Student Disability Accommodations

Texas Tech School of Veterinary Medicine does not make independent decisions regarding student disability accommodations. The Associate Dean for Academic and Student Affairs works collaboratively with the TTU Office of Student Disability Services (SDS) to implement and grant accommodations to students whom complete the SDS application process. A student who believes that he or she is eligible for classroom and testing accommodations due to a disability should contact SDS to begin the application process. When a student has been approved by SDS to receive accommodations, SDS will send an electronic copy of the accommodation paperwork to the Associate Dean for Academic and Student Affairs. The Associate Dean for Academic and Student Affairs distributes the paperwork to the necessary School of Veterinary Medicine staff to implement each specific accommodation.

Students are highly encouraged to take care of their accommodation paperwork as early as possible . Students must request their Letter of Accommodation (LOA) at least 7 days before the date the accommodations will be needed, as University policy allows faculty one week to begin providing accommodations. This may not be the end of the semester if your professor assigns quizzes, midterms, or papers. If a student requires notetaking assistance, the notetaking assistance will become effective approximately 7–10 days after the School of Veterinary Medicine receives the electronic Letter of Accommodation (LOA). Accommodations are never retroactive, so if a student does not submit accommodation paperwork for notetakers until the middle or end of the semester, they will not have access to material that has already passed.

If a student believes that he or she should be receiving accommodations on a midterm or exam and has not heard from the Registrar or the Associate Dean, the student must contact one of them immediately. This procedure applies to all exams, including midterm exams and objective structured clinical examinations. Unscheduled “pop quizzes” do not qualify for extra time. Students who feel they are not receiving their approved accommodations after contacting the Registrar or the Associate Dean should contact their SDS counselor.

Accommodations must be requested each semester. Accommodations do not continue indefinitely and while a student does not have to establish eligibility every semester, they do have to electronically request accommodations. Accommodations may not be reasonable or appropriate for certain clinical examinations whereby patient safety is priority such as surgical and anesthetic procedures.