male student working on computer

Registering for accommodations

Registering

In determining academic accommodations, we gather relevant medical and/or psychological documentation from a registered healthcare practitioner. The Learning Specialists work to understand the disability-related functional limitations to then develop an academic accommodations plan.  Our office takes into consideration University policies, procedures and administrative regulations, as well as the Ontario Human Rights Code.

If an academic accommodation plan should be put in place, the Learning Specialist will contact you about your next steps.

Documentation by type of disability

To register with the Academic Accommodations Service, you must provide documentation that confirms you have a disability or genuine medical condition and says whether this disability or condition is permanent or temporary. Please note that under the Ontario Human Rights Code, students aren’t required to disclose a mental health diagnosis to receive academic accommodations.

You must provide documentation from a qualified professional. It must describe your disability-related academic functional limitations. This will help us assess and establish your academic accommodations.

The required documentation and the professionals able to provide it depend on the nature of your disability.

Useful information

Academic Regulation A-8.6

The Academic Accommodations Service Medical Certificate cannot be used to justify your absence from an examination or late submission of assignments. If you are absent from an examination, you must follow the rules stipulated in the University of Ottawa’s Academic Regulation A-8.6.

Interim accommodations

If you’re waiting for a medical assessment and require special consideration, we can provide you with interim accommodations under the University of Ottawa’s Academic Regulation A-8.6.

Medical Assessment

If you are a student currently waiting for a medical assessment and you require special consideration, in compliance with the University of Ottawa’s Academic Regulation A-8.6, the Academic Accommodations Service can provide you with interim accommodations.

If you have an @uOttawa email account:

If you do not have an @uOttawa email account:

  • Contact the Academic Accommodations Service by email at [email protected] or by telephone at 613-562-5976

Accountability

Notice of Collection of Personal Information

We are accountable to our clients.

Your personal information, collected under the authority of the University of Ottawa Act, is used to assess the eligibility of your registration with the Academic Accommodations Service and to manage your file. (See Access to information and privacy and Student Record Policy 14a.)

We are also required to aggregate data on students with disabilities in the form of summary statistics. Data is grouped and tracked across time or across some other variables. No individual is identified, and no identifiers are provided.

If you have questions or comments, please contact the Academic Accommodations Service by email at [email protected] or by telephone at 613-562-5976.

Confidentiality

All medical documentation provided remains confidential. It is stored in our student management system (Ventus), which is hosted on a secure server. Once academic accommodations for a student are established, the Academic Accommodations Service allows professors to access to the Confirmation of Academic Accommodation letter (CAM letter). The CAM letter outlines exclusively the academic accommodations established for a student—no diagnosis is disclosed.

Registering with the Academic Accommodations Service and receiving academic accommodations will not appear on the official University of Ottawa documents such as test results, academic transcripts, or university degrees.

Policy on Non-Disclosure of Disability

The Academic Accommodations Service will not disclose a student’s diagnosis to a third party, not even at the student’s request. It is the student’s choice to disclose their disability or medical condition on their own.

The Academic Accommodations Service will engage in collaborative discussions with stakeholders intimately implicated in the academic accommodation process. These discussions will focus on the student’s academic accommodation needs without disclosing their diagnosis.

Limits to Confidentiality

In cases where there is a reasonable and specific indication that a client poses a threat to themselves or to others, the Academic Accommodations Service has a duty to inform appropriate services.