The office is geared to support learning difficulties due to dyslexia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia, and ADD/ADHD, high functioning autism as well as difficulties related to blindness, deafness, and mobility. It strives to integrate students with disabilities as holistically as possible into the university experience. Through an interactive process, the office works individually with each student to provide access to university classes, programs, and activities.
It should be noted that the mere disclosure/diagnosis of a disability does not automatically entitle a student to receive disability-related accommodations. Each student needs to request learning support for their specific condition and the office will make its best efforts to extend as much support as possible for each course. There is no financial impact on students for receiving the required learning support. We encourage students to identify factors that can help them in managing their learning outcomes despite their difficulties and gain self-advocacy skills to support their needs.
The OLS provides a structured framework for students who seek accommodations (academic adjustments) and remedial support for specific learning challenges. Accommodations are set on a case-by-case basis, individualized to each student and their current needs. These are adaptations to teaching and learning processes that allow a student to manage the learning difficulties faced by them due to a disability. Accommodations may include modifications to academic requirements as necessary to minimize the impact of the disability. Remedial support is an instructional program to help students achieve expected competencies in core academic skills such as literacy and numeracy.
Following are some examples of accommodations and modifications:
NOTE: Students are requested to check with the office for policies related to the above-mentioned accommodations.
Students may request their course-related instructional material in an accessible format. Some examples include:
Students, after consulting with their professors, will need to fill in the Accessible Content Request Form to put in a request for the same. The office will do its best to process the request within three weeks of receiving the form.
The office ensures that all information regarding a student is kept confidential. Any information regarding a disability shall be considered confidential and shall be shared with others within the institution on a need-to-know basis only. No one has immediate access to student files except the OLS team.