Supporting students with disabilities

UBC is committed to providing equitable access for students with disabilities while maintaining academic standards. The Centre for Accessibility (CfA) determines a student’s eligibility for, and assigns, accommodations on disability grounds, as is required by the University’s legal duty to accommodate under Human Rights law.

All university staff and faculty are responsible for implementing the accommodations determined by the CfA, and communicating with the student’s Accessibility Advisor to discuss any questions or concerns about the accommodations.

What is an accommodation

An accommodation is a reasonable adjustment to existing services, processes, physical spaces and sometimes policies that reduces or removes disability-related barriers.

Accommodations are:

  • Individually assessed;
  • Based on functional impacts, not diagnosis alone; and
  • Designed to support access while maintaining academic standards and essential learning outcomes.

Requesting and managing accommodations

Students must be registered with the Centre for Accessibility to receive accommodations.

As an instructor, you can:

Your role in supporting students

As an instructor, you play an important role in ensuring students with disabilities can fully participate in their academic experience.

When a student provides a Letter of Accommodation from the Centre for Accessibility, you are responsible for:

  • Reviewing the Letter of Accommodation and implementing the approved accommodations in your course
  • Meeting requirements and deadlines for exam accommodations when the Centre for Accessibility is administering an accommodated exam
  • Maintain student privacy by treating all information about a student’s disability as confidential (in accordance with FIPPA)
  • Following university policies, including the University’s Policy on Academic Accommodation for Students with Disabilities
  • Consult with the Centre for Accessibility to ensure that your courses or programs are accessible to students with disabilities.

Letters of Accommodation are issued through the Centre for Accessibility and outline the academic accommodations a student is eligible for, along with contact information for their Accessibility Advisor.

Students are not required to share details about their disability or provide documentation directly to instructors. If you need clarification or support, contact the Centre for Accessibility rather than requesting additional information from the student.

Exams

The Centre for Accessibility currently oversees the implementation of exam accommodations.

Fall 2026 exam process changes
The Centre for Accessibility has updated the accommodated exam process for Fall 2026. Review the changes below before submitting materials for an accommodated exam.

Changes to Fall 2026

  • Both exam materials and exam details are required by the deadline. Previously, only exam details were required by this deadline. 
  • Clockwork is the standard submission method. Email and physical submissions are no longer accepted unless the Centre for Accessibility approves an exception in advance. 
  • The deadline is 12:00 pm two business days before the assessment date. During the December and April exam periods, Saturday and Sundays count as business days.

Read the Fall 2026 Changes to Accommodated Exam Processes memo for more information about these changes. 

Submit exam materials by the deadline 

All exam materials, including the exam and exam details, must be submitted through Clockwork by 12:00 pm two business days before the assessment date. 

For example, materials for a Thursday exam must be submitted by 12:00 pm on Tuesday. 

December and April exam periods 

Saturdays and Sundays count as business days when calculating the two-business day submission deadline. 

If you miss the deadline 

If exam materials are incomplete or submitted after the deadline, the Centre for Accessibility may be unable to administer the accommodated exam. You will then be responsible for arranging and implementing the student’s approved exam accommodation. 

Resources to support exam accommodations: