Applying for Accommodations
1. Complete Request Form
Use your St. Olaf Gmail Account to log into the form. Please note: Form times out after 10 minutes. If you need more time, you may wish to copy/paste your responses.
- Academic Accommodations
- Campus Life Accommodations (Dining, Parking and Housing)*
After DAC reviews your request form, an Access Specialist will reach out to you to set up a Welcome Meeting.
Summer Housing: See below
2. Welcome Meeting
Together, you and your Access Specialist will discuss the barriers you are experiencing. If reasonable accommodations can be made to offset those barriers, a comprehensive accommodation plan will be developed.
An accommodation letter will be created to send to relevant faculty for the current term. Your Access Specialist will discuss any additional resources that may be helpful during your time at St. Olaf.
3. Documentation
Self-report, historic information and third-party documentation are used to inform on relevant access issues.
- Our Documentation Criteria page contains helpful information and a link providers can use
- Please email dac@stolaf.edu with additional questions
It may be helpful to sign a Release of Information form so your Access Specialist can follow up with your provider if needed.
Campus Life Accommodation Request Process
Students who were previously approved for housing accommodations for the 2024-25 school year are responsible for re-requesting accommodations for any subsequent academic year.
- Complete the Campus Life Accommodation Request form in Step #1 above
- Gather and submit relevant documentation from your medical or mental health provider pertinent to your request
- Meet with Disability & Access (DAC) to discuss your accommodation request
- Your DAC specialist will present your request to the Accessibility Committee, comprised of all four DAC specialists
- Follow-up will be conducted as needed to address additional questions regarding your request
- Once a determination has been made, you will be notified by email
In order for DAC to have adequate time to complete the full consideration process prior to Residence Life’s General Room Selection, please plan to have your documentation ready and meet with your DAC specialist prior to Friday, February 14th, 2025.
Requests made after this date may not allow for sufficient time to complete the consideration process prior to the Room Selection events.
Summer Housing: There is no residency requirement for St. Olaf students during the summer sessions, therefore disability housing accommodations are not a legal requirement under the ADA and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. However Residence Life, in coordination with Disability and Access, seek to support students in their summer housing placement to the extent possible with the halls being used that particular summer.
Please notify your Access Specialist by May 1, if you plan to live on campus during the summer so that options can be explored.
Assistive Technology Tutorials
Renewing Accommodations
Each semester, you must log into myDAC to set up your accommodation letters.
If you haven’t done so already this academic year, you are required to meet with your Access Specialist to renew your accommodations. Annual reviews usually take place in the summer preceding the school year.
Temporary Accommodations
If you are injured, recovering from surgery, or pregnant, you may qualify for temporary accommodations under the ADA. An Access Specialist will be happy to meet with you to learn how the condition is affecting your academics or housing placement. Temporary accommodations may be appropriate. Temporary accommodations apply for that semester only, and cannot be made retroactively.
Students with a temporary condition need to follow the same eligibility process as students with disabilities. Please see the steps listed at the top of this page to register.
Accommodations for Grad School Exams:
Some of your accommodations may also be granted by the testing boards. Each testing board will have its own set of documentation requirements and reasonable accommodations. Sometimes, the application process can be quite lengthy. Be sure to plan ahead to give yourself plenty of time. Speak to your Access Specialist if the examining board requires St. Olaf to fill out any portion of the accommodations application.
GMAT: Applying for Accommodations
GRE: Applying for Accommodations
Study Abroad/Away Accommodations
If you plan to study abroad or to study away, meet with your Access Specialist to determine any accommodation needs specific to the new environment. There may be additional things to consider including refilling medications, and accessibility issues we sometimes take for granted living on our own campus. Your Access Specialist will create a custom accommodation letter you can submit to your StudioAbroad portal.
Health Care Providers for Assessments and Continued Care
While this list is not exhaustive, this page can be a place to start if you are seeking to be assessed for a suspected disability such as ADHD, Dyslexia, or Mental Health disabilities; or if you are seeking continued care.
Access Specialists
Laura Knobel-Piehl (she, her, hers)
Director of Disability, Access, and Technology Support
Office Hours: 8-4:30 M-F Click to set up an appointment
View Profile →Wyatt X Lawrence (he, him, his)
Accommodations Coordinator
Office Hours: M-F 8:oo AM to 5:00 PM To Make an Appointment Schedule Here
View Profile →Terri Rosen (she, her, hers)
Assistant Director of Disability and Access
Office Hours: Terri works remotely on Mondays so is only available for Google Meets. She is in the office Tuesdays-Fridays, and is available to meet either virtually or in person on those days. Click to make an appointment with me!
View Profile →Kendra S Weinrich (she, her, hers)
Accessibility Specialist