Accessibility and Disability Services

As stated in the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendment Act (ADAAA), a disability is defined as a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities. This includes people who have a record of such an impairment, even if they do not currently have a disability. It also includes individuals who do not have a disability but are regarded as having a disability. The presence of a disability does not automatically qualify or obligate a student to register for accommodations.

Some examples of disability categories include, but are not limited to:

• Mobility difficulties
• Learning challenges 
• Autism spectrum disorders
• Hearing impairments
• Vision impairments
• Cognitive impairments (e.g., ADHD, traumatic brain injury)

If you have a disability that is impacting your academic performance, you will need to provide documentation of that disability to the Office of Disability Services (ODS). This documentation must be supplied by a qualified professional who is licensed or certified to diagnose the disability in question. You may also schedule a time to meet with ODS to discuss a potential need for services and to gather resources.

There are several steps in the process of registration with ODS. It can take 2-3 weeks if documentation is sufficient. The process for temporary impairments may vary, please contact ODS directly to discuss.

Colleges are required to provide any reasonable accommodation that may be necessary for equal access to education. They are not required to have Individualized Educational Plans (IEP’s). While some elements of your IEP will be applicable in college, some aspects of accommodations may change.

If you had accommodations in place on campus with the UCLA Center for Accessible Education (CAE) within the last three years, and are not requesting additional accommodations, there is no need to file an additional application with the Office of Disability Services at UCLA Extension.

Email ods@uclaextension.edu to request to have your file transferred and allow up to 5-10 business days for processing.

Generally, medical documentation must be current, and from the student’s treating clinician. Qualified clinicians are licensed, non-familial, follow established practices in the field, and are most often physicians, licensed psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, or licensed therapists. For clinical assessments, the professional conducting the assessments and rendering diagnoses must have comprehensive training with regard to the specific disability being addressed. Documentation must describe how the disability limits one or more major life activities and to what extent the student experiences disability-related, academic limitations. Further guidance is included in our application materials.

No. It is not necessary to resubmit medical documentation each quarter, unless you are approved on a provisional basis and your supporting medical documentation will be three years old by your next quarter of enrollment. Contact our office if you have questions regarding the status of your documentation.

Please Note: After approval, it is your responsibility to notify ODS at least 10 business days prior to the first-class meeting of your intent to return to school for the ensuing academic quarter. Failure to do so may delay coordination of your accommodations.

No. Accommodations will not be applied retroactively. We encourage students to meet with ODS staff if they feel accommodations may be needed in the future but are not sure.

Examples of accommodations include but are not limited to:

• Alternate format course materials
• Assistive learning devices
• Real-time Captioner/Captioning services
• Course enrollment assistance
• Exam proctoring
• Extended time for exams and quizzes
• Note taking support
• Service dogs*
• Sign-language interpreters

No. Accommodations are permanent and use of accommodations is at the discretion of the student. It is important to remember that accommodations are not retroactive.

To request a review of your accommodations, please contact ODS directly. In order for us to review your record, you must provide new information not available at the time of the original review, which highlights new or significant changes to your functional limitations.

Once you are approved for accommodations, we will notify your instructors every quarter. It is your responsibility to notify ODS two weeks in advance of any quarter you plan to take courses so we have adequate time to arrange and notify your instructors of your accommodations. You are welcome to share your accommodation letter with your instructor if they do not recall receiving notice from ODS.

First, check to make sure your instructor received your accommodation letter. Make sure you have reached out to your instructor to discuss your accommodations. If you have done both of these things and the professor is not providing you with your accommodations, please contact ODS.

In order to protect the privacy of all students, and the intellectual property of the instructor, unofficial recordings of our courses are generally not allowed unless the student has been approved by ODS, and the instructor determines that form of notetaking support is reasonable. In any case, recordings may only be made of live lectures and portions of the course that will merit a grade. If the instructor determines recording is unreasonable, ODS will provide a reasonable equivalent. First, speak with your instructor to ensure that they know you qualify for this accommodation. If they continue to refuse, please notify ODS.

Grades are not accommodations and do not fall under the purview of ODS. Contact your instructor directly to discuss these requests. If the reason for your request is disability-related, ODS will disclose any necessary information to your instructor to make an appropriate decision, with your written consent.

Assistive Technology is an adaptive and assistive tool for individuals with disabilities.

Students can gain access to assistive technology by becoming a registered student with ODS, with a qualifying disability. In some cases, assistive devices will not be provided to the student, but the student will be given permission to use their own assistive devices in the classroom.

Captioning and transcription are arranged for eligible students with communication access needs. Students eligible for receiving captioning for courses can make the request by applying to ODS and becoming a registered student.

No. While we make every attempt to provide students with their preferred accommodations, it may be determined that the student does not qualify for that accommodation, or that such accommodation would not be reasonable under individual circumstances. In those cases, ODS will offer a reasonable, equivalent accommodation that meets the needs of both the student and the course format, as required by the ADA.

