Policies, Rights, and Responsibilities

Williams College students with disabilities have the right to engage and participate in the same activities, campus services, programs, and experiences offered to students without a disability. In addition, they have the right to access and utilize the same information shared with all students, and to have the same opportunity to achieve, both inside and outside the classroom.

When these opportunities are not offered equally, or when there are barriers to full engagement and participation for students with disabilities, the College will arrange reasonable accommodations. Accommodations are provided to otherwise qualified students with documented disabilities when requested and when necessary to ensure equal access to College programs, facilities, and experiences. This is in compliance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, and the Americans with Disabilities Amendments Act of 2008 and similar state laws.

The Office of Accessible Education (OAE) takes the lead in determining and coordinating these accommodations on behalf of the College and collaborates with students, faculty, and staff to advocate for nondiscrimination and equal access for students with disabilities.

Who qualifies for accommodations at Williams College?

The ADA and Section 504 identify a person with a disability as an individual who has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, such as walking, seeing, hearing, speaking, breathing, reading, or learning.

Conditions that are minor and temporary (such as a cold or flu) don’t count as disabilities under the ADA. However, some short-term illnesses or injuries (such as concussions) can qualify as disabilities, depending on their severity and duration. In the accommodations request process, we focus more on the impact a condition or diagnosis has on a student — what functional limitations the condition causes for that particular individual — than on the condition or diagnosis itself.

How do I request an accommodation from the College?

The Office of Accessible Education (OAE) is the primary point of contact for students seeking accommodations under Section 504 and the ADA. We work individually with each student to establish their eligibility for accommodations and to create a customized plan of support, which can include reasonable accommodations to ensure full access to and participation in the College’s academic and co-curricular programs.

There are three core steps to requesting any accommodation:

  1. Student Request Form
    Complete this Accommodation Request Form to open a case file and submit your request in Accommodate, our web-based accommodations management software. For students who already have a case file in Accommodate, log in then go to Accommodation > Supplemental > Add New to request to renew, modify, or add to your accommodation plan.
  2. Documentation from a Healthcare Provider
    Documentation from a licensed healthcare professional is an important part of the accommodation request process. To make sure OAE receives the information that is most helpful in determining accommodations, please ask your provider to complete our Documentation of Disability form. A signed letter on professional letterhead that follows our Documentation Guidelines is also acceptable.
  3. Meeting with an OAE Staff Member
    Please email [email protected] to arrange a meeting to discuss your request in more detail and make a plan for next steps.

Rights and Responsibilities

  • Prospective students are encouraged to:

    • consult with the Office of Accessible Education regarding potential accommodations at Williams to support a documented disability;
    • discuss concerns about support for disabilities with members of the admission staff, housing office, health/psychological services, and the Dean’s Office. These conversations are shared with College personnel on a need-to-know basis only.
  • The Williams College community includes students with documented disabilities who may require accommodations. Although the College operates no specifically-structured academic programs for individuals with disabilities, we are committed to providing full and meaningful access to campus programs, services, and experiences as designed, regardless of ability status.

    Students with disabilities are expected to pursue a full course of study (typically four graded courses per term and at least one course per Winter Study Period) and meet the same academic standards, with or without accommodations. When needed and requested, accommodations will be provided to enable a student to access and participate in courses and programs.

    In addition to reasonable accommodations, the College offers all students a variety of support services such as peer tutors, the Writing Center, quantitative skills support, research support, one-on-one guidance from faculty and the Dean's Office, Health and Wellness Services, International Student Services, the Davis Center for DEI, executive function support, among others.

    Williams College students with disabilities have the right to:

    • equal access to courses, services, facilities, activities, and programs available through the College;
    • reasonable, appropriate and effective accommodations and/or auxiliary aids determined on a case-by-case basis through an interactive process;
    • confidentiality of all information regarding the disability and accommodations; readily available alternative formats of information.

    Williams College students with disabilities have the responsibility to:

    • meet the College’s qualifications and academic requirements;
    • identify themselves in advance as individuals with disabilities when seeking accommodations;
    • provide a recent professional evaluation which:
      • identifies the disability,
      • describes the challenges faced due to the condition,
      • recommends accommodations to be provided;
    • follow specific procedures, comply with deadlines and agreements, and communicate with the Office of Accessible Education regarding any problems which may arise concerning the accommodation process.
  • Williams College, through the administrators providing support for students with disabilities, has the right to:

    • uphold academic standards;
    • request recent documentation from a student completed by an appropriate professional source which:
      • identifies the disability,
      • describes the challenges faced due to this condition,
      • recommends accommodations to be provided;
    • discuss a student’s need for reasonable accommodations and/or auxiliary aids with the professional source of his/her documentation with the student’s signed consent authorizing such discussion;
    • determine appropriate accommodations and/or auxiliary aids in consultation with students with disabilities;
    • provide accommodations for a reasonable, temporary period of time in order to enable the student to obtain the necessary/additional documentation;
    • deny a request for accommodations and/or auxiliary aids if the documentation:
      • does not identify a specific disability,
      • fails to verify the need for the requested services,
      • is not provided in a timely manner;
    • refuse to provide an accommodation and/or auxiliary aid that is inappropriate or unreasonable including any that:
      • pose a direct threat to the health and safety of others,
      • fundamentally alter the essential nature of a course or program,
      • pose an undue financial or administrative burden on the College.

    Williams College, through the administrators providing support to students with disabilities, has the responsibility to:

    • provide information regarding policies and procedures to students with disabilities and assure its availability in alternative formats;
    • provide reasonable and appropriate accommodations and/or auxiliary aids for students with disabilities upon timely requests by students (eligibility for accommodations determined on a case-by-case basis);
    • maintain the confidentiality of records and communication concerning students with disabilities;
    • inform students with disabilities of College policies and procedures for filing a grievance.
  • Williams College faculty members have the right to:

    • deny a request for any accommodation which:
      • fundamentally alters the nature of their course or program,
      • undermines the purpose of an exam or course,
      • alters the essential nature of the course,
    • Should a faculty member believe that this situation may be the case, they should discuss the matter with the Office of Accessible Education.

    Williams College faculty members have the responsibility to:

    • discuss with the OAE any concerns related to the accommodations or arrangements which they have been requested to implement;
    • provide appropriate accommodations, as requested;
    • assure confidentiality of information regarding students with disabilities;
    • consider a syllabus statement identifying resources for students with disabilities on campus. For example:
      • “Students with disabilities who may need accommodations for this course are encouraged to contact the Office of Accessible Education at [email protected] or 413-597-4672 as soon as possible to ensure that accommodations are provided in a timely manner.”
  • Academic accommodations are reasonable adjustments that:

    • Do not result in a fundamental alteration of the program or impose an undue financial or administrative burden on the institution;
    • Provide an equal academic opportunity for students with disabilities;
    • Do not guarantee an outcome or level achievement. 

    Academic accommodations are only considered upon a formal voluntary request to the Office of Accessible Education by the student and are determined as part of an interactive process during which OAE staff work collaboratively with students to determine the adjustments and/or auxiliary aids needed to provide equal opportunities for learning and living on campus. This interactive and collaborative process requires that students self-advocate and meet with a member of the OAE staff to discuss their request for services prior to a decision being rendered. Academic accommodations cannot be granted retroactively.

    Once approved for academic accommodations, students must confirm with the Office of Accessible Education that they wish to utilize their accommodations and share their letter of accommodations with their faculty. To do so, students should complete a Semester Request form in Accommodate at the start of each semester. Faculty will not be aware of a student's needs or be required to implement accommodations until a Semester Request is submitted and the letter of accommodations is sent.