What is Reasonable Accommodation?

It is the adjustments or modification to the academic environment to equalize people with disabilities to the rest of the group, so they may carry out the tasks required by their studies.

It is any type of adjustment necessary to guarantee a disabled person equal rights and privileges as those of someone without disability.

These adjustments allow the person to comply with the requirements from their courses in spite of their limitations.
This service should be requested by students with disabilities. They must follow the established institutional procedure to be able to coordinate reasonable accommodation.

To request and receive reasonable accommodation in our institution:

Students who wish to receive reasonable accommodation in our institution must complete an application and submit it to the counselor assigned to people with disabilities.
With this application, students must submit recent medical evidence from their specialist stating their diagnosis and the kind of reasonable accommodation recommended for their condition. If a student is a participant in the Vocational Rehabilitation Administration, no medical evidence is necessary, but they must submit a recent certification indicating an active status with this administration, the diagnosis for which they are eligible, and the kind of reasonable accommodation recommended by the specialist for their condition. These documents must be submitted to the counselor assigned to people with disabilities, located on the first floor of the main building (M- 109).

Once the documents have been submitted, the student should sign an authorization for the counselor to open a confidential record. The counselor will open this record with the student’s medical and personal information. The counselor will coordinate the reasonable accommodations requested by the student and justified by their specialist. This record will be confidential and will be used with the express purpose of coordinating reasonable accommodation services.

At the beginning of each quarter, the student is responsible for requesting reasonable accommodation so the counselor may coordinate these services (such as tutoring, interpreters, note-takers, among others).
When students request reasonable accommodation, they will receive a letter addressed to their professors to notify them of the measures of reasonable accommodation they should adopt in class according to the student’s condition. The letter will be confidential, and the student’s condition will not be disclosed. It will only explain the reasonable accommodations the professor should make. Students should submit this letter to their professors. Each professor should sign the acknowledgement of receipt to confirm receipt of the letter. Students should then submit the acknowledgement of receipt to their counselor. This document will be kept in the student’s record.

Any concerns or questions about reasonable accommodations should be discussed with the counselor.

For more information, you may contact Sandra Lugo (Institutional Counselor PUPR) at 787-622-8000, ext. 337, or email slugo@pupr.edu, or you may visit her office, located on the first floor of the main building (M), Office M-102 (Financial Assistance hallway).