What You Need to Register:
If you have been diagnosed with a:
- a chronic health or mental health condition;
- a brain injury or post-concussive syndrome;
- a physical or mobile disability;
- a sensory disability or impairment such as blindness or deafness;
- a neurodiversity, ADD (or ADHD) or autism.
Speak with a health care practitioner about registration with our office and the completion of a Student Accessibility Services Medical Form.
- OR -
Provide a recent, comprehensive medical/psychological report from an appropriate, regulated health care practitioner (e.g., an emergency room physician, psychologist, psychiatrist, neurologist) that outlines your functional limitations in an academic setting and your accommodation needs.
If you have been diagnosed with a Learning Disability/Disorder:
Provide a copy of your last psycho-educational assessment. Ideally this assessment was completed within the last 4 years or with adult norms (you were at least 18 years old when you were tested), however, we will accept older assessments as a starting point to register with our office.
If you graduated from an Ontario secondary school in the last 5 years, you can request a copy of your psycho-educational assessment from your high school.
A Note About Documentation
We recognise the historical and systemic disparities in educational systems and society can often have adverse consequences that further marginalise populations. They affect our students and their ability to provide documentation of a disability.
If you have experienced a barrier to receiving documentation, we are committed to working with you to find appropriate and creative ways of ensuring access to appropriate supports and services.
4-step Registration
- Collect your medical/psychological documentation.
- Log in to the Student Accessibility Services Portal and complete our online questionnaire.
- Wait for a secure link where you can upload an electronic copy of your documentation.
- Connect with an Accessibility Counsellor.
You will be contacted about connecting with an Accessibility Counsellor after we have received your online questionnaire and medical/psychological documentation.
What is a letter of accommodation?
A Letter of Accommodation (LOA) is the version of your academic accommodation plan that is shared with Course Instructors. Your LOA lists the academic accommodations recommended in a course, (it does not include your diagnosis or medical information). To access academic accommodations recommended by our office in a course, your course instructor must be provided with access to your LOA.
Not sure if you can apply?
To be eligible to register with our office you must have a documented disability/medical condition and/or a history of academic accommodation (e.g. an IEP) related to a disability/chronic medical condition.
If you are in the process of being assessed to determine if your academic difficulties are due to an undiagnosed disability, we can explore interim academic accommodations while your assessment is completed. Follow the 4-steps to register with us.
Our office only provides academic accommodation planning for reasons related to disability. We cannot accommodate academically for religious commitments, carer responsibilities, short-term, acute illnesses (e.g. the flu), English as a Second Language, personal or family emergencies, work obligations and/or commuting.
Could your academic difficulties be due to an undiagnosed disability?
You can request a consultation with us to discuss the difficulties you are experiencing. If appropriate, we can suggest referrals for assessment and possible support. We do not provide assessments.
Do you have a personal or family emergency and need support?
Critical incident support is available to students experiencing a personal or family emergency (for example loss of housing, hospitalization, death of a loved one) through the Office of Student Community Relations.
Are you stressed, have a low mood or feeling anxious?
Stress, mood and anxiety can have a broad range of effects on academic success. This can range from struggles with focus to trouble getting down to work.
- Student Counselling, Health & Well-Being provides short-term counselling support and mental health resources.
- Personal counselling support is also available from Good 2 Talk, Ontario's post-secondary student help line.
Are you struggling academically?
Your study, time-management, writing or organizational skills may need some fine tuning for university- level studies. Or you may lack some of the knowledge (e.g. math, writing, science) required to succeed in your program.
The following can help you improve your skills and put you on the road to academic success:
- The Writing Centre offers instruction in all aspects of university-level writing.
- Connect with the GL Zone Peer Mentorship Program to learn about other available resources.