The University of Connecticut’s Center for Students with Disabilities will be operating remotely this semester after advisement from the university, a section of the UConn Daily Digest said on Aug. 26.
“We spent the summer trying to optimize our remote services,” Donna Korbel, Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs and Director, Center for Students with Disabilities, said. “We wish we were fully staffed on campus but know that this is safest way for everyone to work right now.”
The center has been working remotely since the university shut down in March.
Despite the switch, CSD’s appointment process will not change, according to Korbel.
“Students can call the office or email to schedule appointments just as they always have,” Korbel said. “We also continue to have virtual walk in hours.”
Appointments will be available virtually or by phone Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., according to the CSD website. The center will also host drop-in hours on Tuesdays from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. and Wednesdays from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m., according to the Daily Digest post.
“We have improved some of our processes to reflect our online environment and we plan to be as responsive as we’ve always been,” Korbel said.
Korbel said they, “have been working with many of our ‘new’ students for a while now,” but asked that new students reach out to the department if they have any concerns about their accommodations.
“Should a student have an extraordinary circumstance based on their disability that would prevent them from accessing an assessment if it is not administered by the CSD, please have the student contact the CSD to discuss those disability-related, extraordinary circumstances,” the Daily Digest section said.
CSD is in charge of approving accommodations for students who need them in class or in their residence hall. If a student needs a designated notetaker for a class or extra time on an exam because of a disability, CSD would be where they would go for that, for example.
Each individual’s accommodations are determined on a case-by-case basis after going through the accommodation request process.
To find out more information on the process to obtain accommodations, visit csd.uconn.edu.