Disability Access Services FAQs
We encourage any students who anticipate barriers in accessing or participating in classes, programs, or opportunities at NMSU to contact our office. We will work with the student to understand their access concerns and to determine if accommodations are appropriate. We work with students with permanent disabilities, but also temporary disabilities including illnesses and injuries.
According to the Americans with Disabilities Act, an individual with a disability is someone who experiences or lives with an impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, or who is regarded as, or has a history of being regarded as, an individual with a disability. Major life activities include, but are not limited to, caring for oneself, performing manual tasks, seeing, hearing, eating, sleeping, walking, standing, lifting, bending, speaking, breathing, learning, reading, concentrating, thinking, communicating, and working. Major Bodily Functions include, but are not limited to, functions of the immune system, normal cell growth, digestive, bowel, bladder, neurological, brain, respiratory, circulatory, endocrine, and reproductive functions.
An accommodation is a change, alteration or modification to a policy, practice or procedure (or to the way things are customarily done), that provides an equal opportunity to an individual with a disability. Examples of accommodations include, but are not limited to, sign language interpreters, materials in alternative formats (such as braille, different font size or digital format), and assistive listening devices.
How do I request an accommodation?
You will need to contact our Disability Access Services office and complete an application on our website through the New Students Tab.
Your previous accommodations may or may not be applicable depending on your course of study. It would be best to set up an appointment to meet with our DAS staff to explore what may be reasonable accommodations.
Students can request changes to their accommodations at any time. To request additional accommodations, contact the DAS office and set up an appointment for an intake. Our staff will discuss whether or not an accommodation can be added and if additional documentation is needed.
The definition of a disability covers many conditions including mental health. If your diagnosed condition is affecting your academic performance, contact the DAS office to explore possible reasonable accommodations.
If you have a condition that is creating barriers for you in your courses/labs/internships or housing. Please schedule an appointment to speak with us so we can assess your situation and possibly make an appropriate referral. We also can provide you with a verification form that your health care provider can fill out.
Temporary accommodations may be reasonable to provide students during recovery from surgery or during temporary recovery from injuries. Although students are responsible for their transportation to and from campus and getting to their classes, contacting the DAS office to explore temporary accommodations options for your situation is recommended.
Emotional support animals, also known as assistance animals, are only permitted in campus housing if the student qualifies for a housing accommodation due to a disability. You will need to complete an application for accommodations on our DAS website to start the interactive process to see if this would be a reasonable accommodation.
If a student has been approved to receive academic accommodations, they will request that a notice of accommodations be emailed to you and you will verify receipt. As a faculty member you will also be able to access the faculty online portal to our case management system Accessibility Information Management (AIM) where you can view all the student registered in your courses who receive approved accommodations. Please contact the DAS office if you have any questions.
Unless it is specified in the letter, accommodations are not applied retroactively. There may be certain circumstances where a retroactive accommodation are appropriate (for example, if a student who needs course materials or recordings in an accessible format, including materials from earlier in the semester).
