Accommodations & Services
The Office of Accessibility (OAS) at Goucher College is committed to providing an
equitable and inclusive experience for all students. We offer virtual or in person
intake meetings with students to discuss their physical, mental health and educational
needs. During these meetings, our team can provide insight into how accommodations
can support and enhance their college experience. We also offer reoccurring workshops
throughout the academic year for all OAS registered, OAS interested and/or peer advocates
that explore OAS protocols, social inclusion, self advocacy, and in-depth explorations
of how to use OAS approved software.
Information for new (including transfer) students
If a student chooses to register for accommodations, the following process should be followed (in order):
- Submit an Accommodation Request for New Users to our Office of Accessibility via our Accommodate portal (register using your Goucher email only).
- Upload documentation from a licensed provider indicating diagnosis and justification of need for requested accommodation(s) to our Accommodate portal. Examples of documentation include: neuropsych evaluations, psychoeducational testing, support letters, IEPs, 504 plans, and/or medical documentation. It is preferred if documentation is dated within the last 4 years at the time of registration with our office.
- Participate in an in person or virtual intake meeting with a member of our team (an invitation from OAS will be sent to the student's Goucher email).
- After documentation is reviewed and the intake meeting has occurred, a decision letter will be sent, jointly, to the student and faculty of currently enrolled courses within a reasonable timeframe (typically 5 business days). At this time, each faculty and student should coordinate a virtual or in person meeting to discuss accommodations.
- Upon conclusion of the meeting, the student and faculty must sign off, electronically, in the Accommodate portal acknowledging guidelines of accommodations. Please note, the following accommodations require both faculty and students to meet and sign an agreement and then submit to OAS: Modification to a Due Date Agreement (PDF), Attendance Modification Agreement (PDF), Artificial Intelligence Agreement (PDF).
- After steps 1-5 are completed, the student's accommodations are formalized.
For incoming students, please note our office is happy to answer questions via an
informal meeting, but students cannot be registered with our office until they receive
their Goucher log in credentials.
Information for Returning Students
If a student is already registered with OAS but seeks to explore additional accommodations due to a justified need, please use the Accommodation Request for Returning Users to request a meeting with our team.
Please note, all additional accommodations require an intake meeting and receipt of documentation.
If a student does not seek to update their accommodations, OAS will submit an automatic renewal of their accomodations, each semester, to their enrolled courses and the student, prior to the start of the semester. Automatic enrollment does not include housing accomodations, which must be reviewed each academic year.
The following accommodations require both faculty and students to meet and sign an agreement each semester and then submit to OAS:
- Modification to a Due Date Agreement (PDF)
- Attendance Modification Agreement (PDF)
- Artificial Intelligence Agreement (PDF)
Students and faculty that have questions should contact the Office of Accessibility: access@goucher.edu.
If you encounter any barriers accessing campus services, please use the Barrier Report Form to report the problem(s).