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Accessibility Resources

Accessibility Resources

Ensuring access to a world-class arts education is available to everyone.

Accommodations & Support Services for Students with Disabilities

Accommodations & Support Services for Students with Disabilities

In alignment with the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, the department of Accessibility Resources ensures equal access to university curriculum, programs, and facilities for students with disabilities by facilitating reasonable accommodations, providing support services, and collaborating with the greater community to meet students’ individual needs.

Accessibility Resources can help you:

  • Obtain accommodations and access to information, materials, and the campus
  • Manage disability-related challenges
  • Create strategies for learning based on your unique style, strengths and limitations
  • Become your own advocate to successfully interact with your instructors and peers
  • Find qualified professionals for educational testing or personal concerns

Along with the accommodations and support available by registering with Accessibility Resources, students may also use our Learning Center, which offers a quiet place to study, Mac and PC computers, and assistive technology.

Accessibility Resources

79 New Montgomery St., Room 356
San Francisco, CA 94105
Email: accessibility@academyart.edu
Phone: 1-415-618-3775

Obtaining Disability Resources

Disclosing that you have a disability is a personal decision. Prospective and current students are welcome to contact us with questions about obtaining accommodations.

Upon enrolling at the Academy of Art University, new students who plan to request accommodations are encouraged to contact Accessibility Resources as soon as possible. Early identification can be the key to ensuring a smooth beginning to your semester. Often arrangements and accommodations can be time-consuming to coordinate, especially interpreter scheduling, furniture and design modifications, and alternative format production–advanced planning allows us to meet your needs and give you access to programs and services from day one.

How to register with Accessibility Resources

To obtain accommodations and support related to a disability, you must register with Accessibility Resources by providing verification that you have a disability and stating its effect as it applies to university level study. Students are required to submit current and comprehensive documentation from a qualified professional, such as a doctor, licensed mental health practitioner, or learning specialist, to the Accessibility Resources office. We suggest discussing the impact your limitations may have on your desired course of study with your practitioner so that we can help you prepare, and ask that you include necessary information and recommendations in your documentation.

You will need to:

  • Acquire documentation from your diagnosing professional that includes the following:
    • Diagnosis
    • How the disability will impact your experience at AAU
    • Specific recommended accommodations applicable to a university setting
  • Send documentation to Accessibility Resources:

Accessibility Resources will review your documentation as soon as it is received, and may ask for additional documentation. After your documentation is approved, Accessibility Resources will contact you to help you schedule an appointment with a coordinator to discuss your accommodations, provide you with an accommodation letter, and activate disability-related services. These services must be reactivated every semester, but unless your condition or needs change, new documentation is not required.

What does acceptable documentation look like?

Obtaining accommodations in college is different from what you might be used to in K-12 schools. You may be used to an IEP or 504 Plan, but at universities, accommodations are based on the results of a recent evaluation and subsequent report, similar to the way your IEP or 504 Plan was created following an evaluation. The transition from high school to college is a good opportunity to rethink the accommodations you may need that may be particular to our campus and curriculum. If you’re unsure if your documentation meets our requirements, please contact us for assistance.

For more information, visit the U.S. Department of Education’s website, which provides more information regarding preparation for college, as well as the rights and responsibilities of students with disabilities:

Confidentiality

Disability-related information submitted to the Accessibility Resources office is kept in the strictest confidence and will only be released with the student’s written permission. We will not release any disability information or otherwise discuss student status to any outside party unless a Disability Release Form is signed by the student, and the person is specifically denoted on that disclosure form.

Once permission is granted, information regarding how to accommodate a student will be shared with the appropriate faculty and staff members.

Accessibility Resources
79 New Montgomery St., Room 356
San Francisco, CA 94105
Email: accessibility@academyart.edu
Phone: 1-415-618-3775

Frequently Asked Questions

Can my mom or dad talk to you instead?

Will others find out about my disability?

I think I have a disability, but don't have official paperwork. Can I get assessed here?