Accommodations for Graduate Students with Disabilities

The University of Michigan is committed to ensuring that graduate students receive appropriate reasonable accommodations so that all students are supported in all aspects of their educational experience, including their employment related to their graduate education. There are a number of campus resources available to help graduate students with disabilities navigate the accommodation process. Consult the information below if you are a graduate student who has been diagnosed with a disability, or who believes that you may have a disability requiring accommodation, and would like to explore formal and informal options for obtaining academic or appointment-related accommodation. Additionally, Rackham has compiled resources for graduate students with disabilities for general assistance and support.

Academic Accommodations

All academic accommodations for students with disabilities are handled through the Office of Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD). It is important to make an appointment to speak with someone in SSD as soon as possible to provide them with documentation of your disability. The SSD staff will work with you to determine reasonable academic accommodations. The Accommodate digital management system used by SSD allows students, faculty, and staff to manage accommodations, obtain accommodation letters, and check the status of other service requests such as note-taking, alternative material formats, and exam scheduling.

Additional Mental Health-Related Resources

• Counseling and Psychological Services
• Psychological Clinic
• Outpatient Psychiatry
• U-M Psychiatric Emergency Service (PES), Phone: (734) 936-5900 (24 hours/7 days)

Considerations for Accommodations for Research Sites and Qualifying or Preliminary Exams

Graduate students with disabilities should also consider the type and nature of the research that you may be doing either independently or with a supervising faculty member. This could include—but is not limited to—a thesis or dissertation that could be eligible for accommodations. Be sure to discuss these needs early with your faculty supervisor, and/or SSD staff.

In the case of extraordinary exam situations such as comprehensive, qualifying, and preliminary exams, graduate students should begin well in advance of the exam date to pursue appropriate accommodations for that unique testing situation. This might include:

• Working with committee and faculty members in advance to determine possibilities for accommodations.
• Corresponding with SSD regarding accommodation options.

Employment or Appointment Accommodations

The Disability Equity Office (DEO) serves as the central administrative unit responsible for overseeing compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and has implemented a secure single sign-on portal called Accommodate for managing workplace accommodation requests. This portal provides secure storage of personal medical information while allowing employees to easily access their workplace accommodation documents, communications, and requests. It also features an integrated calendar request system for scheduling appointments directly with Disability Equity Office staff. 

If an employee has worked with Services for Students for Disabilities for academic accommodations, the Disability Equity Office will be able to request, receive, and store medical documentation directly to determine if it is sufficient for workplace accommodations at the employee’s request. This will, in many cases, reduce the need to collect additional medical documentation for the workplace accommodation process.

Questions about requesting an employment or appointment accommodation can be directed to [email protected].