We are reaching out to you to share that the Disability Resource Center’s Academic Access Letter format has been updated effective Winter Quarter 2022. The DRC has implemented a new workflow platform, Accommodate, which is driving these updates. We have received some comments and concerns from faculty regarding the new layout of the Academic Access (AA) Letters that are generated in the new system. There have been a few changes in the format that we want to share with you today.
We encourage you to review this sample letter demonstrating the new format. The most significant update in the letter template is that the course and related instructor will no longer show on the top of the letter. All of the courses that a student is actively using an accommodation for will populate below the description of the accommodation.
Please note that there will be some variability in the letters that you receive due to the phased roll out of Accommodate. A few letters were generated using our old process so those letters will look the same as letters generated prior to winter 2022. A few letters were generated for students that did not tie their accommodations to a particular course so those will only list each of the accommodations but not include the courses. Finally, the rest of the letters have been/will be generated using the full process and will look similar to this letter. All three of these types of letters are legitimate. Please reach out to drc+accommodate@ucsc.edu if you have any questions or concerns about the letters.
The DRC will be launching a faculty interface within Accommodate at the start of the spring quarter. The faculty platform will create greater efficiency with regards to viewing the AA letters and students with accommodations in each of your courses. With the launch of that interface, AA letters will return to a more familiar format. More information, including training and resources, will be provided later in winter quarter.
Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns by emailing drc+accommodate@ucsc.edu.
In community,
Lucy
