Getting ready for Spring 2018
We hope you have had a relaxing and refreshing winter break! As you prepare for classes to start next week (Tuesday January 16th) we wanted to give you a few reminders about using your accommodations this semester.
If you graduated in December or will not be returning to UT for the spring 2018 semester your file with SSD will be inactivated. You can find more information online at SSD’s Reactivation and Maintenance of Records .
Requesting Your Accommodation Letters
In order to use your accommodations you need to request your Accommodation Letters via the online request form (available online at Accommodation Letter Request). You will need the course number, unique number and instructor’s full name to request your letters. SSD cannot process requests with missing or incorrect information. SSD can only process letters for courses you are currently enrolled in; if you plan to add a class you must wait until you are enrolled before requesting a letter for that class.
It will take 3-5 business days for SSD to process your letters (at the beginning of the semester it usually takes the full 5 business days). You will get an email when your letters are ready for you to download from the SSD Web Portal. SSD staff often work during the evenings and on weekends in order to process Accommodation Letter requests and we appreciate your patience as we work through the thousands of letters we process during the first few weeks of class.
Delivering Your Accommodation Letters
Your accommodations go into effect once you have delivered and discussed your Accommodation Letters with your instructors. We encourage you to deliver your Accommodations during office hours or set up an appointment so you have the privacy and time to talk through how each of your accommodations will be provided. SSD has created a short video demonstrating how to talk with your instructors about your accommodations: Delivering Your Accommodation Letters. Be sure to let your SSD Coordinator know ASAP if you have problems or concerns about talking with your instructor or setting up your accommodations.
Course Load Reduction and Full Time Status
If you are approved for the course load reduction accommodation and plan to start the semester with less than full time hours (12 hours for undergraduates or 9 hours for graduate students) you will need to email your SSD Coordinator to request full time status letters. Be sure to let your Coordinator know how many hours you plan to take (minimum of 6 hours) and who needs to be notified of your full time status (financial aid, housing, employement, etc.). It is your responsibility to talk with these departments to ensure you understand any impact of taking less than full time hours.
SSD will be closed on Monday January 15th for the MLK Jr. Day Holiday.
Feedback Needed!
SSD is seeking feedback from students about how they prefer to receive notifications about construction on campus. Please answer our 2 question survey: Campus Construction Notification Feedback.
Research Opportunity
A UT doctoral student in the Department of Special Education is conducting a study of postsecondary students with learning disabilities and the use of academic accommodations. If you have a learning disability and are willing to be interviewed about your experiences please contact Lisa Sigafoos at lsigafoos@utexas.edu or (512) 550-3948).
We hope you have a great start to your spring 2018 semester!