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University Accessibility Center

Requesting and Receiving Services for Temporary Conditions

Temporary medical conditions (e.g., broken limbs, concussions, surgery, flu, pregnancy, etc.) are not usually considered disabilities. It is appropriate for students with temporary medical conditions to work directly with their professors instead of going through the UAC. However, these students may visit with a UAC coordinator to brainstorm options for handling their situation. Temporary services provided by the UAC (e.g., note taker, exam reader/scribe) may be considered. Documentation from the treating healthcare provider will be required. To initiate this process and determine eligibility for temporary services, students should proceed with the following steps and procedures.

Temporary Condition Initial Meeting Form

Complete the online temporary condition initial meeting form at https://uac.byu.edu/getting-started.

Documentation

In order to qualify for temporary services, a student must present reliable medical documentation that verifies he or she has a temporary medical condition. The student’s healthcare provider may complete the “Documentation of Disability Form” which is available at https://uac.byu.edu/getting-started.

Meeting with a UAC Coordinator

Because any temporary services should be made after an individualized assessment, the student may choose to meet with a UAC coordinator who will assess the following factors in determining appropriate temporary services:

  1. The nature of the student’s condition
  2. Limitations caused by the condition
  3. Available resources

Temporary Services

The UAC may assist with services on a short-term basis such as note taking, scribes, readers, access to accessible testing areas, etc. While physicians, mental health practitioners, and/or other evaluators may submit recommendations regarding temporary services, the UAC coordinator who is familiar with the educational environment at BYU determines the extent to which the recommended services are appropriate and reasonable.

Implementing Temporary Services

The UAC coordinator will explain to the student and emphasize the importance of the proper use of services. Typically, the coordinator will also provide the student with written instructions. Students and professors are welcome to contact UAC staff at any time to discuss issues related to temporary services.

The UAC reserves the right to change this policy at any time. If a policy change is made, BYU students, faculty, and administrators will be alerted through the UAC website.

Special Consideration for Pregnancy

While some temporary services are available to pregnant students through the UAC, other assistance may be available through BYU’s Title IX Office. Students may choose to contact this office for further assistance at https://titleix.byu.edu/titleix/contact-us.

Although pregnancy itself is not typically seen as a disability, pregnant women may have impairments related to their pregnancies that qualify as disabling conditions.

Grievance Procedure

The UAC strives to operate in accordance with disability law and BYU policy. If you feel that the interactive process has not been conducted or carried out in a fair manner, you may contact the Equal Opportunity (EO) Manager, Collette Blackwelder (801-422-5895), to discuss your concerns.

BYU has a grievance process outlined within the Accommodation of Persons with Disabilities at BYU Procedures. The grievance process is as follows:

Faculty members and individual campus administrative units are responsible to make reasonable accommodations for students with disabilities in order to remove barriers to the accessibility of university programs and activities resulting from a disability. They are encouraged to contact the University Accessibility Center (UAC), 2170 WSC, 801-422-2767, for general accommodation assistance for students with disabilities. While it is anticipated that most accommodation requests will be informally resolved at the lowest level of decision-making feasible, occasionally the effort of accommodation may be unsatisfactory to the student. In such cases, the student, whether or not currently enrolled, may initiate a grievance by following the university’s Discrimination Complaint Procedures.

The Discrimination Complaint Procedures state that a person may submit complaints to the EO Manager and set forth the process that the EO Manager will follow when responding to complaints.