Use and Disclosure of Personal Information

Accessibility Services (AAS) only releases specific information on a limited and ‘as needed’ basis to other parties within the University who are involved in administering accommodations. For example, the AccessAbility Services Exam Centre requires information about testing accommodations that are in place for a student to facilitate accommodated exams. Our Exam Accommodation Facilitators are only informed of your testing accommodations (i.e. they are not provided with any information about a diagnosis or particular disability-related concern), just the minimum of what they need to implement the accommodation plan. 

The web page, How your Information will be Used by AccessAbility Services, outlines the criteria we use in determining when and how information can be released from our office. If a circumstance were to arise whereby information is being sought by another individual that falls outside of the policy, we would not respond to that individual or party (e.g., parent, partner, etc.) without expressed written consent from you.

• We do not share information about a student’s disability diagnosis with anyone internal or external to the University of Waterloo without the student’s expressed consent. 

• Students are not required (and are advised not to) share details regarding their disability diagnosis and/or symptoms with anyone outside of AAS for the purposes of obtaining academic accommodations or supports. 

• We do not permit indirect collection of personal information without the student’s knowledge. Parents or other family members who submit documentation to AAS on behalf of a student must copy the student’s UWaterloo email address. 

Go back to Confidentiality & Disclosure of Information web page