Per the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, all qualifying students are entitled to reasonable, disability-related academic, dining, and residential accommodations. In Disability Support Services (DSS), we partner with faculty, staff and students to ensure that all aspects of the RISD experience are accessible, equitable and inclusive of individuals with disabilities.
We work with students (undergraduate, graduate and Continuing Education) with documented disabilities (cognitive/learning, psychological, and physical) that substantially limit one or more major life activities both short and long term, as defined by the ADA. Toward fulfilling our mission, we develop, arrange and provide appropriate accommodations that support student engagement with courses, programs, services and facilities. Accommodations are determined by our staff on an individualized, case-by-case basis.
Along with the registration form, we ask that you upload your documentation. If you do not have access to current documentation we can discuss your options during a meeting. While supporting documentation can be helpful, we recognize that there are a variety of factors that can impact your ability to obtain it. We are committed to working with you to find appropriate and creative ways to support your access at RISD.
● For cognitive/learning disabilities we look for your most recent and up to date neuropsychological evaluation. Neuropsychological evaluations should be from the past 3 years and based on adult norms.
● For mental health, physical, chronic medical disabilities we would look for a one page letter from an off campus licensed provider stating diagnosis, symptoms and limitations, prognosis, and plans for care. The letter should be on letterhead and have the individual's credentials listed.
● Make sure all documents you submit are clear, comprehensive and current, and allow sufficient time for us to review your request and arrange all necessary accommodations.
● All documentation you submit must be in English. Any needed translation is your responsibility. You may choose to use a documentation translation resource, such as DeepL or LinguaVox.
● Obtain and supply our office with ALL necessary information regarding your disability. If you need up-to-date neuropsychological testing, we can help you find a local clinician/provider.
If you submit documentation that lacks required information, we will ask you to provide additional, updated information and/or refer you to a medical professional in Providence who can see you or conduct additional testing.
We recognize that a variety of factors can make it difficult for you to obtain supporting documentation. If you do due diligence in trying to obtain required documents but cannot provide what we may need from you, whether due to logistics, finances or lack of insurance, we will try not to let such outside factors turn into barriers for receiving accommodations.
In such cases, we may accept any documentation you have at the moment and ask that you submit a detailed, written self-report. We will then consider on a case-by-case basis whether to provide accommodations, and encourage you to work toward obtaining documentation in between academic semesters.
Questions about specific types of documentation required for registration should be directed to disabilitysupportservices@risd.edu.
Accommodations take time to arrange, some up to 2-4 weeks. It is encouraged that students make accommodation requests prior to the beginning of the semester and provide all required documentation when requesting. Requests for accommodations are evaluated individually and based on the completion of the registration process below.
All current students are required to meet with a disability services staff member, annually to update their accommodations. Please update the registration form and then schedule an appointment, email: disabilitysupportservices@risd.edu or call 401-709-8465.