Get started:

  1. Use your UAH single sign-on to log in and complete the DSS application here.
  2. Upload relevant documentation (testing, assessment, or a recent letter) from your medical or mental health practitioner that confirms your disability, states how your disability impacts your education, and specifies what accommodations are being requested.  Students can upload documentation directly to the DSS portal after completing their application.  Alternatively, practitioners can send the documentation to DSS by email to dss@uah.edu or by fax at 256.824.5655.
  3. Call 256.824.1997 or email dss@uah.edu to schedule an intake appointment.  Intakes are available in person, via Zoom conference, or via phone call during business hours.
  4. You will be given a link that you will use to activate your accommodations each semester once you have signed up for classes.

Next steps:

  • Once all the above steps are complete, each semester you will log in to your student profile and select the accommodations you want for each class.  This activates your accommodations for the semester.  DSS will share a Faculty Notification Letter with the professor on record for each course you select.  You will be copied on this correspondence.
  • While your professors will have an email listing your accommodations, they will not know who you are yet.  Be sure to introduce yourself! We encourage you to schedule a time to meet with your professors if you wish to discuss your accommodations (we recommend doing this the first week of class or during professors' office hours when possible). 

Important:

It is necessary to activate your accommodations for each semester that you wish to use them.

Accommodations are not retroactive.  Accommodations begin only after your professor has your Faculty Notification Letter for the current semester.

Preliminary or Comprehensive Exams for Graduate Students:

If you have a disability and would like to apply for accommodations to have when taking a preliminary or comprehensive exam for graduate school, complete our application and documentation.  We will be in touch to schedule an intake once we have received both.  You will complete this form requesting accommodations for your preliminary or comprehensive exam(s).  Enter all the information you have about your upcoming exam(s).  We will discuss it during the intake when we determine your accommodations.  After the appointment, we will send a notification letter to you and your department.

Temporary Impairments:

A temporary injury does not typically qualify as a disability under the 1990 American with Disabilities Act (ADA), however DSS makes every effort to accommodate temporary injuries when possible.  Examples include breaking a hand, an arm, or a leg, having emergency surgery, or requiring overnight hospitalization.  Students with a temporary injury that need assistance are encouraged to complete the process to request accommodations as soon as possible.  Accommodations for a temporary injury last for the current semester, or less time as appropriate.

Emotional Support Animals:

  • Students in treatment for a psychological disability recognized in the DSM-5 or ICD-10 may apply to have an Emotional Support Animal in their on-campus residence only if their provider recommends it as a part of their treatment. Read through the Emotional Support Animal Guidelines
  • The first step is to have your medical or mental health provider type a letter to DSS on their letterhead sharing your diagnosis recognized in the DSM-5 or ICD-10 along with their specific recommendation that you have an ESA as a part of your treatment to reduce your impairment(s).
  • The letter must include your provider's signature and credentials and can be emailed or faxed directly to DSS.  Once the letter has been sent, and you have submitted your application, you may schedule an intake appointment with DSS for the next steps in the process. Please note that letters and certificates purchased online will not be accepted.