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You’re encouraged to utilize Accessibility Services as a resource, and to connect with us early and often. We offer several different accommodations and support systems to help make your time at WPI as smooth and successful as possible. If you need help accessing any information or forms on our website, we will gladly assist you. Please contact us by phone at 508-831-4908, by email at accessibilityservices@wpi.edu, or by visiting 124 Daniels Hall. Our office hours are Monday-Friday from 8am-12pm, and 1pm-5pm. During the summer months (end of May through early August), the office closes at 4:30pm.
In order to disclose a disability and request academic accommodations, you must:
Once approved, you’ll be able to receive accommodations throughout your time at WPI unless said accommodations have been approved on a temporary basis, you take substantial time off, or your disability has changed.
To request a housing accommodation, see the accommodated housing section for more information on the process to request.
We strongly believe in equipping students with the skills needed to be their best self-advocate. As such, if any issues arise or you are not receiving your approved accommodations, we encourage you (the student) to notify the Office of Accessibility Services as soon as possible.
In order to access accommodations each term, a student must:
1. Send a copy of their accommodation letters to their professors (preferably at the start of the term) through the OAS Student Portal.
2. Speak to their professors to discuss how accommodations will be implemented for each course.
For more information, see our step-by-step guide on sending accommodation letters or contact our office.
Interested in trying out some free or low-cost apps that can help with various school-related tasks? Here are a few of our favorites.
If it’s determined that you require alternative format media, you must:
Students with food allergies, Celiac Disease, or other dietary concerns are encouraged to complete a request form to arrange a team meeting with our Food Allergen Trained Staff and WPI Health Services. This meeting will allow us to gain insight into your individual needs and develop plans to assist you with navigating our dining areas on campus. Dining Services has published a brochure on Dining with Food Allergies and Celiac Disease as well as created an Allergen Limited Living Facebook page to provide a resource for updates and guidance.
If a student feels they need to request additional accommodations after meeting with the team, such accommodations can be requested through the housing accommodation request process below.
Housing-based accommodations are available to students with a documented need. If you plan to request accommodations for housing, please complete the Housing Accommodation Request Form (WPI Login Required) and submit a signed Disability Verification for Housing Accommodation Requests (PDF) from a qualified provider. All students will also need to complete WPI’s housing application. The deadline for upperclass students to request a housing accommodation for the upcoming school year is January 15th and for incoming first-year students, June 1st. Please check out our housing accommodation request videos for first-year students and for upper-class students. Though the committee will review and consider requests submitted after the above listed deadlines, we cannot guarantee the availability of spaces will meet late applicants' accommodation needs. Please note: students must submit a housing accommodation request each year that you wish you wish to live on campus.
There is a difference between Housing Accommodations and Housing Preferences. Student preferences for certain types of housing (i.e. specific hall, room, or roommates) cannot be guaranteed, but will be considered in addition to a documented need for a disability-related accommodation.
Students who feel they may need evacuation assistance in the event of an emergency are encouraged to add themselves to the Voluntary Emergency Evacuation List. Information submitted to the form is shared directly with Campus Police.
If you have been approved for peer note-taking assistance, first check and see if the slides or notes from your professor are available and sufficient. If not, please fill out a Note-Taker Request Form for each course you are seeking note-taking assistance. This form will match you with a volunteer note-taker, another student in your class, who will share their notes with you after they’ve been reviewed by our staff.
If you’re interested in becoming a volunteer note-taker, email us for more information.
Temporary disabilities may include broken limbs, hand injuries, concussions, or short-term impairments following surgery or medical treatments. To receive temporary accommodations, you must:
To learn more about the offices and supports available to assist students with temporary injuries, please see our Temporary Injuries and Accommodations Guide (PDF). If you’ve missed a substantial amount of class time and won’t be able to successfully complete the term due to a medical or psychological disability, contact Student Health Services for a medical disability or the Student Development & Counseling Center for a psychological disability to schedule an appointment to go through the medical withdrawal and re-entry process.
For official verification of absence from class due to illness or hospitalization to be sent to your professors, contact Student Health Services and the Office of Academic Advising.
If you need testing-based accommodations, you should sit down with your course instructors at the beginning of each term to discuss accommodation options and how they can be implemented. Some professors choose to provide approved accommodations directly, while others opt to use our Exam Proctoring Center (EPC) in Morgan Hall 103.
The EPC features a variety of assistive technology accommodations, and is available for use by you and your instructor. If you have been approved for testing-based accommodations, you need to schedule your tests at least two school days in advance through the OAS Student Portal. For scheduling questions, download How to Schedule an Exam in the EPC (PDF), call 508-831-4955, or email the EPC.
Please note: effective August 24, 2017 the Exam Proctoring Center (EPC) will no longer schedule exams outside of the class time until written approval is provided by the professor. Students are responsible for emailing their professors to obtain permission, and forwarding the approval to epc@wpi.edu. If written approval is not provided prior to the scheduled exam, students can take the exam at the class time, or they are responsible for working with their professor to find an alternate solution. If you have any questions, please speak with an OAS staff member as soon as possible.
ACCESS (Awareness, Community, Collaboration, Empowerment, Support, and Success) is a student organization focused on advocating for campus and educational accessibility. Made up of students with disabilities as well as allies, ACCESS strives to develop a welcoming, supportive, and universally acceptable campus. Visit their website for information on how to join, meeting times, events and activities, and more.