Students with disabilities have the right to equal access to courses, programs, activities, services, and facilities offered at ODS. Students are also entitled to reasonable accommodations. All information about the student’s disability is to be kept confidential. Students have the responsibility to provide acceptable documentation of disabilities and to register with the Office of Disability Services (ODS) if they would like to receive accommodations. If students deem it necessary to receive accommodations for a particular class, students have the responsibility to inform ODS in a timely manner of their intent to enroll, and to participate in discussions about how their needs can be met. Students also have the responsibility to know, understand, and abide by all laws and policies regardless of disability status.

Due to FERPA, ODS staff are not allowed to communicate information regarding any of our students to anyone other than the student. If you would like for ODS to speak to anyone on your behalf, please fill out a Release of Information form, available upon request.

ODS will need any student wanting documentation to be released to sign a Release of Information. This release must include the contact information of the individual and agency that will be receiving it.

In order to maintain student privacy, ODS provides notetaking support using technology and volunteer student notetakers. Technology allows for students with disabilities to more independently capture lecture information. Current technologies also allow for increase in reliable, consistent, and accurate notetaking. If you are interested in securing peer notetaking services, please contact our office as soon as practicable, as this process can take some time.

Notetaking assistance may not be needed in cases such as:

• Online courses that have no lecture or provide unlimited access to recorded lecture
• Classroom notes/transcripts are provided to all students
• Instructor provides their own notes

Yes. Institutions of higher education may request valid medical documentation sufficient to determine a student’s functional limitations and need for accommodation. ODS maintains strict confidentiality in the handling of medical records. Nobody outside of ODS has the right to ask you to provide medical documentation (apart from providing a sick note from a doctor), or otherwise “prove” your disability. If you have this experience, please notify ODS.

When a student is absent due to their disability, they are responsible for notifying the instructor within 24 hours of the absence to determine how they will obtain the course content, lecture notes, and information presented that day.

An instructor has the legal and ethical responsibility to provide reasonable accommodations because accommodations make it possible for a student with a disability to overcome systemic barriers which limit the student’s ability to participate and learn.

A student with a disability who is disruptive should be treated as an instructor would treat any student who is disruptive. To report a behavioral concern, please use the Incident Reporting Form. If an instructor feels that there is a medical reason for the student’s behavior, the instructor can consult this with an ODS counselor to determine if there is a solution to the problem.

It is important for instructors to remember that providing reasonable accommodations to a student with a disability does not guarantee success in the course. Students with disabilities may not master the course material, just like any other student. Students with disabilities have the same right as other students to fail as part of their educational experience.

Service Animals are allowed in any public space where a human can reasonably go. They are not required to be registered with ODS or otherwise identified (vests, tags, ID cards, etc.). ESAs (Emotional Support Animals) are NOT Service Animals. ESAs are restricted to a student’s residence, so if a student brings an ESA into the classroom, you may ask them to remove it.

The student is responsible for the behavior of their Service Animal. This means that they must always be on-leash, and if the animal is not potty trained or is not under the student’s control, the student can be held accountable. Two things you can ask about Service Animals are:

1. Is the dog a service animal required because of a disability? And;
2. What task is this animal trained to perform?

A Service Animal is always a dog and a Service Animal is always trained to perform a specific task for its owner.

If the dog is well-behaved and not distracting to anyone, it’s better to assume it is a Service Animal.

Instructors are only expected to provide accommodations to students that are listed on their accommodation letters. If a student requests an additional accommodation not approved through ODS, please refer the student to ODS for instructions on submitting additional requests.

The following guidelines may be used in considering whether attendance is an essential element of a course:

• Is there classroom interaction between the instructor and students and among students?
• Do student contributions constitute a significant component of the learning process?
• Does the fundamental nature of the course rely on student participation as an essential method for learning?
• To what degree does a student’s failure to attend constitute a significant loss to the educational experience of other students in the class?
• What do the course description and syllabus say?
• Which method is used to calculate the final grade?
• What are the classroom practices and policies regarding attendance?

The accommodation should be provided unless the accommodation threatens the integrity of the course as offered. It is important that the student and course instructor discuss the issue so that the student can then make an informed decision regarding alternatives. Requests for accommodations for absences due to a disability should be considered on an individual and course-by-course basis. If you need further assistance, please contact ODS.

“Blanket” extensions are not reasonable accommodations. When a class is missed due to a disability, a general rule for determining a reasonable timeframe for a makeup or postponement of an assignment (such as a paper, exam or quiz) is the time equivalent to that which was missed. In certain courses, it may be appropriate to consider an alternative assignment, reading or project to make up for missed class discussion or projects. Other examples of how disability related absences may be accommodated may include the ability to submit or make up missed assignments or assessments that have been impacted by the disability-related absence without grade penalty. If a student is frequently missing class due to a disability, please contact ODS.

