Accommodation Letter

A formal document produced by a university's disability services office that notifies faculty of their obligation to provide specific approved accommodations to a student with a disability. The letter details the accommodations but does not disclose the student's specific disability, maintaining confidentiality. Students typically deliver these letters to their instructors at the start of each term. While accommodation letters are designed to ensure compliance with disability law, research has found that some faculty disregard them, push back against accommodations, or require additional justification beyond what the letter provides. For graduate students, the process of delivering accommodation letters can be particularly fraught, as it may affect their relationships with faculty advisors who control their academic and career prospects.