At the University of Alaska Anchorage, providing equal opportunities for students who experience disabilities is a campus-wide responsibility and commitment. Students who experience disabilities are an important part of our student body. Disability Support Services is responsible for coordinating support services for UAA students who experience disabilities.

In addition to responding to requests for academic adjustment, DSS promotes a universal design approach in which the learning environment is structured to meet the needs of a wide range of students from the beginning, thus minimizing the need for retroactive accommodation. Toward that end, DSS provides information and serves as a resource to the university community. When barriers do arise, Disability Support Services assists in the identification of reasonable adjustments.

Thus, there are two primary areas in which DSS serves:

1) Providing Services for Students with Disabilities

2) Sharing Resources with the Community

DSS staff can provide details about services and accommodations that are available to qualified students with appropriate documentation. Interested individuals are encouraged to contact DSS by phone (Voice/TTY), e-mail, by letter, or in person. Early planning is encouraged to allow DSS staff adequate time to make the necessary arrangements for support services.

Disability Support Services helps the campus community honor our institution-wide responsibility and commitment. To clarify rights and responsibilities and address frequently asked questions, we have added a handout with a flowchart detailing the accommodation process and outlining realtime communication access options. We have also created a page with accessibility notices and frequently asked questions.

DSS also engages in activities to help increase awareness of tools and techniques for access by holding workshops and open events in our adaptive computing lab, showcasing films and documentaries through our lending library, and presenting information or sharing handouts upon request.