Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD) Accommodation Information
Students with a documented disability may be eligible for accommodations. The Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD) is responsible for determining reasonable accommodation based on the individual’s current functional limitations. Only students who have been issued an Authorization for Accommodation (AFA) by the OSD are eligible for accommodation. The Division of Biological Sciences OSD Liaison will work directly with the student to facilitate all exam accommodations for undergraduate courses offered by the Division.
Students seeking accommodation in any undergraduate course offered by the Division of Biological Sciences must follow the steps below. Students are responsible for registering promptly with the OSD. And, in order to ensure that accommodations are met, students MUST follow the procedures of both the OSD and the Division of Biological Sciences.
- Students should consult with an OSD Disability Specialist quarterly, as soon as course registration occurs, to obtain an Authorization for Accommodation (AFA) letter for each course in which accommodations are needed.
- Once an AFA is issued for a course offered by the Division of Biological Sciences, the student must present the AFA to the Biological Sciences OSD Liaison in the Student and Instructional Services Office (1128 Pacific Hall). The AFA should be submitted as soon as possible, but no later than Friday of week 2 of the quarter.
- If an AFA is issued by the OSD after Friday of week 2, the student must present the AFA to the Biological Sciences OSD Liaison within three business days of the date of issuance listed on the AFA.
- An AFA for each Biological Sciences course must be submitted to the Biological Sciences OSD Liaison before any accommodations can be arranged. No accommodations will be retroactively applied. The AFA that is submitted to the Biological Sciences OSD Liaison does not require the instructor’s signature, however it is strongly recommended that students supply their instructor with a copy of the AFA and/or discuss their accommodation needs with the instructor.
Exam Accommodation
Students must meet with the Biological Sciences OSD Liaison to review the AFA and the specific exam accommodations. Please allow up to 15 minutes for this meeting.
- Students will be required to confirm that they have reviewed and understand the information presented on this page while meeting with the Biological Sciences OSD Liaison.
- Students must be prepared to discuss exam accommodation for the duration of the quarter. Students should be aware of their exam dates/times (including finals), conflicts with other courses, etc. It is recommended that the student bring the syllabus for each course in which he/she is enrolled, for reference.
- Students must allow a minimum of 72 university business hours (3 business days), excluding weekends and holidays, for exam accommodation arrangements to be made for any exam.
- If an AFA is issued by the OSD within 3 business days of a scheduled exam, exam accommodation cannot be guaranteed.
All communication regarding exam accommodation will be sent via the student’s @ucsd.edu email account. It is the student’s responsibility to read and respond (if necessary) to email correspondence in a timely manner. Failure to read or respond may result in the forfeit of accommodation.
Important Notes:
- The Division cannot guarantee that any student will have a room to himself or herself. There may be more than one student utilizing the scheduled exam room for testing.
- Students may experience interruptions by instructors, IAs, and/or exam proctors during exams.
- Student exams will be scheduled in general use classroom space on campus. As a result testing locations will vary and there is no guarantee that the testing area will be quiet or without distraction.
- Students will not get extra time on their exams if they are late. The allotted exam time begins at the scheduled start time. There are no exceptions.
- Once an exam is scheduled and confirmed, it cannot be changed.
- The student is responsible for his or her testing accommodation schedule; the student must notify the Division immediately if there is a scheduling conflict with his or her classes and/or other exams.
- Exams may be proctored by individuals not associated with the class.
- Integrity of Scholarship and adherence to the Principles of Community are essential in an academic environment and will be strictly enforced in the Division of Biological Sciences.
Classroom Accommodation
Students seeking classroom accommodation in any undergraduate course offered by the Division of Biological Sciences should work directly with their course instructor. Students are responsible for communicating with their instructor about specific needs as dictated by the AFA.