Notetaking support refers to any technology-based reference tool, or voluntary notetaking services provided by a peer, that can be consulted later by the student. Notes must be complete enough that all material that the student may be graded on is covered. Audio recordings are automatically included in notetaking support, meaning the student has permission to record any lecture materials necessary to study with. It does not include permission to video record other students, or to record general class discussions or other students’ presentations.

In some cases, it is not reasonable to allow the student to make an external recording. In these cases, the instructor may make their own official recording to provide the student, or the instructor may provide the student with their own complete lecture notes in written form if the student does not have a visual impairment. Automatic (AI-generated) transcripts may or may not be accessible under the ADA, depending on the student’s disability. If you have a concern about notetaking support for an individual student, please contact ODS.

Accessibility is everyone’s responsibility. It is important, not just for legal compliance, but because universal design makes it easier for everyone to learn and communicate. While it may seem intimidating, it is very simple to create widely accessible media.

There are several reference tools located on the Instructor Knowledge Base and through the UCLA Teaching and Learning Center.

Canvas and our public website are WCAG compliant, meaning they meet the legal criteria for accessibility. However, accessibility is a spectrum and not every student’s needs may be met. If a student reports that any of our online systems are inaccessible, please contact ATLI for assistance.

There are several reference tools located on the Instructor Knowledge Base, including guidance for adding captions in Panopto. If you need personalized assistance, please email [email protected]. 

All exams are to be taken on or potentially before the exam date given to the class. Be sure to be mindful of all approved accommodations and to schedule exams and quizzes accordingly. All scheduling is on a first-come-first-served basis and should be requested by the instructor at least two weeks in advance by contacting Disability Services. Proctors will not be available outside of the designated office hours.

Proctoring Office Location

Office of Disability Services
UCLA Extension 
1145 Gayley Avenue, 2nd Floor
Los Angeles, CA. 90024

Remote Proctoring Office Location

UCLA Zoom

Proctoring Office Hours

Monday-Thursday: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Friday:  8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

In case of an emergency, or if you experience issues before or during the examination due to your disability or otherwise, contact ODS and also inform the instructor right away so that the exam can be rescheduled if need be. Be advised that it is best not to start the exam in such cases.

Exam Scheduling Policy

Exams should first be scheduled to be taken at the time of administration along with the rest of the class, with the student either arriving early or staying late to meet the required extra time. Failing this, the instructor must schedule a time outside of class to administer the exam. Only after these options have been exhausted, should instructors inquire about scheduling a proctored exam through ODS. 

Exams delivered asynchronously do not require a proctor and must be delivered through Canvas. If you have questions about setting up exams or entering extra time into the Canvas portal, please contact ATLI at [email protected]. 

Requests for accommodation for UCLA courses (e.g., concurrent enrollment) must be made through the UCLA Center for Accessible Education.

ODS does not proctor exams for students who do not have disabilities.

Recording Extension courses and programs may be allowed for specific purposes to support the learning and teaching of enrolled students. However, UCLA Extension programs may not be recorded or reproduced in any medium for public distribution (commercial or non-commercial) without the prior explicit permission of the Dean of UCLA Extension. 

Audio and video recording of courses to create a personal study aid may be permitted by the instructor with the understanding that the process will not be distracting or publicly distributed. If recording is permitted personal use, the privacy of other students and participants must be respected.

Audio and video recording as an ADA accommodation

Recordings may be mandated by the Director of Student Services or his/her delegates in Extension’s Office of Disability Services when doing so will provide a disabled student with an academic accommodation required by law. Representatives of that office will inform the instructor if recording is mandated. If recording is not otherwise permitted by the instructor for other students, the accommodated student may be obliged to sign a written nondisclosure agreement.

Further details can be found in our Academic Affairs policy AA111.

Under the ADAAA, pregnancy and childbirth are not considered qualifying disabilities. Please provide documentation that shows the need for necessary medical accommodations based on temporary impairment or complication from childbirth that substantially limits one or more major life activities. Supporting medical documentation must show that there is a legitimate medical need for temporary accommodations (e.g., excused absences to attend medically necessary doctor’s appointments, bed rest, etc.)

If you must miss class to give birth, you may also need to provide verification to our office or your course department of the date of birth, along with the name of the course(s) missed to be excused from those courses when that time comes. You can do this through our office or provide documentation directly to your course department and/or instructors.

Under Title IX, pregnant and parenting students are entitled to certain reasonable modifications that do not meet the same threshold as a temporary disability accommodation. Please contact ODS to discuss your options.

Resources Outlining Special Provisions for Pregnant and Parenting Students

• Title IX Guidebook (PDF)
• U.S. Department of Education

Any arrangements and adjustments are the responsibility of the course department, ensuring Title IX protections are observed, as described in the links above.