The Educational Access Center (EAC) offers accommodations for students who have temporary or permanent disabilities. This includes apparent and non-apparent disabilities that impact you in the Boise State learning environment. Starting from square one, we’re going to let you know what exactly an accommodation is, how to get started, and what you can expect.
1) You can’t receive help if you don’t reach out
The best thing for you to do, if you think you might need an accommodation, is to reach out to the talented EAC team who can receive your request, review your documentation, and set up a meeting to talk about your needs. Requesting an accommodation doesn’t guarantee approval or your success in a class—your hard work makes that happen. It’s also important to remember that all accommodation requests should be reasonable and appropriate. They want to make things accessible for you, so work together with them to find a way to modify things for your needs.
2) There are multiple kinds of accommodations
Accommodations come in different shapes and sizes. You might be thinking about an academic accommodation, or perhaps a housing accommodation. Again, reach out to the EAC team to talk about what you feel you need and how they might be able to help you. They’re really good at what they do (and they’re super friendly). So, just sit down and have a chat.
3) An accommodation modifies your current procedure
Need help with your current class instruction or housing situation? The EAC can talk to you about possible adaptations which can potentially fit you better, while still aligning with Boise State curriculum and living standards. This means we still need to follow the current structures already in place, just with an alternation, in order to meet your accommodation. Make sense? Awesome. They’re here to help.
4) If you’ve had an accommodation somewhere else, you’ll need to start anew at Boise State
Maybe you’re already familiar with the accommodation process because you’ve had one before at another school or as part of some other program. In order to get one at Boise State, you still need to start from the beginning and put in a request with proper documentation through the EAC. Accommodations need to be requested every semester.. So, just start from the beginning and they’ll see what they can do.
5) There’s also support programs for students
The EAC provides connections to several support programs, with more on the way. Programs like the Neurodivergent Scholar Society, and TRIO ACES. Each one is a little bit different, has different meeting schedules, and some have requirements to join, so make sure you check out all the details. It’s a great way to meet other students like you!
5 ½) You can take advantage of super chill resources
The EAC also has things like a community room in their facilities which students enrolled in the program can use. They’ve got sound machines, weighted blankets, and lots of information on resources that might be helpful to you. So, go over and say hi and use the space when you need to chill out for a bit.