Applying for academic accommodations

When to apply

You can apply for academic accommodations once you have received your offer of admission, and you're a registered student with the University, or, as soon as you become aware of (or suspect) a disability, medical condition, and/or have experienced trauma that is impacting your academics.

How to apply

Complete our online application and submit your supporting documentation (if available) to begin the registration process. You will receive a confirmation email to your UWaterloo student email. If this is a concern, or, you do not have access to your student email account, please contact our office. If you experience a barrier in obtaining documentation, or, have questions about our documentation needs, please contact our Manager of Student Accommodations, Casey Gautreau, directly by email.

We're here to help! If you have questions about registering with our office and/or if you have encountered any unexpected barriers that are preventing you from engaging and participating in the registration process, please contact us by phone: 519-888-4567, ext. 45231 or 47922, or by email: access@uwaterloo.ca. In-person support is not available at this time.

What to expect

1. Apply online. When completing the online application, you can upload your supporting medical documentation (if available). If you don’t have any supporting documentation, but suspect you have a disability, medical condition, and/or have experienced trauma that requires accommodation support, please complete our online Suspected Disability Self-Assessment. If you're unable to obtain documentation, or, obtaining documentation is a barrier, please contact our Manager of Student Accommodations, Casey Gautreau, directly by email.
2. Meet your Accommodation Consultant. Once your application and supporting documentation (if applicable) has been reviewed, you will be invited to meet with one of our Accommodations Consultants to finalize your registration with our office, and develop your individualized academic accommodation and support plan.
3. Request your Accommodations. Once you have an accommodation plan, you will request your accommodations from your eligibility plan, for each course, using our online system. Graduate students will request non-course degree requirements and milestone accommodations through their Accommodation Consultant directly. AccessAbility Services will communicate your accommodation plan to each course instructor/faculty member.

AccessAbility Services: Application process