If you have an injury, medical condition, illness or hospitalization that is temporarily interfering with your ability to participate in the college’s educational program, the Office of Accessibility Services (OAS) can provide assistance. Depending on the nature of your impairment, you may need accommodations inside and outside of the classroom. Contact access@goucher.edu with any questions. 

Contact the associate provost

OAS does not communicate with faculty about the nature of an absence. The first step in notifying the college of absences is to submit an academic notification request.

If you have a medical emergency such as hospitalization/hospital transport or surgery, contact Student Support & Outreach (SSO) at care@goucher.edu and submit an academic notification request. SSO communicates with the Associate Provost’s office, and in turn, they will notify your professors and advisors.  OAS services are approved once the student has returned from an absence and is in need of accommodation support.

How to receive temporary accommodations

1. Submit a request for a temporary accommodation to our Office of Accessibility via our Accommodate portal (register using your Goucher email only).
2. Upload documentation from a licensed provider indicating diagnosis and justification of need for requested accommodation(s) to our Accommodate portal. Examples of documentation include: medical documentation and/or Goucher's Temporary Disability Verification form (PDF).
3. Participation 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). Accommodations are determined on a case-by-case basis by the OAS team.
4. After documentation is reviewed and/or 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. 
5. 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). 
6. After steps 1-5 are completed, the student's accommodations are formalized.
   
   

Typical temporary services

Assistive technology

Individuals with temporary disabilities may benefit from utilizing assistive technologies and/or auxiliary aids. Such technologies/aids can assist individuals who temporarily cannot write or need audio-recordings of lectures to support delayed processing. 

Work submission

OAS cannot excuse late work, but they can provide verification of a need for an extension on due dates. OAS suggests extension guidelines of 24-48 hours, but students must verify with their individual professors.

Parking

If you are temporarily in need of special parking accommodations, contact the Office of Campus Safety at 410-337-6111. They are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Students in need of disability plates or placards should refer to the MVA Disability Parking page.

If you encounter any barriers accessing campus services, please use the Barrier Report Form to report the problem(s).