Requesting Services

How to Request Services:

Note: Students MUST be admitted to UTSA before registering with SDS.

The key to obtaining appropriate accommodations at UTSA is providing the appropriate documentation. EVERY student who receives disability accommodations at UTSA must have a documented condition, which constitutes a disability under the guidelines of the ADAAA. (See information on specific disabilities to determine what documentation is required for any one specific disability/ies.)

Here are the steps you must take to initiate disability services at UTSA:

1. Provide a copy of the diagnostic testing, medical records, and/or a summary letter from a physician or appropriate clinician that documents your disability. (See various handouts with specific documentation requirements depending upon the specific disability to determine what documentation is appropriate for your disability/ies). Students may submit documentation in person to Student Disability Services located in MS 3.01.16 or via fax (210-458-4980), email (disability.services@utsa.edu) or through the document uploader.

2. Once SDS receives your documentation, it will go before the Documentation Review Committee (DRC) where your eligibility for services is determined. The committee meets each week throughout the year (except holidays). Documentation must be received in SDS before 5 p.m. on Thursday to be evaluated during each week’s review process. Anything received after 5 p.m. Thursday will be reviewed the following week.

3. After your documentation has been received and reviewed by the DRC, you will receive an email directing you to make an appointment with a Disability Specialist (Note: All email correspondence goes to your UTSA email address). Please allow up to five (5) business days for an SDS representative to contact you. You MUST attend this appointment in order to complete the registration process. 

4. An interactive personal history interview with you and the Disability Specialist is necessary in order to provide proper accommodations or assess what type of additional documentation may be needed in order to proceed with determining eligibility.

5. Once eligible accommodations are approved, students must follow the Accommodation Notification Procedures each semester to generate a notification letter to their instructor/s. (Note: Please monitor the SDS website and office postings for time sensitive guidelines for submitting accommodations requests to your instructors. Students may be denied the implementation of their accommodation for the current semester if there is insufficient time to gather the appropriate documentation to implement the accommodation and/or to implement an alternative).

6. All accommodation notification letters will be sent to the instructor at their UTSA email address and to the student via their Accessible Information Management (AIM) online portal. If an instructor has not been assigned to the course or an email address cannot be identified for the assigned instructor, SDS will forward the accommodation notification letter to the student directly so that they can notify their instructor/s.

7. When you and your instructor receive the accommodation notification letter via UTSA email, the instructor and the student must communicate and/or meet to make sure an accommodation “plan of action” has been put in place for each of your classes and that both you and your instructor/s have agreed on how these accommodations will be implemented.

Note: Student Disability Services is aware that there may be situations that require individual consideration and/or variation of above policies and procedures. As a result, each student's situation and documentation is considered on a case-by-case basis. Should a student require us to vary from these above mentioned policies, they will need to contact our office and/or their assigned disability counselor to make arrangements accordingly.