Temporary Accommodations
Office of Accessibility Resources and Services
Hampshire College recognizes that similar to individuals with permanent disabilities, individuals with temporary injuries, recovering from surgery, or with short-term medical conditions may need accommodations to access classrooms, course resources, and/or campus facilities.
What is considered a temporary disability?
Temporary disabilities may include, but are not limited to; broken limbs, hand injuries, concussion, or short-term impairment while recovering from surgery or medical treatments.
Missing a few classes or deadlines because of acute illness, such as the flu, does not require formal accommodation and we encourage you to work directly with your professors to get back on track. We are, however, always here to consult or support you in your medical and/or academic recovery.
What accommodations might be possible?
Depending of the nature of the temporary disability and supporting documentation, the most common accommodations for which students may be approved include:
- Accommodations to capture information in the classroom
- Appropriate housing-based accommodations
- Temporary accessible parking and/or transportation
- Moving classes to accessible buildings or rooms.
To request temporary accommodations:
- Follow the general process for requesting accommodations.
- Our online form includes specific questions related only to temporary accommodation needs.
- If you have never registered with the Office of Accessibility Resources and Services (OARS) before, please use our OARS Registration Form.
- If you are already registered with OARS, log in to the OARS Portal and complete an Additional Accommodations request.
- Provide documentation from a treating medical professional stipulating expected temporary limitations, anticipated recovery time, and recommended accommodations.
- Please refer to our documentation guidelines for more detail.
- Because temporary accommodation needs can be urgent and documentation comes in many forms, please be in touch directly with staff if you have questions and/or urgent need.
- OARS staff will be in touch if there is need for additional information or to discuss accommodation options.
What else should I consider?
Check-in directly with your professors to assess what material and assignments you have missed and what flexibility they are able to afford you regarding deadline changes and make-up work.
If you have missed a substantial amount of class time in a given semester and will not be able to successfully complete the term or if you need to take a medical leave for the following semester, please view details about medical leave in the handbook and be in touch with health and counseling services.