommodation to bring their own. A course staff member may also email the ATC  in advance to arrange for an equipment loan if personal devices are not permitted. Arrangements for reformatted material or the loan of equipment should be made least 5 business days in advance.  

Final Examinations for Students with DAO-Approved Exam Accommodations

All seated final examinations for students with Disability Access Office (DAO)-approved exam accommodations are administered during the Examination Period by the FAS Registrar's Office, and appropriate accommodations will be made in conjunction with DAO. For questions concerning the administration of final exams (e.g., the date, time, or location of exams) contact the FAS Registrar's Office, exams@fas.harvard.edu or 617-495-1542. For questions concerning accommodations, contact the DAO, dao@fas.harvard.edu or 617-496-8707.