What to Expect from Your CDAR Intake Meeting
Students who work with Center for Disability Access and Resources (CDAR) may be unsure of what to expect when they meet with an Access Consultant. Here are a few things to know before you attend your meeting:
- Your meeting with CDAR is your chance to share your experience with your disability. While we will have read your application and reviewed any documentation you’ve submitted, this is your opportunity to share the impact your disability has had on your educational experiences.
- We will typically start by asking you a few questions to get to know you better before asking you to share specifics about your disability.
- You will have a chance to share how your disability impacts all aspects of your academics and what barriers you may face in class, during exams and quizzes and how it may affect the out-of-classroom activities required of your program.
- During the Intake Meeting, you may be asked what you think would be most helpful to address the barriers that you have described. It is okay to say you are not sure. You and the Access Consultant can brainstorm what might be helpful and what resources may be available to you on campus.
- If you have received accommodations in the past (at another college or in high school), share what has or has not worked in the past.
- This does not have to be your only meeting with CDAR. If your accommodations need to change or you want to discuss new challenges that you are facing as a student, you can always schedule a meeting with an Access Consultant to discuss ways to address additional barriers you are experiencing.
Terms You May Hear During Your Intake Meeting
An access consultant is a CDAR professional with knowledge of ADA law, section 504 and working with people with disabilities. They work with students with disabilities to determine access barriers and establish accommodations.
Accommodations are the adjustments made to your academic experience that are designed to help remove the barriers your disability creates. Some common accommodation examples include: extra time on tests, audio recording and accessible furniture. All requests for accommodations must consider if the request creates a change that is so significant that it alters the essential nature of the course or program.
An accommodation letter is the letter that is generated for your instructors when you apply your approved accommodations to your classes each semester/term via the CDAR portal. It verifies to your instructor that you have a disability, have met with CDAR and have the listed approved accommodations. Once these letters have been sent to your instructors, you need to schedule a time with them within the first 2 weeks to discuss accommodation implementation within their course.
An accommodation request is submitted by you through the CDAR Access Portal each semester to generate your accommodation letters for each of your faculty members.
A barrier is how your disability impacts you specifically related to your academic or housing experiences.
The CDAR Testing Center proctors exams for student with disabilities needing specific accommodations during exams.
An intake meeting is your initial meeting with a CDAR access consultant to discuss barriers created by your disability and your accommodation needs.
The interactive process is a mutual communication process in which an individual seeking accommodation and an Access Consultant from CDAR directly communicate, exchange essential information and provide good-faith consideration of possible accommodations or modifications that allows University of Idaho students equal access to the campus and its services, programs and events.
A review meeting can be scheduled with an Access Consultant if you have any questions, concerns or want to discuss disability-related needs after your original intake meeting that cannot be resolved by email.